What Is Easter? By Kiki Edenfield

EASTER: AN ANCIENT HOLIDAY TRADITION STILL CELEBRATED TODAY 

For many (especially kids), Easter is celebrated with eggs, bunnies and chocolates propagated by modern marketing rooted not from the Babylonian goddesses Ishtar or Oestra or Ostara aligned with the Spring Equinox, but a game from the Germanic folks who, in the springtime, use to hide eggs in the garden for kids to find and put in their baskets if they were good. As the Germanic population came to America they brought their traditions with them and it caught on and still practiced today. I'm thinking with the current price of eggs we will see a lot more plastic eggs and less real colored ones!

The traditional Old Testament Jewish festival called the Passover is also celebrated to this day at a similar time of year (the 14th day of the first month Nissan of the Jewish calendar) by devout Jews. The Passover holiday commemorates the seventh plague that finally freed the Israelites from 300 years of slavery from the very stubborn Egyptian Pharoah. Click on the photo above to get the details of what the Passover and conflicting calendars (Julius/Solar vs. Gregorian/Lunar) entailed if you don't know. Ever wonder why our calendar started over when Jesus was born from BC (before Christ) to AD (Anno Domino meaning The Year of the Lord)? Pretty monumental presence to be a pivotal time changer. Around 532AD, the Roman emperor, Constantine, finally settled the various calendar dating disputes and we use the Gregorian calendar today.

Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of a Jewish rabbi, Jesus, whose 3 year ministry ended by a brutal crucifixion instigated by religious elites for no actual crime but: 1) because he performed thousands of miracles (some on the Sabbath) and these zealots feared they were losing control of the people and their positions would be threatened; and moreover 2) Jesus said he was the Son of God (which they considered blaspheme) and called them out on their hypocritical behavior which infuriated them even more. Jesus died on the cross the day the Pascal lambs were sacrificed on Passover and rose from the dead three days later on a Sunday morning in 33AD. This sounds impossible, however,

START HERE: these events are documented in historical non-Biblical manuscripts by secular Roman and Jewish historians during that time and confirm the writings of the apostles who walked with Jesus and witnessed him in action. In addition, over 500 people witnessed seeing Jesus after he rose from the dead, he even ate with his apostles and they could have avoided horrific deaths by saying none of it was true as the authorities wanted to stop this new faith born Jesus' teaching from spreading. John lived to write the last book of Revelation in the Bible which was heavy in of itself to scribe...talk about sharing an intense story... about how the world will end! What's really wild (besides Jesus' birth, healing miracles, death and resurrection) are the prophesies in the Old Testament in Isaiah 53 that lay out the story of Jesus' death 300 years before it ever happened! And in Psalms 22:16, King David also describes in detail Jesus' death which Jesus quoted before he took his last breath on the cross. What?! Made me say Wow!

Even Paul, who severely persecuted and killed the early Christians writes of his miraculous encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus which completely changed his life's mission. He traveled and preached the Gospel to the Gentiles and suffered beatings, jail time and died validating Jesus' teachings. No one would do that for a lie, would they?

 Christians still celebrate what Jesus accomplished some 2000 years later and believe he was what he said he was, the Son of God, the Messiah who came to earth to teach us, and become the lamb that was sacrificed for our sins so we could be right with God who is holy and cannot dwell with sin and our sinful nature. After Jesus conquered death by rising, he promised that anyone that believed in him would have eternal life. And this is where it requires faith to believe or not to believe...and that is the question. Perhaps it was easier to believe when all those miracles were happening around us. How long can one's faith be sustained? What does all of that past have to do with us living in 2025? Everything Eternal.

Jesus promised that anyone who believes and follows Him can have eternal life with him in Heaven where there is no pain or suffering, no sun or moon but heavenly light. See how John describes it in Rev. 21:4 and in John 14:2 Jesus reassures us its true. Would Jesus lie? No.

To many, this subject is a turn-off, which is understandable since so many people have been misinformed or led astray by wolves in sheep's clothing into some crazy teaching, cults and practices so they avoid the topic altogether, and I don't blame them. If you are curious to seek out the truth of the ages, it's there to find. "Ask and you shall receive; Knock and the door will be opened, Seek and you shall find." These are the words of Jesus so I know they are true. If you want more meaning, more love in your life, there's nothing more profound to be in seach of.

As I get older and in the final chapters of my life - and as the world gets weirder and time speeds up like we're at the end of a toilet paper roll, I'm considering doing a zoom Bible class and just read a few chapters at a time together just staring from page 1. I have no motive other than to read what the ol' Good Book says since it's been preserved throughout time so why not see what it says. If you are curious too, just hit reply and I'll send you a link to join me. Use whatever version of Bible you have and we'll compare and discuss. It's not about religion, it's about what was recorded in history. Won't that be interesting? I know it will be meaningful.