Turning to Easter, we must look back to the Passover while the Jews were captive in Egypt. Following the Pharoah repeated refused to release the Jews, God followed up on His warnings of various plagues on the Egyptian people. Recorded in Exodus 12, the event of Passover followed the last plague- the death of the first born. Briefly, the Jews were instructed to slay a lamb (PETA- you may want to cup your hands over your ears), and to brush the blood of that shed animal on the side and top doorposts of each Jewish home. This was to picture the prophecy in Gen. 22:8. It was this same Passover that set the scene and was a foreshadowing of the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ- arguably the Son of God, come in human form who came to die for the sins of the human race. Jesus' death was intended to be a substitutionary atonement. Repeatedly, Jesus taught that He was the embodiment of the Passover lamb. Without being fully human, Jesus' death would not be experientially akin to humankind's predictament. (This is in response to the ancient Docestists who held that Jesus was not fully human because- like the Manicaeans- it was thought that flesh was so sinful, that God could not have anything to do with it). Without being fully divine, a resurrection would not be humanly possible. Without a true death, Jesus' act would not fully satisfy the severe senstence that a holy God demands for such a serious act as sin. Since the Passover sabbath began at sunset on that Friday, the 'trials' and barbaric treatery of Jesus ocurred between Thursday evening and Friday afternoon, culminating in Jesus hanging opon the lonely, cold cross of execution around noon. He was already dead by 3:00 ("the 3rd watch"). However, on Sunday, He proved that He exercises power over death by raising on that third day. Against critics who charge that He was not dead for a full 3 days, they are tinking in terms of 24 hour days, however given the rendering of Jewish dating, a 'day' is until sunset. Thus being dead from noon-3:00 (?) until sunset Friday, Saturday as well as Sunday morning- the crucifixion accounts all place the resurrection discovery event at dawn (Mat.), "Very early in the Morning (Lk.), "Early on the first day, while it was still dark" (Jn.) equal 3 days.
So, what about the Easter Bunny and chocolate eggs? What does that have to do with Jesus? Or does it? The notion of the Easter Bunny is a left over from the festival for an ancient Germanic (Anglo-Saxon) goddess of Spring and fertility, Ostera or Eostre.