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Regaining the Meaning of Easter
By Mike Bayham
April 12, 2004

There's more to Easter than being able to wear the color white again.

First of all, there's the consumption of mass quantities of chocolate, usually molded into the shape of rabbits. The indulgence of sweets comes in other sugary holiday forms, such as peeps and almond candies, just to name a few. Purple and pink colored shreds of plastic grass and small wicker baskets are reintroduced to consumers as an essential tandem during this time of year.

Released hardened chicken embryos, also known as eggs, used year round for breakfast and tossing at the homes of juvenile adversaries, also find a new appreciation when painstakingly dyed and used for decoration.

Somewhere wedged in between the corporate-pagan inspired "important stuff" is the thing where a Jewish guy rose from the dead. How dare anyone inject the subject of religion into Easter! Well I can think of one movie star that dared to do so and has since been greatly rewarded.

At no time in my 29 revolutions around the sun can I remember an Easter where there has been so much attention and focus on the events that led up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the adopted son of Joseph, and supernatural progeny of Mary and God, at least in the opinion of this layman acolyte of the Church of Rome.

Thanks to something that came out of an industry that is better identified with the Mary Magdalene's first profession than the life she later lived, Jesus has received unprecedented attention during this Easter season. Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" was cast out of the celluloid kingdom as being unfit to be claimed as one of theirs because it was too violent and too controversial. Never mind that just two films by revered director Martin Scorsese, those being "Taxi Driver" and "The Last Temptation of Christ", have these same issues, but are nonetheless heralded as brilliant works by Hollywood gun control advocates and non-Christians.

Like the man whose last hours were the subject of the movie, "Passion" was the stone rejected by the "builders", but embraced by over $350 million dollars worth of theater patrons in America alone.

Gibson took a huge risk, one would even call it a leap of faith, when he sank $35 million of his own money in addition to his career in film, since hostile Tinseltown execs "tore their robes" declaring that they would never work with the star again when he produced "Passion".

Instead one man put everything material on the line to honor his Savior and remind Christians exactly how much God loved the world that he would allow His son to endure the agony of scourging and crucifixion. Whether it be due to the ludicrous charges of inciting anti-Semitism or the gory representation of human being done things involving physical suffering few could possibly comprehend, millions of not-so religious people went to see the movie, if only to appease their curiosity.

Some of these ne'er-do-well Easter-Christmas Christians, regardless of denomination, have developed a new appreciation for Jesus' supreme sacrifice and have experienced a spiritual awakening. More than a few have brushed the dust off their Bibles and now spend their Sunday mornings in church instead of under their bedcovers.

The movie's timely Lenten release has heightened awareness about what happened just shy of two millennia ago and emphasized why Easter, not Christmas, is the most important day in Christianity. Without Jesus' fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies through His death and resurrection, Christianity would be nothing more than an eastern Mediterranean born version of Buddhism.

"Passion" does not have the bunny-like fuzziness that most of our commercialized society likes to associate with Easter, but last I checked Peter Cottontail did not die for the sins of the world. That the Last Supper has gotten more media play this year than Cadbury Crème Eggs and Heavenly Hash is not a bad thing in the eyes of this believer in Christ.

Just like how Christian organizations such as the Knights of Columbus and others launch low level, but sincere media campaigns every December to put Christ back into Christmas, Mel Gibson through his film should be commended for helping put Jesus back into Easter and more than a few prodigal Christians back in church.

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Mike Bayham is a political consultant and author of the book, "Right From The Bayou: The Opinions of a Conservative Cajun", which is available at www.iuniverse.com.

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.