Easter bunnies---the reason for the season?

Good morning dear friends,

Peace and grace to each of you and your families in Jesus name!

CAUTION!!! This article may offend you.

Every year at about this time I make it a habit to "weigh in" on the upcoming EASTER weekend celebration. While I certainly love fuzzy little bunnies, the fun of brightly colored eggs and those delicious little marshmallow chickens------THEY ARE NOT THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!

Before tuning out---which normally happens at this point when the subject of EASTER as a pagan ritual comes up---please consider the following; How you spend your holidays and what you believe is certainly your business. Several years ago I taught high school for a special police community based program. My blackboard had huge multi colored letters drawn across the top that said, "THE MOST DANGEROUS THING IN THE WORLD IS A LITTLE BIT OF KNOWLEDGE". I was not a Christian at the time but later discovered that Isaiah 5:13 says "Therefore my people have gone into captivity because they have no knowledge". The lesson here for all of us is to know and fully understand a subject matter before making an INFORMED decision.

I am not one of those Christian leaders that holds up a cross and drives a stake through the heart of bugs bunny, the tooth fairy, Santa Clause, Christmas trees or Zorro! BUT, I do believe that for many Christians, the truth of extraordinarily important Biblical events like PASSOVER, have become fuzzy to the point of near extinction. I always anticipate the grimaces on the faces of my audiences when I remind them that EASTER IS ROOTED IN PAGAN WORSHIP but the real reason for the season is THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! Nearly every time I teach on this subject people in the pews (although generally polite), cannot wait until my sermon is over so they can rush home and hide the eggs, put on bunny ears and cook up the ole honey baked ham. Of course I am ALWAYS invited to the celebration. NOT!

Due to advanced age (ok, ok, I admit that it is really a matter of selective hearing), I do not always key in on conversations around me. However after EASTER morning service, as people that love me with all their hearts 364 days each year, are heading out the door---! I clearly hear muttered comments like, "geeze, what a grinch", "bummer man, you have got to be kidding", "lighten up dude"! Oh and by the way, before anyone writes and tells me that using the term "GEEZE" is dangerously close to a derogatory form of "JESUS"---I am not the one that uses that term! I am merely reporting an annual event. Also, I NEVER do EASTER morning services but I do concentrate on Christ as the RESURRECTED King morning service.

As one of Christ's shepherds, I have always taught that a good general chooses to fight only the battles that he can win. In view of that, I have been asked several times "why do you bother, few care or really want to know"!? While there may be some truth in that, still there must be voices within the church that point out some of the pagan practices that we have (innocently, I realize) adopted over the generations. It reminds me of times folks have asked Brandy and I "why would you choose to adopt a child like Santiago when there are so many healthy, normal kids without parents? Our answer?---well why not us, someone has to do it! So, that is my answer in this situation as well. Someone has to teach the truth about Passover and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, so why not me? Thankfully there are other pastors who teach these truths but sadly there are also many who do not. Why is the difference between Easter and the resurrection of Christ so important? Well frankly if you think about it, without the resurrection of Christ from the grave, we would be waisting our time following yet another dead, meaningless religion that has no hope and no power. The last time I heard, the Easter bunny had not saved anyone from anything---especially overeating.

So let's talk about hope and power because even though we as Christians some times "blow it big time"! Sometimes we as church leaders have hurt people! Sometimes in history unthinking and unread people have used the cross as an excuse to persecute and kill. The bottom line is that Jesus Christ did not do those things! We as weak, sometimes sinful human beings have often done those things in the name of Christ! Unfortunately! Our Bible however, which includes both old and new testaments teaches a far far different lesson.

Jesus was speaking in answer to a question from the Pharisees in Matthew 22:34-40. They were basically trying to trip Him up with a trick question. "Teacher, which is the great commandment of the law?" I am not certain what they expected to hear at this point. Probably something like, "I am your new king, let's kick out the Romans! Grrrr! Grab your swords and and follow me!"

Jesus made a habit of doing the unusual! His answer to them completely defrayed any argument they may have had. It left THEM holding the old spiritual bag because there was nothing they could say to Him or refute about His answer. He told them " You shall love the lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets".

