The casual observer of our American Easter traditions might think the holiday is more about Easter egg hunts and fluffy white bunnies than the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is a reason for this. The candy industry has been pushing the sale of chocolate and sugar-coated confections for decades. In 2016, the overall sale of candy during Easter beat out the sale of candy during Halloween! Over $823 million dollars was spent on 146 million pounds of candy. As one article noted, “That’s nearly half a pound of candy for every man, woman, and child in the country.” (“Easter Wins Candy Battle” by Mark Fahey) https://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/24/easter-wins-the-candy-battle.html With such an emphasis on candy, it is easy to become distracted from the main reason we celebrate Easter: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!
As Christians, we celebrate the resurrection because it proves that the power of God is greater than the power of sin! There is no more profound symbol of God’s sovereign power than the empty tomb. It proves that the creator of life is able to overcome death. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) Jesus Christ is the great victor over death and sin. His resurrection from the grave proved that his death on the cross was effective as a payment for our sin. Our faith in Christ has meaning because He rose from the dead.
I am always amazed that the power of Christ dying on the cross to pay for our sins can be extended to anyone who is willing to confess their sin and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God rose him from the dead, you will be saved.” Why is it so important to believe that God rose Jesus from the grave? It is important because belief in the resurrection is necessary for salvation.
We can get a better grasp of the significance of the resurrection by looking at how the entire Bible, particularly Old Testament prophecies, pointsto Jesus’s death and resurrection from the dead.
Genesis 1 is the first reference given for God creating life on the earth. Genesis 3 introduces the stark reality of death as a consequence for sin. The same passage also reveals the first reference to the death and resurrection of Christ when it says, “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”(Genesis 3:15) Τhe reference to Christ’s heel being bruised is a prophecy that points towards Christ’s death. The description of Jesus bruising the head of the serpent is partially fulfilled with the resurrection because when Christ conquers death he also showed his power over death and Satan’s temptation.
Psalm 16 is a fascinating study in connection with the resurrection because the Psalmist writes about eternal life. “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption” (Ps 16:10) The reference to “holy one” is pointing forward to Jesus Christ who will be the fulfillment of the David covenant from 1 Samuel 16:12-13, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
Psalm 22 is a masterful description of suffering, death, salvation, and life after death. Jesus Christ was intimately aware of this Psalm and quoted from it repeatedly during the Passover week. His faith in God the Father was firmly rooted in God’s word. Jesus suffered more than any other human ever has or will, but his faith never wavered. He knew God would allow him to die and he would raise him from the dead!
Isaiah 53 has to be mentioned in relation to the resurrection because it refers to both the death of the “Suffering servant” and his resurrection. Verse 9 says, “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.” The next verse says, “he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” As Herald Gandi wrote in his excellent article on the subject, “How can he “see” his offspring if he is executed unless he is resurrected?” (“The Resurrection: According to the Scriptures?” https://blog.tms.edu/resurrection-according-to-scriptures
Just spending a few minutes in these passages brings a deep sense of sobriety to the Passover week leading up to Easter. It is a joyful time, but there must be a time of grieving in order to celebrate what God has accomplished through Christ on the cross. The resurrection has no meaning or significance if we do not first take time to grieve the death and burial of Christ. That is why the Easter bunny is such a sad distraction from the reality of Christ. Praise God we have freedom in Christ to celebrate Easter in many different ways. My request is that however long you spend encouraging your children to hunt for candy, give at least the same amount of time explaining to them the glorious reality of what Jesus Christ did when he died on the cross and rose from the grave. He is risen! He is risen indeed!
