The early church celebrated two different dates for Resurrection Sunday. Some observed the day of the Jewish Passover, the fourteenth day of the first month, Nisan. Jesus died on the Cross that afternoon, and Passover began at sundown. Passover can occur on any day of the week. Others observed the Sunday following Passover. This day is the Day of the Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:10-11). This also was the day of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Jesus was the Firstfruits of the grave (I Corinthians 15:20).

The Council of Nicea met in Nicea in 325 A.D. to settle the issue of which date to use. Nicea is known today as Iznik, Turkey. The Emperor Constantine was adamant that the day they referred to as “Easter” not be celebrated on a Jewish Holy Day. Constantine considered the Jews as “having bloody hands” regarding the death of Jesus. Therefore, it was determined that “Easter” would be celebrated on the Lord’s Day, Sunday, and totally separated from Passover.

You can see that it did not take very long for the pagan term “Easter” to supplant “Resurrection Day.” The name “Easter” is derived from the names of pagan gods such as Astarte, goddess of fertility. In seeking the blessing of this god, fertility symbols such as bunnies, chicks and eggs are used. These fertility symbols have absolutely nothing to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. I will use the term “Resurrection Sunday” from here forward.

The result of the decision of the Council of Nicea was that Resurrection Sunday would always occur on the Sunday following the first Full Moon following the Spring Equinox. Hebrew months begin with the New Moon. The Full Moon would then occur fourteen days later. The methodology of the Council is actually as close to being accurate as any, but the purpose was not accuracy, but separation from Jewish Holy Days.

The Hebrew Calendar is not always consistent. Sometimes an extra month must be inserted to bring the calendar into alignment with the reality of the seasons. This can cause a wide difference between the date set by the Council of Nicea, and the dates of the Biblical feast of Passover and the Day of Firstfruits.

That is what is occurring this year. According to the determination of the Council of Nicea, Resurrection Sunday will fall on March 31, 2024. According to the Hebrew Calendar the Sunday following Passover, which is the Day of Firstfruits and Resurrection Day, will fall on April 28, 2024, a full four weeks later.

In my humble opinion, the latter date is correct this time. On the Day of Firstfruits a sheaf of grain was offered to the Lord. At this time of year, this would be a sheaf of barley. The barley must be ripe, and if the year begins too early the probability of ripeness is decreased. If the barley is not ripe, there cannot be a sheaf to present at the Temple.

I know that there is no Temple at which to present the sheaf of barley, but I believe that our unchanging God still recognizes the times and seasons. This year the New Moon occurred on March 10th. Reports from trusted people living in Israel say that on March 10th the barley was only ripe in the Jordan River Valley. That means that farmers living elsewhere in Israel could not have fulfilled the Scriptural requirement of presenting a sheaf. So the month of Nisan cannot begin until the next New Moon.

Traditions die hard, and that is what we are dealing with this year. The tradition of celebrating the Resurrection separate from Jewish holy days has resulted in two different dates four weeks apart. Praise the Lord for His wonderful patience with us. Praise Him always.