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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 5, NUMBER 12, MARCH 27, 2005 FROM WHAT SOURCE, FROM HEAVEN OR FROM MEN? I was at my local bank on Thursday of this past week and could not help but overhear a conversation that was taking place between several of the ladies who work at the bank (nice ladies, every one of them) and one of the customers. The ladies were bemoaning the fact that they were going to have to work all day on Friday and would not be able to attend Good Friday services. The customer, who seemed to be yet another very nice lady, was expressing her disappointment in not knowing where the ecumenical Good Friday service was going to take place. She just loved it when the Baptists, and Christian Church folks, Roman Catholics, and other denominational people all got together for one big service. Altogether they were generally lamenting that “things just aren’t like they used to be.” I got to thinking about that and the very fact that there are so many different denominations claiming to worship Christ, the very fact that there is such a thing as Good Friday taking place on the Friday before the Sunday that many celebrate in a special way as Easter, all indicate that “things just aren’t like they used to be.” (For all the teachers in the congregation, past and present, I recognize that that last sentence would probably qualify as a run-on sentence.) What I mean by that is simply this, when Jesus established the church there existed no such thing as different denominations. The church that Jesus established knew nothing of “Good Friday” and most certainly did not set aside one Sunday to be designated as Easter and used to commemorate and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in a special way. Neither Easter nor Good Friday are biblical terms. Good Friday never appears in scripture. As far as I know the word Easter appears in only one translation of the New Testament, and that is the King James or Authorized translation. That one instance is in Acts 12:4. To get the context we will include verses 1-3 as well. It says, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” The use of the word “Easter” in verse 4 is not a translation. It is a mis-translation. The word is “pascha”, which is the ordinary Greek word for “Passover.” It is used 29 times in the New Testament and 28 times it is translated as “Passover”. The time in Acts 12:4 is the only time it is translated by anyone that I know of as “Easter” and even there it is apparent to anyone even slightly familiar with Jewish feast days that the inspired writer Luke has the Passover in mind. The early Christians commemorated the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus every first day of the week by partaking of the Lord’s Supper. This was done under the guidance and direction of the apostles who had been commissioned by the Lord to teach those they converted to “observe all that I commanded you.” Faithful children of God continue to do the very same thing today. There is absolutely no authority for one man, or a group of men, to set aside one day in the year above all others to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus as an official religious observance. If it is true that the Bible supplies us with “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) and if in fact it is wrong to add to or take away from the word of God (Revelation 22:18-19), and the Bible does not mention Good Friday or Easter celebrations, what does that mean for those who engage in them? Actually, the word “Easter” comes from the word “Eastre” or “Estera”, a Teutonic goddess to whom sacrifice was offered in April. She was the goddess of spring and the dawn. Even The International Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 889 tells us “there is no trace of Easter celebration in the New Testament.” It than goes on to say, “though some would see an intimation of it in 1 Cor. 5:7.” Do you know what 1 Cor. 5:7 says? It says, “Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” To attempt to get Easter out of a passage that is calling for the removal of evil from among the brethren at Corinth is a classic example of going to the scriptures to find authority for something some one wants to do, instead of going to the scriptures to simply find out what they say. So here is another man-made holiday, yet all the Lord wants is for us to worship Him “in spirit and truth.” There will be a lot of spirited Easter celebrations – but they are going to be real short on “truth.” I am so thankful that our Lord died for us and rose from the dead. I am thankful enough to commemorate His great sacrifice as He has informed us that He wants it remembered, and not the way that I want to do it. Indeed, “The celebration of Easter was from what source, from heaven or from men?” Greg Litmer GOSPEL MEETING Our upcoming Gospel Meeting is only 5, FIVE, 1+1+1+1+1, weeks away, so make your plans to attend NOW! We will be having different speakers everyday. You can think your way out of a problem – or worry your way into one. Many problems come from learning how to do things before we’ve learned whether. |