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Easter, A Study of I) Terms and History Pertaining to Easter A) Fat Tuesday 1. The day before "Ash Wednesday"; the three days, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. a. The three day period is called Carnival which means farewell to the flesh. 2. Mardi Gras is French, Gras is French for fat, and Mardi is French for Tuesday. 3. Tuesday night, the Mardi Gras is a time to indulge the flesh. People go out and "party" it up in the name of religion. B) Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. Began around the 8th century. 1. The palms from the pervious year’s Palm Sunday are taken and burned. Water and oil (called Holy Water) is added to make a paste. 2. The priest blesses the paste, church members goes to the priest, he takes his thumb and puts some of the ash on the forehead of the member. 3. He says, "Remember, man, thou are but dust, and unto dust thou shalt return." C) Lent which originally referred to the spring season 1. Covers 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. 2. May have started as early as the fifth century or as late as 8th century. . 3. Signifies Christ’s forty days in the wilderness after His baptism. 4. Observed by fasting, prayer, self denial, and church attendance. D) Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter 1. To commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, John 12.12-15 2. Day is observed with a solemn march carrying palm branches, chants, and hymns. Began as early as 4th century. E) Good Friday is the Friday of Christ’s crucifixion F) Easter Sunday is the end of Lent and supposedly the Sunday of Jesus’ resurrection 1. In 325 AD the council of Nicea decided Easter should be on the 1st Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (March 21). It will fall any where from March 22 to April 25th). 2. Most sources will tell you there is nothing about Easter in the Bible. 3. What about Acts 12.4? a. Pascha (Greek) or Pesach (Hebrew) refers to the Passover. b. Pascha appears 29 times in the N.T. and is translated "passover" 28 times in the KJV. c. Passover refers to the 10th plague upon the Egyptians and God passed over the Hebrews to kill the firstborn of Egypt. II) Why we do not observe Easter as a religious holiday A) Nothing is wrong with… 1. Studying the resurrection of Christ, Acts 2.23-24 a. Without the resurrection we would have no hope. b. The resurrection of Christ proves His power to overcome sin and death 2. Remembering His death each Sunday, 1 Corinthians 11.23ff a. The exact Sunday or date does not matter b. We come together every Sunday to remember Jesus death and resurrection 3. Preaching about the resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15.1-4 4. Wearing new clothes, hats, purses, and shoes. 5. Chocolate Eater bunnies, colored eggs, family egg hunts, etc. a. The Rabbit was the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt. b. The egg was a symbol of life and dyed eggs were sacred offerings. 6. There is no such god as the god of fertility, 1 Corinthians 8.4 B) What is wrong with observing Easter as a religious holiday? 1. Every act of worship must be authorized, Colossians 3.17; Matthew 7.21ff a. Where did Easter come from? Matthew 21.24-25 b. If from heaven, there will be scriptural authority, 2 Peter 1.3 c. If from man there will be oral traditions, councils, conventions, or even pagan religions. 2. Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, good Friday, and Easter are not part of the doctrine of Christ. Matthew 15.8-9 3. People will observe Easter and go to church but it is not found in the Bible. 4. That which is in the Bible: the Lord’s Supper, teaching on baptism, etc. are often ignored. Conclusion: We need to ask the question, "By what authority?" Understand the principle we are addressing this morning. We observe the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection each Sunday because it is taught in the Bible. D.T. @ Westside Church of Christ 03.23.08 |