Happy Easter my brothers and sisters! This is Pastor Mike, once again, bring you a weekly devotional to set the tone of Holy Week. Last week we discussed the history behind the Easter Egg and its surprisingly strong Christian symbolism. This week we are going to focus on another tradition, the Easter Bunny. To be completely honest with you, the idea of this bunny hopping around the yard always creeped me out as a kid. So, I entered into this research with some bias. But I must confess, this deep dive into this holy hare blew me away!
Let’s begin with the fact that the origins of the “Easter Bunny” originated among German Lutherans. This is the same group that brought us Christmas trees. The “Easter Hare” originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the season of Eastertide. But again, what a bunny/hare/rabbit at all? What were these Lutherans thinking?
Rabbits and hares, along with eggs, are general symbols of spring and renewal through the centuries. Interestingly, the rabbit was a popular motif in medieval church art. Rabbits and hares have long been associated with Jesus’s mother, Mary. For instance, the 16th-century painting “The Madonna of the Rabbit” by Italian artist Titian shows Mary with a white rabbit by her side. Why rabbits? Well, it was believed by early scientists (wrongly) that rabbits at times could reproduce without mating. This made them common symbols of the virgin birth of Jesus by his mother Mary.
The Easter Bunny brought eggs because it was the end of the Lenten fast. The eating of eggs was prohibited during the fast of Lent. A common practice in England at that time was for children to go door-to-door begging for eggs on the Saturday before Lent began. People handed out eggs as special treats for children before their fast.
I also discovered a long-standing falsehood about the Easter Bunny tradition. For many years people have claimed that the bunny was the sacred beast of Easter (or Ēostre), a Saxon goddess of Spring and the dawn. But this is a myth that was made up by famous author Jacob Grimm in his 1835 Deutsche Mythologie. The name Easter does not derive itself from pagan traditions. Virtually all languages refer to Easter as either a transliterated form of Pascha or use resurrection in the name. Our English word Passover corresponds to the Hebrew [pesach], which is a translation. The Greek Pascha, formed from the Hebrew, is the name of the Jewish festival, applied invariably in the primitive church to designate the festival of the Lord’s resurrection, which took place at the time of the Passover.
The English word Easter is of Saxon origin and precisely the same import as its German cognate Ostern. The latter is derived from the old Teutonic form of auferstehn, Auferstehung, i. e. Resurrection. So, it comes from the German word for resurrection! The idea that both the name Easter and the symbolism behind the rabbit are of pagan origin has long since been disproven by modern scholarship. The authors of this false claim were basing their beliefs on falsified evidence, disreputable materials, and disproven folklore.
I think it’s time to give a happy nod to the Easter Bunny and stop fearing it, or eggs, or the name Easter itself as pagan traditions. In truth, they are unique symbols of different characteristics of Christ Jesus.
The danger of any tradition, regardless of its origin, comes from its ability to mask or cover the true purpose of the celebration. There is nothing wrong with easter eggs, baskets, or bunnies, in their proper place. But the true focus of Easter is on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3). We must make sure that the focus of our celebration is on the Lordship of Jesus Christ and let everything else simply add to the symphony of celebration.
So, my friends let the kids hunt for eggs, pass around the baskets, and color pictures of the Easter bunny. They are all symbols of the hope and joy that comes from the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just keep Christ as the pinnacle of focus and celebrate what his love and grace truly mean for our broken world.
Happy Easter Resurrection Brothers and Sisters.
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Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston TX
Cell: 919-935-2513
Email: pastormike@fumcfairfield.org
