“…intending after Easter…”
The KJV
contains the only mention of the word EASTER.
Acts 12:1-4 — Now about that time
Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he
killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased
the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of
unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and
delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring
him forth to the people.
The KJV
translates the word ‘pascha’ as “Passover”,
28 times, and as “Easter”,
one time. Obviously, the Jewish feast of the Passover, was meant. The feast of
the Passover, extended from the 14th to the 20th day of
the month Nisan. The phrase "after the Passover" meant after the
whole festival was over.
The behavior of so many on “Easter”
Sunday reflects as much as anything what the bible describes as “zeal without
knowledge” (Rom. 10:1-3).
Not only is the increase in attendance
on this one Sunday noticeable, we find such increase of attendance nothing more
than ‘out-of-character’ behavior by those who, in general, will seldom (if ever)
darken the doors of a church for another fifty-one weeks. From these ‘once-a-year’
attendees, we also find an attitude of “money-is-no-object” when it comes to
the purchasing of new clothes for this lone visit/attendance, while ‘casual’
dress will suffice for the any of the other 51 weeks. While they will spare no
expense on this one Sunday, any appeal to their ‘giving’ on the other 51 weeks,
is like squeezing “blood out of a turnip”.
Another out-of-character behavior in
regard to attendance on this “magical” day of Easter Sunday, is seen by the ‘on-time’
presence at the crack of dawn, when, if they attend any of the other 51
Sundays, [also at a later scheduled time], are habitually late.
Such behavior is similar to the “all-out”
efforts to remember the “reason for the season” on December 25th,
and the many other pious outward signs that only cover-up inward whited sepulchres,
when a mere 7 days later, the same people engage drunken revellings to ‘ring in’
a new year.
In our text, Herod had “post-Easter”
intentions. He had already had James the
brother of John killed, and, seeing that it pleased the Jews, intended to do
the same with Peter. Herod met with death later in this chapter, a fate with
which he had intended for Peter (vss. 23-24).
What will your “post-Easter”
intentions be next Sunday? Does the resurrection of Jesus from the dead have
any real significance for your life? The significance of the resurrection of
Christ is seen from 1 Cor. 15:17, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain;
ye are yet in your sins.”
It was meant to be more than a guilt
trip to a local church once a year.
Col. 3:1-4 — “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are
above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid
with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with him in glory.”
copyright 2017
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