Easter, Seder or Neither?

A commentary by Larry J. Walker
United Church of God pastor, Bend, Medford and Roseburg, Oregon

When I was a preteen my parents encouraged me to begin attending a church of my choice, even though they didn't attend. I chose the church the boy next door went to—admittedly not a very good reason for selecting which church to attend.

One of my main reasons for attending was that I felt guilty when I didn't. My guilt increased when someone told me that it was necessary to attend Easter services to maintain membership status. So I made it a point to attend faithfully every Easter Sunday.

That was more than half a century ago. I have since become an ordained minister of a different church, yet I haven't attended an Easter service for more than forty years. How can I claim to believe in Christ when I don't observe the holiday that allegedly celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

You also may wonder, why am I writing about Easter, several weeks after the celebration date has passed? This year, the dates of Easter and Passover are several weeks apart. Many if not most people are probably unaware of how this came about. Church historian Philip Schaff points out that "the feast of the resurrection was thenceforth required to be celebrated everywhere on a Sunday, and never on the day of the Jewish Passover. ...The leading motive for this regulation was opposition to Judaism" (emphasis added).

You might be shocked to learn how much anti-Semitism lies behind many beliefs and practices of traditional Christianity.

For example, the Roman Emperor Constantine wrote, "[W]e would have nothing in common with that most hostile people, the Jews; for we have received from the Redeemer another way of honoring God … and … withdraw ourselves from the evil fellowship of the Jews .... It is our duty to have nothing in common with the murderers of our Lord." Schaff remarks, "This bitter tone against Judaism runs through the whole letter" and concludes, "At Nicaea, therefore, the Roman and Alexandrian usage with respect to Easter triumphed, and the Judaizing practice of the Quartodecimanians, who always celebrated Easter on the fourteenth of Nisan, became thenceforth a heresy."

Easter is also steeped in paganism. The very name Easter is derived from Astarte, a Chaldean goddess and identified in the Bible as the pagan "Queen of Heaven" (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-25) and from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring associated with the egg and the hare, symbols of procreation that later became popular in much of Christianity in the form of Easter eggs and the Easter bunny.

The Bible says that God "hates" pagan customs of worship (Deuteronomy 12:29-32). Jesus said we should worship God "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24). God's Word is the truth that sets apart His true disciples from the world (John 17:17).

Although we don't celebrate Easter, members of the United Church of God (and many other Christian churches) will this week (on the biblically specified date) participate in a Bible-based service in remembrance of Christ's death (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Jesus instituted the symbols of bread and wine to replace the Passover lamb of Old Testament observance, since by His death He became "our Passover … sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Therefore, we believe that the official biblical name for this service is the New Testament Passover, which we observe once a year on the same day that the Old Testament Passover lamb was sacrificed and Jesus was crucified. This is not to be confused with Seder, which falls on the following day and includes customs of later Jewish tradition.

It is not my purpose to criticize anyone for how they worship, but to encourage our readers to become better informed on the origins of Easter and to understand what the Bible says about how to worship God rather than simply going along with "time honored" traditions (Romans 12:1-2). The vast resources of the Internet make it easier than ever before to research Easter (Google "Easter origin") or any other subject.

You have ample time to learn more about this important subject before the next Easter season comes around. Therefore, I encourage you to follow the scriptural admonition: "Examine all things; hold fast to what is good. Stay away from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:21, New English Translation).

For a more complete explanation of why the New Testament Passover—instead of Easter—is the biblically approved day to observe, simply request, read online or download our free booklet: Holidays or Holy Days, Does It Matter Which Days We Keep?

I also suggest that you listen to Fox Radio Host Alan Colmes' recent interview (in MP3 format) with our Good News senior writer, Jerold Aust on the topic of Easter.