It is no mystery that the original Christian word for Easter was/is Passover (Pascha in Greek). Most Christians around the world use the word Passover to designate Easter. English a huge exception to that rule using a word that comes from Old German. And in a sermon I gave last weekend, I showed that the scholarly consensus today is that the word Easter did not come from the name of a pagan goddess (Eostre) but rather originates from an old German word meaning Resurrection (something I only recently learned!)
Sadly, the word Passover in English doesn’t have the connection with Resurrection Sunday any longer and using it would only confuse people.
So, Easter and/or Resurrection Day are our English options.
But was it ONLY because Jesus’ Death and Resurrection happened during the Jewish Passover that the name Pascha (Passover) became the early Christian word for Easter? (also the Latin word)
Was it ONLY a timing thing?
And of course, the answer is NO. Jesus’ incarnation was the actual fulfillment of the OT Passover which had only been a type of deliverance for God’s people. While in Egyptian captivity, God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites that had been marked with blood, and their firstborn sons were spared from God’s judgment, unlike the Egyptian firstborn sons who all perished.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb, and for those of us who are marked with His blood. Instead of ultimately facing God’s wrath and judgment for sin at the end of the age, those who are IN CHRIST, those who are covered in the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, will escape God’s judgment on humanity for sin and their rejection of Him.
“Passover” therefore is an incredible term to consider as we think about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. I am sad that we left the word behind, unlike Spanish, Italian, French, and other languages that all still use it.
But since so many do not have any idea why Jesus is called the Passover Lamb, may we have many opportunities to share the story of the original Passover with them and how Jesus became God’s fulfillment of that original Passover for all humanity for all time.
For such a time as this…
Keto4Christians / Carnivore4Christians 