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Some people often ask what the differences between Easter and Passover are. Easter and Passover are religiously celebrated holidays. Easter, also called Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday is a “holy” day that marks the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, on the third day after His burial, according to the Bible. Jesus is the center of the Christian faith. Easter is celebrated by Christians everywhere with the same understanding in mind: He is Risen!
Easter is the annual celebration of Christ’s resurrection to life after His crucifixion and death. The word Easter is related to the word east, which naturally points us to the sunrise, to new days and new beginnings. For some, Easter is a time to dye eggs, hide them, send children in search of them, give candy, take pictures, eat Peeps, and feast around the family table. These things are a faint and feeble shadow of the real meaning of Easter; they are as empty as and hollow as a chocolate Easter bunny.
Easter is a Christian celebration that focuses on the true meaning of Easter: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Over two thousand years ago, Jesus died on a cross, was buried, and three days later rose to life again. This truth that Jesus came to life again and lives evermore and is why we celebrate Easter. The blessing that the Son of God paid the price for our sins and rose again to reconcile us to God ( Romans 4:25).
Easter means that our greatest enemy, death, has been conquered. Easter means that our sins are forgiven, and we are made right (justified) with God. Easter means that Christ is truly the King and Lord, seated “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked” (Ephesians 1:21). Easter means that the incomprehensibly power of God was on full display at the Tomb. That the same power that raised Christ from the dead now works in us who believe (Ephesians 1:19) (Praise God).
Passover, also called Pesach, is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ freedom from the bondage slavery to the Egyptians. This celebration is observed on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring, as prescribed in one of the many books of the Bible. The Passover celebration is always close to Easter. The book of Exodus tells of the origin of Passover.
When Pharaoh refused to release Israel from bondage, God brought ten plagues on the land of Egypt. During the tenth plague, all firstborns in Egypt were killed. On that night, God told the Israelites to sacrifice a spotless lamb and mark their doorposts and lintels with its blood (Exodus 12:21–22). Then, when the Angel of death passed through the nation, he would “pass over” the households that showed the blood. It was the blood of the lamb that saved the Israelites from death. From then on, every firstborn son of the Israelites belonged to the Lord and had to be redeemed with a sacrifice (Exodus 13:1–2, 12). Along with the instruction to apply the Passover lamb’s blood to their doorposts and lintels, God instituted a commemorative meal: fire-roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8).
Christians do not celebrate the Passover as such.
· Jesus is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7; Revelation 5:12).
· He was crucified at Passover time,
· the Last Supper was a Passover meal (Luke 22:7–8).
· By (spiritually) applying His blood to our lives by faith, we trust Christ to save us from death.
It is only the blood of the Lamb, the blood of Christ that saves Christians and gives us eternal life! Through the celebration of Easter, the gospel, God’s Good News: is meant to be shared. Easter means that love is stronger than death. It was for love that God gave His only Son; for love that Christ died on the cross, and for love that Christ intercedes for all who believe on His name! Easter means there is hope for us all, after all: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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