Easter eggs and egg hunts, the Easter rabbit, fasting for lent, and even the name of the holiday itself all have fascinating origins that have become increasingly obscured by the passage of time. Over the last few weeks, I’ve explored the background of some of the most popular Easter symbols and customs. But, what about the holiday itself? Most people know that Good Friday and Easter are the the days we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. But, why was Jesus crucified? What is the significance of the resurrection? Why did it take place three days later? This is a pretty big topic, that would be difficult to address thoroughly in this setting. However, basic explanations are easy enough to sketch out.
For starters, it’s worth explaining how Jesus is different from all of the other teachers, prophets, and religious figures in history. Jesus claimed to be God, performed miracles as proof, and His closest followers all went to their deaths, most by execution or torture, swearing it was true. Why would God arrive in our world as Jesus? This is a complicated question, but at its core, the idea is that God knew we could not work our way to Him. It is not possible to earn our way to Heaven through our good living. So, instead He came down to us.
Why did He die on the cross? Why was Jesus crucified, rather than some other method of execution? The answer to this is twofold. First, the Old Testament repeatedly describes “dying on a tree” as a particularly heinous thing. It eventually grew to a point that ancient Jews believed that to die in that manner was a sign that God despised the victim. In the case of Jesus, Paul tells us that on the cross, Jesus became our sin and that God poured out His wrath on Him. Thus, the cross (like a tree) was the sign of God’s judgment. The second reason is that in the ancient world, crucifixion was one of the most nasty, brutal, and shameful ways to die. In some places the word “cross” was a swear word. Jesus’ humiliation and death were a hard thing for Jews and Gentiles alike to sign on to. It is quite common to find ancient authors mocking Christianity for worshipping a crucified God. The humiliation and shame illustrates the degree to which God judges sin.
The question of why Jesus was in the grave for three days before the resurrection, is associated with ancient Jewish beliefs about death. At the three day mark, Jews believed the soul left the body. At that point, a dead person was definitely, irrevocably dead.
When we look at the burial of Jesus, the use of a tomb (one that had never been used before) as the burial method is associated with the geography of Israel. Burying bodies in the mountainous region was difficult. This meant that caves and carved out tombs were the best option. In addition, large stones were typically used to seal the entrance to keep animals from desecrating bodies. It was also because dead bodies were considered ritually unclean. They were sealed in to decompose. After several years, the tomb was reopened so the bones that remained could be interred in an ossuary (a fancy box). This was done because tombs were very expensive. Jesus was buried in an unused tomb because it was ritually clean, having never held a dead body. Incidentally, the 75 pounds of spices used to prepare a body for burial was toxic enough to kill a person, if they happened to have been buried alive.
Regarding why it matters that Jesus was resurrected, there are two major reasons that Jesus’ resurrection was important. First, history is full of individuals who made dramatic claims about themselves and God. Jesus is the only one that demonstrated the truthfulness of His claims by rising from the dead. Second, the ancient Jews believed in the resurrection of the dead. Paul explained that Jesus was the first-fruit of the resurrection to come. Easter is proof of the coming resurrection.
As I said earlier, this is a very simplified collection of explanations. The story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is pointed to throughout the Old Testament and there are quite a few traditions and Jewish beliefs that add to the rich significance of the Easter story.
