Why chocolate egg hunts, bunnies and chocolates have little in common with Easter
I hope you have been enjoying your week so far. Jesus is ever so beautiful and our living satisfaction. I am so grateful to know Him, but I am also constantly reminded to turn my focus back to Him every day, to receive His wisdom and love. Otherwise, we will look elsewhere because our salvation was not just for one moment—it is for every day too. The power of God was not only given to save our souls from eternal separation and death, but also to help us live this life according to God’s righteousness and power, not our own.
I have been thinking a lot about Easter, and my heart is bursting with joy—the joy of Easter and the joy of sharing the love of God. But I am also grieved that there are still people walking in darkness. They do not know Jesus—they do not know God.
Their hearts and minds do not yet know the Light of the world, and so the enemy can easily cause havoc in their lives and keep them stumbling. We see this in John 3:17–19:
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
Proverbs 4:18–19 says something similar: “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”
Jesus also said in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
These scriptures are both sobering and beautiful. The Bible is clear that the only saving power in the world is Jesus: His blood, His life, His death, burial, and resurrection. That is why, when I think about Easter, I am grateful that it is still observed as a national holiday. Yet many who celebrate it do not know what—or rather, who—it is truly about. In England for example, some people associate Easter with bunnies, Easter eggs, and egg hunts, and Jesus isn’t mentioned at all. People want the benefits of Easter—joy, new life, forgiveness—without a relationship or commitment to Jesus.
This is similar to Christmas; it has become about partying, drinking, games, lots of food, and exchanging presents, while the main reason is an afterthought. Of course, Christians around the world celebrate both those holidays from the perspective of the Gospels, but brothers and sisters, the world influences us more than we realise when it comes to these special holidays that should be so dear to us. I mean—who wouldn’t be drawn to that? It can feel easier to embrace things like bunnies, presents, chocolate, and simply having a good time, because these things don’t require us to confront the truth about our nature. They don’t call for repentance or trust in someone greater than ourselves.
But centering Easter on bunnies in a meadow and eating chocolate has nothing to do with Christianity.
It is a man-made version of Easter that hides the gospel, and it offers nothing of eternal value—only temporary enjoyment. Isn’t this what satan wants? For people to focus more on these things than knowing the living God? I am not saying you cannot enjoy an Easter egg or teach children about Easter in creative ways. However, we cannot push the gospel aside in an attempt to reach and please the world. We preach the gospel to reach the world.
The Bible tells us not to be“...ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)
Easter is the perfect opportunity to remember what Jesus did on the cross. We remember His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. From that place, we can preach the gospel and declare the good news: that Jesus came, He died, He was buried, and He rose again on the third day because God so loved each one of us. Through Him, we can be in relationship with God and receive eternal life. We declare that Jesus lives in us, that He is reaching people through us, and that He desires to draw them to Himself.
Easter is a celebration of God’s saving power—of eternal life, of victory over sin, darkness, death—and of the glorious future ahead of us.
Colossians 2:12–15 captures this beautifully:
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Now, why am I writing this blog to Christians? I am writing this because sometimes we can be swayed by the world without even realising it. We can be tempted to dress up the gospel so that it feels easier for others to accept. We try to soften it, for lack of better words. We become afraid of offending people, even though the world has no problem trying to offend us or silence us. At times, it can almost seem as though we are ashamed of the gospel because it is easier to tell people how loved they are, how God has a perfect plan for their lives than the hard truth that all sinned and fell short of the glory of God but Jesus came to make a way to the father.
We worry that people won’t understand it, or that they won’t come back, so we delay sharing the gospel.
Yet faith comes by hearing the word of God. Paul expresses this in Romans 10:14–17:
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ … Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
Sometimes people encounter God in church for the first time—but the church is not the only place where people can encounter Him. We are called to go out and share His goodness and love everywhere. There are even people who attend church and still do not truly know Jesus. So fearing that we might offend someone is a fear we need to surrender to God. People have a choice to make. They either want more of God or they do not. Remember…the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish; but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18
If they are not ready, we continue to pray for them and reflect Jesus in both word and action. I am not saying we should be unkind or unloving to each other or the unsaved— rather I do not want to dilute the truth of the gospel or become coy to share it.
The gospel is what saves. It reaches everyone—no matter how righteous or sinful we may feel before we meet Jesus; whether rich or poor, regardless of background, ethnicity, or culture.
And before anyone pushes back on this, I am not saying that the Lord cannot use different ways to draw people to Himself—of course He does. But His desire is that people will eventually hear the true gospel and make a wholehearted decision to follow Jesus. Ask yourself: if you feel the gospel is too much, or that someone is not ready to hear it, why do you think that? Jesus is safe, and we must believe that. He is able to heal, reveal Himself, and touch hearts in ways we cannot. The Lord does not need us to defend Him. The gospel carries power, and He is the God of every heart. Jesus knows every pain, every struggle, and exactly how to meet each person at the right time.
So I want to encourage you, friends: share the true gospel with someone this Easter. Do not wait for people to come to church—some may not. Share the gospel in shops, at bus stops, while walking, on social media—wherever you are. Tell them why Jesus came. Tell them who He is—that He is the Saviour of the world and the Shepherd of their souls. Tell them that God truly loves them and desires to spend eternity with them. Tell them that He is the Light of the world and that He has the power to set them free.
When our unsaved—or even Christian—friends make bunnies and Easter eggs the main focus of Easter, gently tell them the truth: it is about so much more. Tell them that in order to do this he had to die the death on the cross that we deserved. That he was buried, but he defeated death and satan in hell and arose again for us and in order for us to have eternal life, forgiveness, his spirit and a relationship with him. Share that Jesus is alive and he desire truly desires to have a relationship with him if they acknowledge him as their lord and saviour.
When our unsaved—or even Christian—friends make bunnies and Easter eggs the main focus of Easter, gently tell them the truth: it is about so much more.
Share the Easter story with them, because chocolate and cultural traditions cannot save anyone—but Jesus can if they surrender their hearts, repent, and follow Him, He will transform their lives. Easter is such a beautiful opportunity to partner with the Lord in bringing light into people’s lives. Josh and I truly believe that people are more open during Christmas and Easter, and so this is a precious opportunity to share what Easter is really all about.
