What is the true meaning of Easter?

To the Editor,

     Easter! What is Easter? Is it merely a ritual of spring? Is it just the Easter Bunny hopping around and scattering those chocolate eggs? What is it about?

     Easter Sunday is the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. On the previous Friday, Christ had been humiliated, brutally scourged by whips and nailed to a cross where he died the agonizing death of crucifixion.

     Why did he die? He had committed no crime. But, as the Son of God, True God and True Man, he sacrificed himself to pay for our sins. If we accept the free gift of salvation, the gift of forgiveness of sins, by believing that this is true and accepting Him as our savior, we too will be raised from the dead to eternal life.

     How do we know this to be true? We begin with the Bible. In the Old Testament, where there were many prophecies describing the Messiah, even the specific Bethlehem (there were two) which would be the place of his birth. The New Testament account of Jesus’ life, suffering, death and resurrection shows that, throughout all of history. Only Jesus fulfilled those prophecies. The odds of this being a coincidence are one out of trillions.

     We can also look to doctors’ analysis of medical and historical data. They concluded that Jesus could never have survived the torment of scourging and the crucifixion. He died. As all admitted at the time, he was entombed, and his tomb was later found to be empty.

     With respect to appearances after his death, the apostle Paul challenged first century doubters to talk to those who had seen the resurrected Lord, including a crowd of 500 people. British theologian Michael Green concluded: “the [post resurrection] appearances of Jesus are as well authenticated as anything in antiquity… There can be no rational doubt that they occurred.”

     There is also massive circumstantial evidence of the resurrection. The disciples, who initially cowered in hiding after Christ’s death, came out and boldly proclaimed his resurrection. They went to their deaths for that truth. No man knowingly dies for a lie.

     There is no reason why Paul, an oppressor of the church, and James, a skeptic, would have converted to Christianity but for the resurrection. They believed that, if they were wrong, they risked eternal damnation.

     From the earliest times, the Christian church preached the truth of the resurrection. The sacraments of baptism and communion are based upon it. It is not a legend.

     The Christian faith, including the death and resurrection of our Lord, is a true and rational faith. All are welcome to it.

     May you have a blessed Easter.

Donald W. Bohlken

(Former Monticello area resident)

Indianola, Iowa