Now I know that some of my very good Jewish friends will be reading this article. So let's take a little BUNNY trail for a moment. Heh, Heh, you like that?---BUNNY trail--Easter? Oh well so much for dry humor. Ok, back to reality. The REALITY my dear honored Jewish brethren, is whoever told you that the New Testament (B'rit Chadashah) teaches that God is through with you Jews or the Nation of Israel, has not actually read that document!!! The B'rit Chadashah is a continuation of the TANAKH (old testament) and is a very Jewish book! Before you dismiss this statement I would simply urge you to read the book of Romans and you will not miss the very special place that you hold in God's heart. Oh, yes it is true that many persecutions have come your way over the centuries through the swords of evil people using the name of YESHUA.

But I guarantee that HE did NOT authorize this and never would. Yeshua and His first century followers (who were nearly all Jews) frequently quote the Law and the Prophets of the TANAKH. In the book of Matthew 5:17-19 , He clearly says "Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass away from the Law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven".

This was spoken by Yeshua in His famous sermon on the mount. There are many other things that He spoke in the B'rit Chadashah that I would love to share with you including SALVATION BY GRACE! Oh yes, I know, you may have been told that the "Christian" concept of salvation by grace in not biblically correct. The problem is that the TANAKH speaks 119 times of SALVATION while the B'RIT CHADASHAH speaks of SALVATION only 45 times. As far as GRACE goes, Zechariah 12:10 says "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the SPIRIT OF GRACE and supplication; Then they shall look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn".

My Jewish brethren, I am fully aware that still today there are many so called Christian churches and denominations that claim that the Jewish people "killed Christ". But please, please look at what YESHUA Himself said in John 10:17-18 "-------I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself------"! Yes there were some first century Jews and Temple leadership that rejected Yeshua and for some that process continues to this day. But also to this day Yeshua is still relentlessly reaching out to you.

You will discover that there is a huge ground swell developing among the true followers of Yeshua. These people are mostly all within what most people refer to as the Evangelical church. We realize full well that you are STILL and always will be the chosen people of God. We know the truth of Romans Chapter 11 which tells us that it is us who are the wild branches that God has grafted into Israel THROUGH YESHUA. You are the natural branches of Israel and it is only through YESHUA that the middle wall of separation between Jew and Gentile is broken down. (Ephesian 2:14). The TORAH says in Leviticus 19: 34 " The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself". The B'rit Chadashah tells us in Romans 15:27 (I will paraphrase this) For if the gentile (church) have been partakers of their (the Jews) spiritual things, their (the gentile church) duty is to minister to them (the Jews) in material things!

A vast and growing number of followers of Yeshua (both Jew and Gentle) are taking these words to heart and realizing that we must stand together against a rapidly growing apostate world. There is strength in numbers and you may have noticed lately that we Christian SUPPORTERS OF ISRAEL are about the only friends you have left!

The mutual celebration of the events of Passover are a great way for Jew and Gentile followers of Yeshua to come together for our common good! I am not going to waist time in this article talking about Easter bunnies. The evidence of Easter being rooted and grounded in

pagan idolatry are plentiful and should need little explanation to any child of God. What is important is our clearly recognizing the hand of God in the Exodus of Israel from Egypt and the miraculous events that took place on the night of the very first PASSOVER in which Israel was saved from the evil clutches of Pharaoh and escaped slavery into freedom. This deliverance required an innocent lamb to be sacrificed and his life's blood placed over the sides and tops of their door frames so the death angel would PASSOVER the Jewish households. We as followers of Yeshua, Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel realize that it is He who is the true sacrificial Lamb of God.

It is only through the shed blood of the Lamb of God on the cross at Calvary that salvation can be obtained by both Jew and Gentile alike. The real reason for this particular season is Yeshua HaMashiach , Jesus Christ who takes away the sins of the World. John 14:6 Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me!"

If you are reading this and know in your heart that you are not yet a child of God, then I encourage you to read the Words of Romans 10:9-10. If you have even the slightest doubts about where you would go in the event of your death, then there is no time to waist. "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation".

Is that all there is to it? Yes, that and a confession and repentance for sin is all that is required for you to know for certain that you will be spending eternity with your heavenly Father. If you are praying a prayer right now that assures you of that fact then I encourage you to contact me. I will explain why baptism in water is a Biblical doctrine, what it accomplishes and how you can begin a successful walk with your Lord Jesus Christ.

The next article published on this blog will explain more fully what PASSOVER is all about and how it applies to both Jew and Gentile followers of Jesus Christ.

In the meanwhile, (Numbers 6:24) "The lord bless you and keep you, The lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace"!

God bless you all as we approach this exciting time in which the Messiah of Israel rose from the grave and defeated death. Look up for your redemption draws nigh!

Shalom,

Pastor Rance.