Easter, also known as Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian holiday celebrated every year in the spring.
Easter marks the remembrance of Jesus’ death and the celebration of his resurrection. It’s celebrated in many unique ways around the world, from parades to feasts.
Easter doesn’t just mark a one-time event in history. Because of Easter, we have a living hope in Jesus; death has lost its power over us, and darkness can’t win.
What Is Easter?
“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” — Luke 24:6-7, NIV
Easter, also known as Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian holiday celebrated every year. All around the world, Christians gather to commemorate this day that marks Jesus’ victory over sin and death through his resurrection from the tomb after his crucifixion.
When Is Easter Celebrated?
The date of Easter changes each year. However, it’s always on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring, also known as the Paschal full moon.
The word paschal means both “Easter” and “Passover” in Greek. The Paschal full moon coincides with Passover each year, the Jewish holiday celebrating the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt.
In the Bible, it’s clear that Jesus died right around the time of Passover. By following the Paschal full moon, this means our Easter celebrations fall after Passover each year. Cool, right?
How Is Easter Celebrated?
If you live in the United States, you might go to a sunrise church service on Easter Sunday dressed in your best, and you might share a big, delicious meal with friends and family. Around the world, Easter traditions are unique, reflecting the beautiful culture of each country.
Indonesia
In Indonesia, children play a game called the “torch relay.” They get up before dawn on Easter morning and march with homemade torches, singing songs about Jesus and his resurrection.
Ecuador
In Ecuador, many cities will hold solemn, funeral-like processions in the streets in remembrance of Jesus’ death on Good Friday. If you were to experience one of these processions, you might see large sculptures depicting Jesus’ crucifixion riding on floats or even participants carrying crosses.
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, Easter is celebrated with a meal shared among friends and family. Many families follow the tradition of Kircha, which includes blessing and slaughtering a hen, sheep, ox or even a bull and sharing the meat with other families around them. It’s a tradition passed down through generations.
The Easter Story in the Bible
The incredible story of Easter can be found in all four of the New Testament Gospels in the Bible:
Matthew 26-28.
Mark 15-16.
Luke 22-24.
John 17-20.
Key Points in the Easter Story
As you read the Gospels, you’ll notice that each retelling features unique details. But all four share the major events that happened during Easter:
Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem. They went to the city for the Passover feast, a customary journey for the Jewish people.
Jesus was popular among the people. Many other people were gathered there for the feast too. Jesus received a lot of attention as he was known for his signs, miracles and teachings about the kingdom of God.
Leaders felt jealousy and anger toward Jesus. The religious leaders of the day, such as the Pharisees, were jealous of Jesus and angry that he claimed to be God in the flesh. And the Roman authorities did not like Jesus because they were afraid he would lead the people to rebel against them.
Jesus was betrayed by one of his own. After Jesus and his disciples shared a meal, also known as “the Last Supper,” Judas, one of the disciples, led Roman soldiers to the Garden of Gethsemane so they could identify and arrest Jesus.
Jesus was arrested. Jesus was arrested and taken to see the chief priests. The priests were angry that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, and they decided to hand Jesus over to the Romans to be killed.
Jesus was beaten and sentenced to death. The Romans beat Jesus badly and made fun of him while he was in custody. The Roman leader, Pontius Pilate, held a trial for Jesus and found him innocent. But to please the people angry at Jesus, he sentenced him to die by crucifixion.
Jesus was crucified. Jesus carried a heavy wooden cross to a place called Golgotha (“the Place of the Skull”) outside the city. He was then nailed to the cross, where he later gave up his spirit and died.
Jesus was buried. Jesus’ body was buried in a tomb on the same day. The tomb was covered with a large, heavy stone.
Jesus rose from the dead. On the third day after his death, some of Jesus’ followers, including Mary Magdalene and Peter, came to the tomb and found it empty with the stone rolled away. Jesus had risen, just like he said!
