The Resurrection & Easter—Are they
Mutually Aligned?
Mutually Aligned?
At the beginning, let me declare that I believe Jesus resurrected as much as I believe I got out of bed this morning. There exists not one thimble-full of doubt in my heart about this historical and miraculous event. Without His resurrection, as Paul so clearly announced, “our faith is futile” [1 Cor. 15:17].
I honor the resurrection of my Lord 365 days-a-year. This special time of the year called “Easter” points many saved and unsaved people in the direction of Jesus, and that’s fantastic—although many give little or no attention to Him on other occasions. Needless to say, however, I place no more spiritual emphasis upon “Easter” than I do any other day. But on the resurrection of my Lord, I underscore and accentuate every day. He is my everything, and then some!
If I might inject a little history at this point. It appears the early believers knew nothing of our modern-day “Easter” celebrations. Initially, according to history, “Easter” was the name of a pagan festival. The name represented a Dawn Goddess, or a Goddess of Dawn—a feminine deity. Later, the Roman Papacy “borrowed” the holiday from pagans and “renovated” it.
Today, among Roman Catholics and most Protestant sects, it still contains a large mixture of paganism. Protestants usurped the religious holiday from Roman Catholics and revised it to coincide with their partisan platforms. In the Protestant kingdom, however, it is celebrated with less paganism.
“Palm Sunday,” “Holy Week,” and “Good Friday” also come under the umbrella of pagan influences. Who decreed that one week should be holier than others? The Roman Papacy, not Heaven. To my Lord, every week, every day, and every season are holy and none are holier than others. It was Paul who told the Galatian believers, “You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you” [Gal. 4:10]. These believers were still considering sacred the old ordinances under Moses.
In spite of Romans 14 and the weak brother, I think we should ask ourselves, “If all of the old ordinances have been replaced and superseded by better things, and they have, what authority do we have to enact, invent, devise, and celebrate new Holy Days such as Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Easter, and any kind of new ordinance or icon and consider them sacred?
Our God must be disappointed because of our humanly devised productions. He could possibly be thinking, “They have drifted beyond return and beyond repair.” But this is the history of all noble movements that become entangled in partisan, rival affairs. Their affections are no longer centered on the resurrection account but on building up the party and promoting their sectarian causes.
The world drifts farther into a state of darkness while institutional religion organizes, plans, scrutinizes, and develops new ways to increase the size of her sects and enlarge her church coffers. We must reach beyond the established order and ecclesiastical structures if we hope to achieve reformation. We must bypass religious sculptures, theological systems, clerical institutions, idol worship, and religious symbols and rituals if we hope to experience a Godly walk that is pure and undefiled.
I wish all of you a Happy Resurrection Day, all 365 days of the year—and beyond.
