Reasons Why We Celebrate Easter

Happy Easter to everyone! Today along with the Christmas season is one of the most-attended days of church in America. Millions of people who normally don't darken the door to a church will attend annually on Easter Sunday. It's become a sad ritual in America. I'm thankful for those that do make the effort to attend church on Easter Sunday. However, many of those same people won't attend church hardly any other time of the year. That's tragic. Another thing that's tragic is there are pagan elements incorporated into the celebration of Easter. Many churches will host annual Easter egg hunts during Easter. The pagan elements of Easter bunnies and eggs are part of the celebration. The eggs represent the gods of fertility in the spring. I know of a preacher that stated several years ago that eggs belong in the skillet--not on trees! There are many people in America that celebrate Easter in different ways. Many Catholics celebrate Easter with Jesus still hanging on the cross. They will celebrate a perverted type of communion which is called the Eucharist which believes that when the church attendees partake of the wafer and the wine in the cup, that literally becomes the body and blood of our Lord Jesus. I'm thankful that the Jesus we serve no longer hangs on a cross nor is in a tomb anymore. He is risen and live forevermore! When we partake of holy communion or the Lord's Supper, we remember the sacrifice Jesus paid on Calvary. Jesus said that when we partake of the cup and the wafer, we do it in remembrance of Him.

There are many traditions that Americans celebrate in regards to Easter. This post will be written in context of those of us that are born again and believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I'm speaking of the various reasons why we celebrate Easter Sunday. We celebrate Easter in recognition of a Christ that died for us on Calvary, was buried for three days, and then arose from the grave and is sitting on the right hand of the throne. those of us that celebrate the resurrection are looking for Christ's soon return in this world.

There are a number of reasons why we celebrate Easter on this particular day. I'm going to list a few reasons why we as Christians celebrate Easter. I could list several, but I'll name just a few. First of all, we celebrate Easter because of His Birth. Christ came to this world and was found lying in a manger. Even though the birth of Christ is reserved for Christmas, without the birth there would be no death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There must be a birth before there can be a death. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." Thank God that he was willing to send his son to die for the sins of mankind. The Bible says that it was preordained before the foundations were laid that Jesus would be the lamb to die for the sins of mankind. Adam's partaking of the fruit in the Garden of Eden was no surprise to God. God knew that man would sin. God already had provided a perfect, spotless, lamb to die for the sins of mankind. All of the sacrifices that took place in the Old Testament were a forerunner of the Christ that was to come to this world. Thank God! Another reason we can celebrate Easter is because Jesus was obedient unto death. Jesus was God incarnate--both God and man. However, Jesus never one time sinned in this world. We read in Matthew 4 how Satan had tempted Jesus in the wilderness. However, Jesus didn't succumb to the Devil's temptations. Had He sinned at anytime while on earth, he wouldn't have been able to offer himself on Calvary's cross. He had to be that perfect, spotless lamb to become an atonement for mankind's sins. Even at the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus was praying and sweat as great as the drops of blood were falling to the ground, Jesus was obedient and partook of that bitter cup. Even though he prayed to the Father in Matthew 26:39 and said if it be God's will to let that cup pass from him, he didn't flinch from the purpose on why He was sent to this world.

We also celebrate Easter because Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind. Hebrews 2:9 declares that Jesus tasted death for the sins of mankind. Jesus had not known what sin tasted like. He always had perfect communion with the Father. He lived in the splendor of glory prior to coming to this world as a lowly man. He never knew sin. He never knew what it was like to never have fellowship with the Godhead. However, for the first time, Jesus had to taste death for mankind. Whenever we watch movies that portray Jesus dying on the cross, we always see the human suffering, torture, and agony that he endured on the cross. There's no question that he received the most brutal beating anyone could bear. However, many times we only see the physical aspects that he went through when dying on the cross. Nobody can deny the physical pain Jesus experienced was excruciating. The greatest pain Jesus experienced was when the sins of mankind was heaped upon Jesus. Jesus became sin for mankind. All of mankind's filthy sins were heaped upon Jesus. All the sins from lying to the most horrible sins ever imagined was thrust upon Jesus. However, Jesus experienced rejection from the Father when he died on the cross? Why? Because God can't stand to look upon sin. As a result, God turned his back on his son. Matthew 27:46 records Jesus saying, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" It was due to the fact God the Father couldn't bear to look at sin. Jesus had to experience the rejection from the Father in order for mankind to be saved from sin. There had to be a spotless lamb that would become sin for man. That's what Jesus was on Calvary's cross. He died a vicarious death in substitution for all of mankind.