Bible Verses Pointing to Easter
Did you know that there are many Bible verses pointing to Jesus’ death and resurrection? In fact, many Scriptures in the Old Testament prophesy about Jesus, his sacrifice and his victory.
Isaiah 53:7 (NIV)
Isaiah was a prophet in the Old Testament who lived hundreds of years before Jesus’ crucifixion. Isaiah 53:7 reads: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
When we read the Easter story in the New Testament, we find that Jesus did not resist when being beaten and crucified. He willingly laid his life down for us, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy.
Isaiah 50:6 (NIV)
Isaiah also prophesied further about what Jesus would endure. This verse reads: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”
In Matthew 27, we read about how Jesus was flogged or beaten severely. He was also stripped of his clothes, forced to wear a crown of thorns and spat on.
Genesis 3:15
Yes, even the very first book of the Bible points us to Easter. Genesis 3:15 reads: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
The serpent was Satan, right? This verse is telling us that there would be an “offspring” of a woman who would suffer a wound but still crush Satan’s head and defeat him. That’s exactly what happened through Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
So many other verses before and after the resurrection point to Jesus and his life-giving sacrifice. Here are a few more examples:
Romans 6:8-11 (NIV): Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5 (NIV): For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Revelation 1:5-6: And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
What Does Easter Mean for Us Today?
Easter doesn’t just mark a one-time event that happened thousands of years ago. Instead, Easter marks Jesus’ ultimate victory over sin and death — a battle he won for all of us. Because Jesus rose, this victory still reaches into our everyday lives in powerful, life-changing ways.
Easter Means We Have a Living Hope
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. — 1 Peter 1:3-4, NIV
Where is your hope placed today? In your finances? Your job? Maybe the promises and words of those around you? Here’s the hard truth: The things of this earth will one day pass away (1 John 2:17). Putting your hope in temporary things will only lead to disappointment and pain. This is dead hope.
But through Jesus, we have living, eternal hope. Jesus did not die and stay in the tomb — he rose again, providing us with a future beyond this temporary world we live in. We can trust that, as Christians, we will one day be with Jesus for eternity, forever safe from pain, suffering, sickness and death. Even if you lost all your possessions tomorrow, you can’t lose Jesus.
Easter Means Sin & Death Lost Their Power
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 15:55-56, NIV
The Bible tells us that sin leads to death, and because of it, we were destined to die and be eternally separated from God. But that was before Jesus. When he died, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51, NIV).
That curtain marked the boundary between God’s presence and his people — only the high priest could enter, and only with blood sacrifices for sin. Jesus became the final, perfect sacrifice, removing the barrier between us and our Father.
The torn curtain signified that through Jesus we now have direct access to God. Because of Jesus’ blood, sin no longer separates us. And because of his resurrection, death no longer holds power. On Easter, both sin and death were defeated.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16, NIV
Easter Means Darkness Doesn’t Win
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33, NIV
War. Natural disasters. Poverty. Pain. This world is a dark place, and sometimes, it’s easy to feel hopeless. But Easter reminds us that none of the darkness around us is final. Sin, sorrow, injustice and even the grave have been defeated.
Through Jesus’ victory, darkness doesn’t get the last word in our stories. While Jesus was placed in a cold, dark tomb, he didn’t stay there. He overcame. Now, through him, we can overcome too.
Shining the Light in the Darkness of Poverty
At Compassion, we’re blessed to share this truth with children living in the darkness of poverty. Each day, these children struggle to survive, many without access to even essentials like clean water and basic medical care.
While fear surrounds them on all sides, by hearing the gospel, they can see the Light. They can see hope, inspiring them to reach for a brighter future.
And that’s the beauty of the Easter story: Hopelessness can be traded for hope because the Light of the world still shines, and the darkness has not overcome him (John 1:5).
Let this good news about Easter inspire you to celebrate Jesus’ victory every day of the year. And if you’re going through a dark time, we pray you’re filled with hope. While darkness might hang around for the night, joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5), just like it did on Resurrection Sunday all those years ago.
