This is an updated version of a post originally shared in April of 2016
The annual Jewish Feast of Passover started this past Friday Night and around the world Jews (and many Christians) will be celebrating the passing over of the death angel in Egypt of every home which had the blood of the lamb on their doorposts (Exodus 12). We know Jesus is THE Passover Lamb. The ‘Last Supper’ was the Jewish Passover Seder meal where Jesus took the pierced and striped Matzah bread and compared it to his body that was about to be broken on the cross. It is where he to took the ’Cup of Redemption’ (the third cup of the Passover Seder meal) and compared it to His blood that would be poured out for the redemption of the world. They ate the meal in preparation for the Sabbath (Good Friday) when He was crucified. He then rose on Sunday (The Jewish Feast of First Fruits) as the ‘firstborn’ or first-fruits from the dead (I Cor 15:20). Most Christians know this story as the story of Easter. But Passover started last Friday night and Easter is not until next Sunday? Some years they are weeks apart? Why are the days separated? What does that even mean and why should you care? You ask really great questions!
I don’t know of a more debated or controversial Christian Holiday than that of Easter. Before we go on let me make my point clear and then explain. Christians should celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus as the defining moment of hope and life. I can not think of a “bad day” to celebrate His resurrection. So I am 100% all about celebrating the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and think we should acknowledge it every day of our lives, not just at Easter or during Passover. However, the question comes up for those that study the Bible as to ‘Where did the name Easter come from?” and “why do we celebrate it at a different time than the Jewish Passover if that is when Jesus actually was crucified and rose from the dead?” These are the questions I want to very simply and quickly explore and then allow you to consider and research for yourself.
How Did We Get Here?
There are many theories about the origin of the name Easter. Some have said the name comes from pagan gods (Ishtar or Eastre) and that the church, in a state of compromise, tried to merge worldly celebrations with a Biblical holiday to appease people and bring the population together. I do not personally hold to this view but not because I think the church is beyond doing such a thing. I just do not see enough of a solid case made for the claim. (It is worthy to note that most of the Christian world does not speak English and neither do they use the word Easter but a word derived from the Greek word Pascha which means passover).
Beyond eggs and bunnies and fertility gods and all the other arguments leveled against Easter (it gets weird), I tend to focus on the separation of Easter from the Biblical calendar. That is a fact and one that has caused much unnecessary confusion. The early church was entirely Jewish (don’t forget, Jesus himself was/is/will always be a Jew) and as such they celebrated the Biblical holidays as they appeared on the Hebrew calendar. Today much of the West uses the Gregorian calendar named for Pope Gregory of the Catholic Church that was invented in 1582 which is based on the sun and not the cycles of the moon on which the Hebrew calendar is based. So is that the reason Easter is not celebrated at the same time of Passover? Not entirely.
One of the great tragedies of Christendom is that after starting as a movement of Jews and Gentiles coming together to worship the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob by the blood of the Passover lamb, Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, the Gentiles (anyone not Jewish) began to outnumber the Jews and began to despise them. This is documented history (a sad history at that) and lead to many disastrous schisms between the Christians and the Jews, even to this day. Finally at the Council of Nicea in 325 CE the church decided they no longer wanted to have ‘their’ sacred holiday (the resurrection of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah as foretold in the Hebrew Bible) to be dictated by the Jews that ‘killed Jesus’. Do you see the sad irony? [REMINDER: The Jews did not kill Jesus. Jesus said NO ONE takes His life from Him but He lays it down freely so that He could take it back up again! (John 10:17-18)]
“It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of all festivals, to follow the custom [the calculation] of the Jews, who had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and whose minds were blinded. In rejecting their custom, we may transmit to our descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter… We ought not, therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews, for the Savior has shown us another way…. we desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews…” (From “Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council: Eusebius, Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18-20)
Is the Easter Bunny To Blame?
From here on, a different day in the Spring was chosen to celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus so it wouldn’t coincide with the Jewish feast of Passover in order that Christians wouldn’t be connected with the Jews. Ultimately, it was arrogance and ignorance the lead to such a decision. Ironically Paul mentions this very spirit as it relates to Christians and Jews in Romans 11… ‘I do not want you [church] to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited [arrogant]: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved.”
How sad is it that a different narrative of the Easter season has been given so much attention with bunnies and chocolate and eggs and yet the original story is lost in much of the Christian world? It’s even more shocking when you realize how strong the “Easter Story” is rooted in Hebrew tradition. The Rabbis taught that the only city in Israel where the Passover lambs could be raised was in Bethlehem. They also taught that the High Priest would go down Bethlehem to select a lamb for sacrifice by placing it in a manger where he could inspect it for any spots or blemishes. Then, after selecting the lamb it would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and carried to Jerusalem to be sacrificed for the sake of the people. Noticing any interesting parallels?
What about the fact that Jesus entered Jerusalem on “Palm Sunday” on the same day of the calendar that the Jewish people were commanded to select a lamb for their own passover sacrifice? These Jewish people waved palm branches because they were selecting Jesus! Over the next few days the people were to inspect their lamb to ensure there was not spot or blemish. On those same days, Jesus was questioned by the chief priest and teachers of the law. Ultimately, Pontius Pilate said, “I find no fault with this man.” (Luke 23:4) Then he was crucified on the very day the Passover lambs were slaughtered as a symbol of God delivering them from slavery. Trust me, I haven’t scratched the surface. The Easter story, is the Passover story and the two belong together.
So Where Do We Go From Here?
Is the church worshipping on a pagan day using a secret pagan name? I guess it’s possible, but I don’t think so. Has the church operated in ignorance and arrogance towards our Jewish brothers and sisters by separating Easter from Passover? Without question. So what do we do? Acknowledge and repent of our ignorance and arrogance (and that of our fathers before us), and move forward in the grace of God with a new found respect and connection to Passover and the Jewish/Hebrew foundation of our faith!
I celebrate Jesus on Easter each year because, as I stated earlier, there is not a bad day to honor Jesus as we should recognize the Resurrection every day. However, I also celebrate the Passover with my friends and family and pray for my Jewish brothers and sisters around the world that they would experience the true Passover Lamb as they sit around the Seder table. I encourage you to do the same.
From The Bible
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” – John 10:16-18 ESV
For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. – I Corinthians 5:7-8 NIV
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. – I Corinthians 15:20 NIV
Want more on the subject? See these articles and share this post with a friend:
Watch my friend Scott Volk with Together For Israel lead a Passover Seder Here