I was reading a blogpost about Good Friday. The Friday before Easter is known as Good Friday. Some places of business are off to celebrate that day. For those of us that place a high premium on Biblical accuracy, if you calculate the days properly, there's no way that Jesus could've died on Friday. He was in the grave for three days and three nights. Friday until Sunday doesn't equal three days and three nights. The probable time of Christ's death has to be on Wednesday. The time from Wednesday until Sunday equals three days and three nights. We celebrate Easter on Sunday because that's the day Jesus arose from the grave. Sunday is also called the Lord's Day. Church is held on Sunday because of the example set before us in the Bible and about coming to the House of God and worshipping the Lord on the Lord's Day. The apostles did that in the book of Acts. Sunday is a special day set aside to worship the Lord. That doesn't mean church services can't be held throughout the week, but Sunday is a special day set aside to attend church and to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord.

We also celebrate Easter because of the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Christ is what separates Christianity from all other religions. All the world's gods have died but never was resurrected from the grave. Buddha, Mohammad, Joseph Smith, Taze Russell, or any other religious leaders never arose from the grave when they died. However, Jesus arose from the grave. Luke 24 bears that out. Jesus arose from the grave, ascended into Heaven, and defeated hell and the grave. The resurrection is a pivotal element in what Jesus did on Calvary. For without the resurrection, Jesus death would've been in vain. Jesus' blood would never have cleansed mankind from his sins, if he still remained in the grave. I Corinthians 15:55-56 says, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." Because of the resurrection of Christ, death, hell, and the grave were defeated. There would've been no salvation for mankind if Jesus didn't arise from the grave. Everything Jesus would've done on Calvary would've been in vain without the resurrection. Victory was declared over sin when Jesus defeated death. Jesus has the power to forgive sins and defeat the forces of hell today.

Lastly, we can celebrate Easter because of the hope that lies within us. We are looking forward to the day when Jesus shall return for his saints. I Corinthians 15:51-54 mentions about the resurrection of the body. It mentions that when the rapture takes place, there will be some saints that are still alive. When the rapture takes place, The corruptible will put on incorruption, and the mortal shall put on immortality. We will one day have a glorified body. As of right now, those that have been redeemed have a redeemed soul but a corruptible body. When God takes his children out of this world, we will have a glorified body. We won't have to wrestle with our flesh as we do currently. Both body and soul will be incorruptible. Right now, those that are born again have an incorruptible soul but a corruptible body. I Thessalonians 4:16-18 mentions of the coming rapture of the church. For seven years God will pour his judgment upon this world. Then after seven years He will return with his bride and establish an earthly kingdom during the Millennial Reign for a thousand years and those that are His will rule and reign with Him.

We have so much to be thankful for. Not only am I thankful for what Jesus did on Calvary's cross, but the Lord's coming back and we'll live in eternal bliss one of these days. All the trials of life will be ended and we'll be praising him for eternity. The most important gift that God gave us was his son. The most important gift is the gift of salvation. Today is the day for the sinner nearest hell to repent of his sins and accept Jesus as saviour and Lord. Jesus is risen and alive forevermore. Jesus death, burial, and resurrection should be celebrated all 365 days a year, 52 weeks a year. It shouldn't just be observed during the Easter season. We should remember what Jesus did for us on Calvary everyday. The greatest thing a sinner can do is to accept Jesus as Lord and saviour and live for him. You'll never regret giving your heart and life to Jesus.