Easter Sunday is the most important and celebrated day in the Christian calendar. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. Easter marks the fulfillment of Jesus’ passion and death on the cross for the sins of all humanity as prophesied in the Old Testament.
The resurrection of Christ is the foundation of Christian faith. As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.” The resurrection affirms that Jesus is the Son of God, that his sacrifice on the cross was accepted by God, and that death and sin have been conquered. Through his resurrection, Jesus opened the way to eternal life for all who believe in him.
The English word Easter comes from the Germanic word Eostre, a pagan goddess of spring and fertility. When Christianity came to the British Isles, missionaries adapted the old pagan spring festivals and gave them Christian meaning. The paschal mystery of Christ replaced pagan myths as the focus of celebration.
Easter Sunday is preceded by the season of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, fasting and penance in preparation for Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The final week of Lent is known as Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter) and includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem when he was greeted by crowds waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” (Matthew 21:1-11). On Maundy Thursday, Christians remember the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist and washed his disciples’ feet. Good Friday is the solemn day for remembering Christ’s suffering and death on the cross. Holy Saturday is a day of quiet waiting and reflection as Christians contemplate Jesus’ burial.
The Easter celebration begins on Saturday evening with the Easter Vigil. This grand service begins in darkness and involves lighting the paschal candle to symbolize the light of Christ overcoming the darkness of sin and death. It includes Scripture readings, prayers, hymns and often baptisms. Early on Easter morning, Christians gather for a sunrise service to celebrate the empty tomb and Christ’s resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:1-10). Festive worship services focus on the triumph of the risen Savior who conquered sin and death forever.
Easter joy continues throughout the 50 days of Eastertide, which comes to completion on Pentecost Sunday. Eastertide offers believers an extended time to reflect on and rejoice in the amazing miracle and manifold blessings of the resurrection. The Book of Acts records appearances of the risen Christ to his disciples during this period (Acts 1:3).
The date of Easter varies each year and can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25. It is determined by a complex ecclesiastical calculation based on the lunar calendar. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or just after the spring equinox.
Customs and traditions related to Easter include sunrise services, festive worship, family gatherings, Easter egg hunts, and Easter meals featuring lamb or ham to symbolize Christ as the sacrificial Passover lamb. Decorating Easter eggs commemorates new life and resurrection. The Easter bunny and candy are secular additions related to springtime fertility. For Christians, Easter eggs are symbolic of the empty tomb and resurrection life.
The New Testament describes Easter events occurring in Jerusalem after Jesus’ death during the annual Passover festival of the Jews. As the Hebrews prepared to celebrate their deliverance from slavery in Egypt by the blood of a lamb, Christ became the perfect Passover Lamb to deliver all people from the slavery of sin by his sacrificial death. The Passover theme reinforces that Easter is not just about new life in springtime, but new eternal life through the sacrifice of Christ.
The Gospels record several accounts of Jesus foretelling his death and resurrection which would soon come to pass in Jerusalem:
Matthew 16:21 – From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
Matthew 20:17-19 – And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Mark 8:31 – And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Luke 18:31-33 – And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”
The apostle Paul summarizes the gospel he preached in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
These key events foretold by Jesus and recorded by the New Testament authors provide the biblical foundation for the Easter story and celebrations:
Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, John 12:12-19)
– Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph on a donkey to shouts of “Hosanna” from the crowds. This event occurs on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter.
The Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-30, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
– Jesus eats a final Passover meal with his disciples on Thursday evening of Holy Week. He institutes the Eucharist and washes his disciples’ feet.
Betrayal and Arrest (Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 14:43-52, Luke 22:39-53, John 18:1-11)
– Following the Last Supper, Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is arrested and taken before the chief priests.
Trials (Matthew 26:57-27:26, Mark 14:53-15:15, Luke 22:54-23:25, John 18:12-19:16)
– Jesus endures religious and civil trials before the Sanhedrin, Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate. The crowd calls for his crucifixion.
Crucifixion (Matthew 27:27-54, Mark 15:16-39, Luke 23:26-48, John 19:16-30)
– Jesus is beaten, mocked, and crucified between two criminals outside Jerusalem on Friday afternoon. He dies around 3pm after uttering final words.
Burial (Matthew 27:55-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56, John 19:38-42)
– Joseph of Arimathea requests and receives permission from Pilate to bury Jesus’ body which he wraps in linen and lays in a tomb. The women look on.
Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-10)
– Women followers of Jesus discover the empty tomb on Sunday morning. Angels announce that Jesus has risen from the dead as he foretold.
Appearances (Matthew 28:9-20, Mark 16:9-20, Luke 24:13-53, John 20:11-21:25, Acts 1:1-11)
– The risen Christ first appears to the women leaving the tomb. He later appears to the disciples, gives the Great Commission, ascends to heaven, and appears to Paul and others.
The Easter story is central to the gospel message that through Jesus’ sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, he has defeated death and sin forever. Whoever believes and trusts in him will experience forgiveness and receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16). The miracles of that first Easter morning and the following 40 days set in motion the birth and growth of the Christian church.
Just as the first disciples were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ, each new generation of Christians can experience the risen Lord through the indwelling Holy Spirit, thereby sharing in the Easter miracle. The resurrection is not just something that happened thousands of years ago, but an eternal event with ongoing power to transform lives.
Paul describes how Christ’s victory over death applies to all who put their faith in him:
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 – But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Romans 6:8-11 – Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
The resurrection is more than just a historical event or theological concept. It brings power, freedom and transformation to each person who believes. The apostle Paul wrote of his personal experience of the risen Christ:
Philippians 3:10 – …that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
The brilliance of the Easter message shines through the darkness of this present age with the hope that Christ will come again and complete the restoration of all things (Revelation 21:5). In the meantime, all believers can walk in newness of life through the indwelling Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). By trusting in his finished work, Christians can confidently face death knowing they will share fully in Christ’s ultimate victory (1 Corinthians 15:51-57).
Easter encapsulates the very heart of the Christian faith. As the hymn “Because He Lives” proclaims:
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus,
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon;
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
