|
POSTED 10 MARCH, 2002
What is the Problem With Easter?
by
J.K. McKee
editor@tnnonline.net
It comes
every Spring, usually sometime in March or April. You know it
because in stores you see the baskets, candy, rabbits, eggs, and
the annoying fake grass that goes in those baskets. You see the
Cadbury cream egg commercials on television with the rabbits
gobbling like chickens. Its name is Easter.
Most sincere Christians celebrate the season of Easter not as a
time to fawn over rabbits or eat candy, but as a serious time to
remember the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus). They
commemorate His death on Good Friday and His resurrection on
Easter Sunday. Certainly, of all the events in our faith, the
resurrection of our Lord is the most important. The Apostle Paul
validly writes, “But
if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Messiah has
been raised; and if Messiah has not been raised, then our
preaching is vain, your faith also is vain” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14). However, when we
consider the pre-Messianic and pre-Christian origins of
“Easter,” we do need to reevaluate it.
It comes as a shock to many Christians, but Messianic Believers do
not celebrate Easter. We do not see this holiday mandated in
Scripture as one of the Lord’s moedim or “appointed
times.” We believe it to be a substitute holiday in place
of what God has asked His people to do in the Spring. By
celebrating Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we think that can
communicate a view of Yeshua coming to die as a random man or a
common criminal on the cross at Golgotha (Calvary), in a
“generic” manner for the sins of humanity. He does not
necessarily come as the Messiah of Israel, in fulfillment of our
Heavenly Father’s appointed times. The common celebration of
Easter today often downplays how Yeshua is the blameless
Passover Lamb slain for our sin, and the unleavened, sinless
Bread of Life who was scourged for our iniquities.
There are certainly Christians today who criticize Messianics,
without mercy, for not celebrating Easter. Yet as it has sadly
been the case, many Messianics usually respond to these
Christians without mercy as well. They accuse Christians of
participating in pagan “fertility rites” or that they are
worshipping the Babylonian goddess Ishtar or the sun god.
Likewise, because Messiah Yeshua’s death, burial, and
resurrection are not emphasized at many “Messianic” Passover
sedars, such Christians may feel that we have lost hold of
this monumental event, and perhaps can rightfully say of some
people that they treat Yeshua’s resurrection with disgust (cf.
Hebrews 10:29).
How are we as fair-minded Messianic Believers to handle Easter? How
are we to be mature, Spirit-filled, Torah obedient Believers who
follow the example of Yeshua the Messiah? At what time are we to
appropriately remember what He did for us on the cross 2,000
years ago? Easter or Passover?
End of sample excerpt.
Enjoyed this excerpt? Purchase the
Messianic Spring Holiday Helper
 Paperback:
$21.99;
Amazon Kindle eBook:
$9.99
J.K. McKee
(B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.A., Asbury
Theological Seminary) is the editor of TNN
Online (www.tnnonline.net) and is a Messianic
apologist.
He is a 2009 recipient of the Zondervan Biblical
Languages Award for Greek.
He
is author of
numerous books, dealing with a wide range of
topics that are important for today’s
Messianic Believers. He has also written many articles on
theological issues,
and is presently focusing his attention on Messianic commentaries
of various books of the Bible.
|
