What Is Easter Sunday?

Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Sunday, is one of the most significant Christian holidays on the calendar. The day commemorates the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, who showed Himself alive after three days in the tomb. The first Easter Sunday changed everything, and every Easter Sunday after that reflects the joy, amazement, and worship those early disciples had when they first saw the risen Lord.

Luke gives the account of what transpired that first Easter Sunday as the women followers of Jesus discovered the empty tomb: “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!’” (Luke 24:1–6).

The Bible teaches that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a physical raising of His body back to life (see Luke 24:39). Easter Sunday proved Jesus’ deity, confirmed His prophecies, validated the Scriptures, triumphed over the forces of evil, provided for our justification (Romans 4:25), and guaranteed the resurrection of all who trust in Christ.

Easter always roughly corresponds to the Jewish celebration of Passover, since Jesus was slain at Passover time (Luke 22:15; John 13:1; cf. 1 Corinthians 5:7) and rose again three days later. Indeed, Easter is sometimes called Pascha, a word derived from the Hebrew pesach, meaning “Passover.”

Easter Sunday marks the end of Holy Week, the end of Lent, and the last day of the Easter Triduum. Easter always falls on a Sunday. All of the Gospels state that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19). And that event is foundational to all we believe as Christians: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. . . . And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17).

Jesus’ resurrection is certainly worthy of being celebrated (see 1 Corinthians 15). Whether we use the term Easter or Resurrection Day or Pascha, it is good to commemorate the event that sealed our salvation and changed the world forever.

However we choose to celebrate Easter Sunday, we should not allow the associated fun and games to distract our attention from what the day is truly all about - the glorious resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Christ Himself should be celebrated every day, not just Easter Sunday. He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), and He is worthy of praise more than once a year.

- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"

Music: "So Be It"

What Is Holy Saturday?

 

After His crucifixion, Jesus was laid in a nearby tomb, and His body remained there the entirety of Holy Saturday (Matthew 27:59-60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53-54; John 19:39-42).

Indeed, without the resurrection of Christ, we would be in dire straits. If Christ had never been raised, “your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). The disciples had scattered when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:50), and they spent the first Holy Saturday hiding for fear of also being arrested (John 20:19). The day between Christ’s crucifixion and His resurrection would have been a time of grief and shock as the stunned disciples tried to understand the murder of Jesus, the betrayal of Judas, and the dashing of their hopes.

The only biblical reference to what happened on Holy Saturday is found in Matthew 27:62-66. After sundown on Friday - the day of Preparation - the chief priests and Pharisees visited Pontius Pilate. This visit was on the Sabbath, since the Jews reckoned a day as starting at sundown. They asked Pilate for a guard for Jesus’ tomb. They remembered Jesus saying that He would rise again in three days (John 2:19-21) and wanted to do everything they could to prevent that. As we know, the Roman guards were inadequate to prevent the resurrection.

- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"

What's So Good About Good Friday?

 
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”
And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

John 19:30

On a Friday morning, in a city bustling with Passover preparations, Jesus was bruised, bloodied and abandoned. The night had been long: He’d been betrayed by a friend, dragged through unjust trials, mocked and beaten. Early that morning, He was sentenced to die.

If anyone knows what it means to be broken, Jesus does.

Our world is filled with sorrows, yes. But Jesus didn’t just see our brokenness; He offered Himself to be broken for us on the cross. There, as He hung nailed to a tree like a criminal, He cried out “it is finished” before exhaling His last breath and giving up His spirit (John 19:30).

These are the very words a Hebrew priest would declare after killing the sacrificial lamb to cover the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). Jesus, the Lamb of God, took on the senseless violence of this world through His death, and as our High Priest, He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

In Hebrew, the word for “finished” shares a root with “shalom,” meaning peace, wholeness, restoration and completion. As Isaiah 53:5 explains, Jesus “was pierced for our transgressions … the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” . The peace of God came through the piercing of Jesus.

What’s so good about Good Friday? It’s this: By His death on the cross, Jesus broke the power of death and sin in this world. So Good Friday reminds us of the good work Jesus accomplished on the cross, leading to His resurrection and healing of this fractured world.

But before we rush to Resurrection Sunday, let’s sit with the weight of Jesus’ sacrifice today. Let us sit with the pain of the Man of sorrows (Isaiah 53:3), who endured the wrath of God at the cross. Let us ponder the injustice of the spotless Lamb of God punished for our sins. Let us marvel at the astounding death of the Creator of life. Let us worship the King of glory who let go of the splendor of heaven to become flesh and blood, to humble Himself, to hunger and thirst, to suffer and hurt, to be betrayed and rejected, mocked and humiliated - all for love.

Let us worship the Maker whose death brings life. Let us bring to Him all that’s heavy on our hearts, knowing He sees, He knows and He cares. And someday soon, He will finish restoring all that’s broken in this world - and in our lives too.

Jesus, we worship You for Your sacrificial love on the cross. Help us surrender to You those broken parts of our lives, and fill our hearts with hope that You will finish what You started: You will return to make all things new. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

- Asheritah Ciuciu
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"

Note:
To learn more about the meaning of Good Friday and why Jesus’ death on the cross is so important to you, visit "Got Questions Ministries".

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"I give strength to My people; I bless My people with Peace. 'My people' are all those who trust Me as their Savior-God. My death on the cross for your sins was sufficient to provide everlasting Life because I am truly God. So rest assured that the One who provides eternal Life will also give you strength."

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“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16

- "Jesus Today" by Sarah Young