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Resources - Children's Pages
April 2000
Kids’ Page
Some Questions about Easter
by Mrs. Anne Groenenboom
Dad closed the Bible and looked at each of the children in turn. He had
just finished reading the story about how Jesus was crucified. It was a
story Chris and Amy had heard many times before, but each time again
they felt sad when they heard it. Carla had also been listening intently
and she seemed disappointed when Dad stopped.
“Can you read some more please,” the little girl asked and Dad nodded.
“Can you read the part about the Easter Bunny, please, Daddy?”
Chris and Amy stared at their little sister in surprise. They couldn’t
believe their ears. Even Mum and Dad were lost for words. Carla looked
from one to the other. She guessed she had done something wrong, but she
didn’t know what it was. She wriggled in her chair and looked as if she
was going to cry. Mum put her arm around Carla and hugged the little
girl.
“Carla, the story about the Easter Bunny isn’t in the Bible. Who told you it was?”
“Miss Rose told us about the Easter Bunny at Kinder, today.” Carla replied tearfully.
“She said the Easter Bunny is the best thing about Easter.”
Mum and Dad looked at each other. Carla had been going to Kinder for a
few weeks now and she really loved her teacher. Now they had the
difficult task of telling Carla that her beloved teacher was wrong.
“Well, Carla, the Easter Bunny isn’t a true story,” Dad said, speaking
firmly but gently.
“But Miss Rose said...!” Carla started and then she burst into floods of tears. Dad picked her up and cuddled her, but Carla sobbed broken-heartedly as she clung to him.
“We’d better wait until she calms down a bit,“ Mum advised and Dad
nodded. Finally Carla stopped sobbing and Mum took her to wash her face.
When she came back, she was munching on a biscuit, but she still looked
miserable. Dad lifted Carla onto his knee again and hugged her as he
began to speak.
“Carla, right from when you were a tiny little girl, we’ve told you
about Jesus... about how he is God’s Son and he loves you. We’ve been
reading today about how he died on the cross... he died for us, to save
us from our sin.” Carla nodded and Dad continued. “I know it’s very hard
for you to understand it, because you’re so small, but it’s the most
important thing you’ll ever hear... and as you keep hearing it, you’ll
understand it more and more.”
Carla snuggled against Dad’s shoulder as Dad continued speaking.
“Carla, lots of people don’t know much about Jesus, so they think other things are important at Easter time. Miss Rose can’t know the really important things about Easter, or she wouldn’t tell you that the Easter Bunny is so important.”
“Miss Rose told us about other things too,” Carla whispered. “She told us about Easter eggs and hot cross buns too. Are they in the Bible?”
“No, Carla, they’re not.” Mum told Carla, who looked as if she was going to cry again.
“Does that mean I can’t have any, because Miss Rose is bringing some to Kinder for an Easter party... and I like parties,” Carla wailed and waited miserably for an answer.
“Carla, it’s all right to have those things, as long as you remember
that they’re not the important things about Easter. We always have some
Easter eggs and buns as a special treat and it’s OK for you to have some
at Kinder, too.”
“Mum, why do people make so much fuss about Easter eggs and hot cross
buns?” Amy asked. “I know they’re yummy, but what’s so special about
them?”
“Before people began to have a special celebration every year because
Jesus was risen from the dead, there was another festival held at the
same time. I think that other celebration is where the name Easter came
from, but I’m not sure about that.” Mum replied.
“What did people celebrate in those other festivals?” was Amy’s next
question.
“They were celebrating the fact that the winter was over,” Mum answered. “They said it was the time when things started to grow again and when new baby animals were born. That’s why they had rabbits and eggs, even then, as symbols of the new life that was beginning again after the long cold winter.”
“Their winter was much colder than ours and nothing would grow,” Dad
explained, ”so the people were really glad when the winter was over and
the days were getting longer.”
“What about the hot cross buns?” Chris asked. “Did they have them then,
too?”
“No, Chris, ...long ago, when Christians celebrated Easter they had
special meals together and they made special little loaves with crosses
on them, to remind them of Jesus dying on the cross.” Mum told him. “The
loaves tasted so good that other people wanted them too and that’s why
everyone eats hot cross buns now at Easter.”
“The trouble is that people have taken all the “fun” things to enjoy for
Easter, without bothering about Jesus,” Dad told the children.
“That’s what they do at Christmas time, too, isn’t it?” Chris commented
and his parents nodded. “Yes, Chris. People are always ready for fun
things... and Satan is always ready to provide things that stop them
thinking about Jesus.”
Carla had been sitting quietly on Dad’s lap as she listened and she had
a question.
“ Are you going to tell Miss Rose about Jesus?” she asked.
“Yes, Carla, “ Mum replied. “We’ll tell her... but she may not take any notice, you know.”
“I hope she does!” Carla exclaimed. “I like Miss Rose.”
“You could take my story book about Jesus to Kinder and ask Miss Rose to read it to the class, Carla,” Amy suggested and everyone agreed that it was a good idea.
“And I’ll have a talk with Miss Rose tomorrow afternoon after Kinder,” Mum promised.
“Why don’t you colour this picture about Jesus for Miss Rose, Carla,
while we’re talking and you can give it to her tomorrow.” Carla nodded
happily as she started colouring.
“I have another question,” Chris remarked. “Last year my birthday was at
Easter and this year Easter is on a different date. It’s a couple of
weeks since my birthday and we haven’t even had Easter yet. Why does
that happen?”
“Well, Easter isn’t set on the same date each year, like other holidays, Chris. It’s based on the Jewish holiday of the Passover, which is always held at the time of the first full moon after the March equinox.” Dad explained. Chris nodded but Amy looked puzzled.
“What’s an equinox?” she asked.
“It’s when we have an equal length day and night. It happens twice a year, in March and September. That’s how those people who lived in early times knew that the winter was over and the days were starting to get longer again,” Dad explained.
“Jesus was celebrating the Passover, when he had his last supper with
his disciples, wasn’t he?” Chris asked.
“Yes, Chris... all the things that happened that first Easter happened
at Passover time.” Mum replied, then she asked “Do you know why the Jews
celebrate the Passover?”
“Wasn’t that the time when God told Moses to take his people out of Egypt?” Chris asked. “That’s when they had all those awful plagues, isn’t it?” Amy commented.
“You’re both right,” Dad told them. “Do you remember what happened after that?”
Amy thought for a minute, then replied, “All the first born sons died
and Pharaoh told Moses that the people could go out of Egypt.”
“That’s right, Amy. Now, did any of the firstborn sons of God’s people
die?”
“No, because God told Moses to tell the people to sprinkle the blood of
a lamb on their doorposts... and the angel of the Lord passed over their
houses, without killing their firstborn sons so that’s why the Jews
celebrate the Passover.” Chris exclaimed.
“God really helped his people then, didn’t he!” Amy remarked. “I’m going
to read that story again later. I’ll find it in the bible story book and
read it to Carla.”
“God helped us even more when he gave his only Son, to die for us,” Dad reminded them.
“The Israelites were saved by the blood of a lamb sprinkled on their doorposts, but we are saved by the blood of the Lamb of God. Do you know who that is?”
“It’s Jesus, isn’t it?“ Chris replied. “Jesus is the Lamb of God who
takes away the sins of the world.”
A NOTE FOR PARENTS.
You may want to go through this information with your children and
discuss it with them, especially if they are young. You will probably
also need to explain that in Israel, Easter occurs in Spring, whereas we
have Easter in Autumn. This is sometimes confusing for them.
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