As the spring comes with balmy weather, blooming trees and allergies, so comes Easter. And like other holidays, Easter means food and family and fun for many people.
Most would agree that there is nothing wrong, of course, with having food, family and fun, but the perception of this holiday has been cut off at the knees.
Commercialism Versus True Meaning in Easter
Easter is perhaps been most profoundly affected of all the Christian holidays that have been transformed by commercialism, thereby burying the real meaning and cause for the celebration.
In fact, the average person no longer knows and truly understands why Easter is celebrated.
Most people understand that Christmas is about Jesus’ birth, no matter what non-religious traditions secular society's heavy focus on shopping and decorating. But what many have forgotten is that Easter too is about Jesus and His sacrifice. To many, Jesus is dead. But to those who have faith that He is alive this day, Easter has that special meaning.
Simply put, Easter is when Jesus was resurrected, not when He was crucified. Good Friday, a day on which people do not work because of a statutory holiday, is the day that Jesus was crucified.
But crucified is not enough for a world in which that particular term is archaic and true understanding is hard to come by. Jesus was crucified, slain, whipped, beaten, made to carry His own cross, wear thorns on his head and nailed to a piece of wood. But on the third day, He rose and thus Easter is celebrated.
The resurrection is the important part of the story. The fact that He rose from the dead, after having told His disciples that He would, without giving His physical body any time to decay and therefore leaving no trace of it but the cloth it was wrapped in is a miracle in itself. (Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, John 18-21).
Why Celebrate Easter?
If celebrating Christmas without understanding its meaning is like attending a birthday party without knowing whose birthday it is, then celebrating Easter without knowing its meaning is like attending a funeral without knowing the deceased or seeing the miracle of his resurrection.
Granted, Easter is a great time to visit with family, to present a few gifts and eat good food, as the day is about sharing love. There is always room for more love in the world, and it is His own love that put Jesus on the cross.
But Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs aside, the day that Jesus died and the day that He rose is commemorated with this holiday so that it would never be forgotten. In a highly commercialized world, it is difficult to remember the true meaning behind many of the traditions that society recognizes.
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