Easter ham or Passover lamb?

[gcdonner]

I like celebrating our Lord's resurrection. I speak English, and we call this celebration Easter.

I don't think specific pronunciations of words matter. With that said, I do pronounce פסח properly when speaking with a native Hebrew speaker, out of respect, as I do other Hebrew words, particularly for things like holidays or שבת.

Jesus declared all foods clean. As a Christian, I eat pork and other meats. I have seen zero spiritual value to observing כשרות. I do see value in rejecting gluttony and drunkenness.

What does Easter have to do with the English language? You have no problem with associating Jesus with a pagan goddess and celebrating his death as the Lamb of God with ham?
I eat ham too, but wouldn't do it on Passover out of respect for our Lord and Savior.
The English use of the term Easter is totally pagan, has nothing to do with the English language being a derivative of Eostre/ Ishtar.
BTW, where/when did Jesus declare all foods clean?
I am surprised that you take such a lackadaisical attitude toward something as sacred as the resurrection of Christ. I suppose you go in for Easter egg hunts on the church front lawn too?

[Josh]

Easter isn't a word that has anything to do with some ancient goddess anymore than Saturday means I worship Saturn. That is a persistent myth I that should not be perpetrated.

This is what Easter means:

"(Christianity) A Christian feast commemorating the resurrection of Christ; the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox, neither earlier than March 22 nor later than April 25."

Here's an obsolete meaning:

"The Jewish Passover.
1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Mark XIV:
After two dayes folowed ester, and the dayes of swete breed."

Tyndale was strangled to death and burnt to ashes because he dared to translate the scriptures into English. I'll trust his choice of the word "Easter".

Incidentally, the Hebrew words for God all are derived from older words which used to have pagan meanings. God takes our old, pagan cultures and languages and redeems them and us. Easter isn't a time of worshipping a false god. Easter is a time to worship my God and saviour, Jesus Christ, who conquered sin for me and rose from the dead to prove his promise of eternal life to me is real.

[KingdomBuilder]

It just seems to me, from my experience, that specific seasons and dates come to shape expectations and realities of what we should "focus" on and when.

I just disagree with that.
I'm not against the word, what people choose to eat, etc.

[Josh]

It just seems to me, from my experience, that specific seasons and dates come to shape expectations and realities of what we should "focus" on and when.

I just disagree with that.
I'm not against the word, what people choose to eat, etc.

In the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite we do not venerate some weeks and seasons more than others, other than what we acknowledge is just custom and tradition. We try to treat every Sunday as the Lord's day, yet we try to treat every day as consecrated to the Lord. We don't have special services on Easter, Christmas, Pentecost, or other times. We do acknowledge these are holidays in our culture and do often spend the free time with family.

I personally choose to exploit that Christmas and Easter are times when the hearts of people are more tender to thinking and hearing about
Jesus. I do like to read the Easter story--Jesus' death and resurrection--during this season of the year.

But generally speaking I am glad to free of the liturgical calendar and glad to be part of a church where we try to focus on being Christians 365 days of the year, and leave the special seasons up to our culture. And yes, our culture was heavily influenced by Catholicism for 1,200 years.

Sometimes I'm in a place where Catholicism had less influence. In that place, the days of the week are a bit different, and the holidays are a bit different. I'm just as glad for holidays off to observe God sparing the firstborn of the Israelites as I am for observing our Catholic traditions of Christmas, but I don't attribute a great deal of spiritual value to such holidays. I'm glad to have Saturday off from work to rest and refrain from shopping and buying things, but I'm also just as glad to have Sunday off to go to church and take an afternoon nap.

One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

As always, the scriptures make the most sense out of any of this!

[Valerie]

I appreciate Romans 14- there is strong discouragement from judging each other about these things- (by the way Josh, you brought up the Liturgical calendar- which I have in my Bible- just to point out it isn't just certain times or seasons, but there is something for the Church to focus on every single day of the year- but in keeping with what God had started, and Jesus also did, by celebrating certain Holy days of 'remembrance' for various things God wanted to bring attention to- even still the Liturgical Calendar has daily readings-
I personally see the reason/benefit for bringing attention to important events that happened- it seemed important to God to do so- but according to this passage, not to judge others for what they are convinced of in their own minds.
Romans 14King James Version (KJV)

14 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

I think in keeping with what the Lord God had instituted, and Jesus observed certain days in keeping with the Jews- and it seems the Apostles continued to do so but with the New Covenant Church, there was the former Passover- Pascha- which brought Christianity to the world- it is interesting that God chose this particular 'date' (Passover) for Jesus death & Resurrection- and then the Apostles were altogether on the Day of Pentecost- and that day, became the birth of the Church- when the Holy Spirit was poured out on all Believers- so it seems consistent with what God has always done and Jesus followed, and so being convinced in my own mind as the passage allows, I do see the purpose in holding important dates up for observance. But if others do not, we are encouraged to allow them that as well-

[JimFoxvog]

BTW, where/when did Jesus declare all foods clean?

See Mark 7.18-19 "He" from the context is Jesus.

[bible]Mark 7,18-19[/bible]

[silentreader]

I like celebrating our Lord's resurrection. I speak English, and we call this celebration Easter.

I don't think specific pronunciations of words matter. With that said, I do pronounce פסח properly when speaking with a native Hebrew speaker, out of respect, as I do other Hebrew words, particularly for things like holidays or שבת.

Jesus declared all foods clean. As a Christian, I eat pork and other meats. I have seen zero spiritual value to observing כשרות. I do see value in rejecting gluttony and drunkenness.

If pronunciations really are super important, then we'd all better start working on our gutterals. I have yet to hear anyone who thinks it's more holy to call Easter “pesach” actually pronounce it properly.

I haven't studied this for a lot of years, and I'm not intending to again, but if I remember correctly, for those of us who speak as a first language what Josh mistakenly insists on calling 'Dutch', the term in that language for the concept of 'Easter season' is pretty much exactly the same as the name of an Old German goddess who was honored in the springtime with a ham feast.
I still eat ham at Easter, or any other time, but it has nothing to do with the resurrection.

[Josh]

And not only did Jesus declare all foods clean according to Mark's gospel, but God gave Peter a vision telling him to eat "unclean" foods. When he declined, God told him not to call unclean what God has declared clean.

“He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him. He saw heaven opened and an object something like a large sheet descending, being let down to earth by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and wild birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!” But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!” The voice spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!” This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.”

Jesus wants the insides of our cups to be clean, not the outside. He doesn't care what kind of foods we eat - he does care what words we speak and listen to.

[silentreader]

And not only did Jesus declare all foods clean according to Mark's gospel, but God gave Peter a vision telling him to eat "unclean" foods. When he declined, God told him not to call unclean what God has declared clean.

“He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him. He saw heaven opened and an object something like a large sheet descending, being let down to earth by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and wild birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!” But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!” The voice spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!” This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.”

Jesus wants the insides of our cups to be clean, not the outside. He doesn't care what kind of foods we eat - he does care what words we speak and listen to.

Thankfully the Bible was written in English. And isn't there some versions that tell about Mary and Martha packing ham sandwiches for the Lamb of God and His disciples as they continued their journey?

[Sudsy]

A Jewish dilema - free ham.