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The “Easter” season, involves much more than “Easter Sunday.” It begins with…
- “Mardi Gras” (French for “Fat Tuesday,” also called “Shrove Tuesday”), referring to the day before the beginning of the traditional season of “Lent,” which is called…
- “Ash Wednesday” (observers are often marked by an ash “cross” on their foreheads), which continues for 40 days (46, including Sundays), ending on “Easter” Sunday.
- “Maundy Thursday” follows “Ash Wednesday,” which, in turn, precedes…
- “Good Friday,” the alleged day of Jesus’ crucifixion (which is an ironic name for the day of the Lord’s terrible suffering), and is followed by…
- “Holy Saturday,” which then leads to…
- “Easter Sunday,” the supposed anniversary of the Lord’s Resurrection.
The “Lenten season” (celebrated by Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and many Protestant denominations), is a time during which celebrants are urged repent of and abstain from some vice and/or make some “sacrifice.” Mardi Gras is the Lent-observer’s last chance to engage in excess and uninhibited behavior before the self-denial of Lent limits his or her behavior.
All of the above are practiced in the name of Christianity, which, if genuine, must seek its authority from Jesus Christ, its Founder and Namesake, via His New Testament. Which of these items is even mentioned in the Bible—all, three, two, any of them? The correct answer is four of them, but in no way related to any of the foregoing practices.
- The Bible records numerous periods of time (days or years) involving the number 40
- Jesus arose from the dead (Mat. 28:1–10, et al.)
- Jesus requires self-denial of His followers (Luke 9:23, et al.)
- Jesus requires men to repent of their sins (Luke 13:3, 5, et al.)
Easter appears in the King James Version (Acts 12:4), but as an unfortunate and erroneous interpretation rather than a correct translation. This passage refers to the Jewish Passover feast, rather than to Jesus’ Resurrection, as subsequent versions correctly translate.
As sincere as many people are in their observance of Lent, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday (certainly so of Mardi Gras!), none of these has any Biblical origin or basis whatsoever. Rather, they reflect a blend of the post-apostolic traditions and Paganism of the Roman Catholic Church, several centuries too late to possess any semblance of Scriptural authority.
The extremes to which some have gone in observing Lent may be seen in some religionists who have been seduced by the left-wing political hoax of man-made “climate change.” One group has offered a “Lenten Carbon Fast” Calendar, urging such self-sacrifices as altering one’s thermostat setting, stopping window/door drafts, checking one’s auto tire pressure, and buying “renewable energy credits.”
The entire Easter system/calendar is totally devoid of Biblical example or precept—even without the “climate change” absurdity. It is difficult to understand how millions of people can profess to follow Christ while they thus disdain His Word.
[Note: I wrote this article for and it appeared in a slightly shorter version in the Denton Record-Chronicle, Denton, TX, April 18, 2014.]
Attribution: From TheScripturecache.com, owned and administered by Dub McClish.
