Easter with Esther

Easter with Esther @BroSimonSays

I don’t want to pretend to be any kind of an authority on what I am about to share; I just want to post a couple of thoughts that I had about something significant that I noticed on my calendar this week. I’ll try to keep it brief and to the point.

As I was looking at my Google calendar, I noticed two different Jewish and Christian holidays (Holy Days) this week–Ta’anit Esther (Fast of Esther) and Easter. At first, both “holy-days” just seemed to sound the same (Esther and Easter), but the thought quickly occurred to me that they are a lot more alike than just in name.

You see, the Old Testament contains images, symbols, and teachings about the Lord Jesus Christ and His role as the Savior of Heavenly Father’s children. An ancient apostle of Jesus Christ, Matthew, had a great understanding of the Old Testament and was able to see in every detail of the Lord’s life the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. His Gospel was written for the use of Jews in Palestine and uses many quotations from the Old Testament to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

So, as a Christian, I have been taught to study the Old Testament with this thought in mind: “The message of the Old Testament is the message of Christ and his coming and his atonement” (Marion G. Romney, “The Message of the Old Testament,” A Symposium on the Old Testament, p. 5). Consequently, when I study the Old Testament I see Jesus Christ in the persons, objects, sacrifices, events, places, etc. (Click here for a quick list of some examples from the Old Testament. See also 2 Nephi 11:4 (2-6); Mosiah 13:28 (27-32); Alma 25:15-16; Moses 6:63).

When I read the story of Esther, I see Jesus Christ with His love, grace, sacrifice, and Atonement. To me, Esther is a wonderful type and foreshadow of Christ!

Queen Esther Saves Jehovah’s People, by Sam Lawlor

This week our brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith will observe the Fast of Esther and the Feast of Purim. As they do so, they will remember a time of temporal deliverance and salvation.

This week our brothers and sisters of the Christian faith will observe Easter. As they do so, they will remember their eternal deliverance and salvation.

The Resurrected Christ, by Wilson J. Ong

 

The holy-days related to the events of Esther and Easter don’t always fall within the same week (see below), but to me they definitely tell the same story–the greatest story ever told–a story of faith, hope, charity, service, sacrifice, salvation, and more. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son!

Sidebar: I was curious as to how often the holy-days related to the events of Esther and Easter occur within a week of each other. After a little bit of research, I found that from 2016-2049 we are able to celebrate “Easter with Esther” on the following years:

Thu Mar 24 2016 Purim
Sun Mar 27 2016 Easter Sunday

Sun Mar 24 2024 Purim
Sun Mar 31 2024 Easter Sunday

Tue Mar 23 2027 Purim
Sun Mar 28 2027 Easter Sunday

*Sun Mar 25 2035 Purim
*Sun Mar 25 2035 Easter Sunday

Thu Mar 26 2043 Purim
Sun Mar 29 2043 Easter Sunday

Thu Mar 22 2046 Purim
Sun Mar 25 2046 Easter Sunday

(http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/purim http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/easter-sunday)