Bedtime Easter Stores: Where did the Easter Bunny come from?
I was putting my two-year-old son to bed last week and as we were reading the last page of his children's Bible, I noticed a little bunny at the bottom of the page. My son giggled and pointed to the bunny as it looked like it was about ready to hop into Jesus' arms. I laughed with my son and then kissed him goodnight.
As I walked to my bedroom to get ready for bed, I thought about the cute little bunny and how bizarre it was that the resurrection story of Christ was accompanied by a small illustrated bunny at His feet.
As I contemplated the idea for a few more days, it made me think about the simplicity of the Easter bunny and the simplicity of the story of Jesus. Much of the time, Christians want to over-complicate things by saying that the Easter bunny should not be talked about or told to children at Easter because they will forget the true meaning of the holiday---that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave. All too often, people want to also over-complicate the story of Jesus and the gift of salvation; they want to make people believe that you must first get your life cleaned up and "perfect" before accepting Jesus as their Savior, but it's actually the total opposite. The greatest joy about salvation through Jesus is that it's so simple and easy. Just like believing in a bunny who lays chocolate eggs, believing in Jesus is just as or even more simple and uncomplicated.
So, where did the idea of the Easter bunny come from? Is it sacrilegious to have the Easter bunny part of a Christ-centered Easter celebration? According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws”. Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs.
After seeing that little bunny at the feet of Jesus on the page of my son's Bible, I realized that I have no reason to fear what "commercial messaging" my child is being fed because he knows that the Easter bunny, Santa Clause and any other fantastical beings ALL sit at the bottom of the page when compared to Jesus and His unmatched glory. If I tell my son the truth about the love of Jesus from an early age, then the fun, fantastical ideas of childhood will never compare or be confused with the love and grace he will come to know in the arms of a Savior. Fear should never be our motivation; love should be our motivation just as it was for Jesus.
So, the next time you wonder where the Easter bunny really came from it might be good to remember that he originally started at the feet of Jesus---where Easter began.
I hope you have a wonderful Easter and truly come to know the joy of living a life in the grace and love of Christ.
