Easter is filled with wonderful traditions from the Easter bunny to Easter eggs, but taking time to focus on the true meaning of Easter and spending time in prayer are important ways to honor Christ's sacrifice for us. Need some inspiring Easter quotes? We have the list for you below!
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb on the third day after his crucifixion. Easter is the fulfilled prophecy of the Messiah who would be persecuted, die for our sins, and rise on the third day. (Isaiah 53). Remembering the resurrection of Jesus is a way to renew daily hope that we have victory over sin. According to the New Testament, Easter is three days after the death of Jesus on the cross.
The week leading up to Easter is called The Holy Week, or "Passion Week," and includes Palm Sunday (the day Jesus entered Jerusalem and was celebrated), Maundy Thursday (the "Last Supper" where Jesus met with his disciples to observe Passover), and Good Friday (when Jesus would be crucified on the cross). Read the entire Biblical account of Resurrection Day in Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24 and more Easter Bible verses at BibleStudyTools.com.
Here are the 50 best Easter quotes to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ:
Quotes about Easter from people throughout history.
"Let every man and woman count himself immortal. Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in his resurrection. Let him say not merely, 'Christ is risen,' but 'I shall rise.'
~ Phillips Brooks
"Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime."
~ Martin Luther
"To a Christian, Easter Sunday means everything, when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
~ Bernhard Langer
"The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances."
~ Robert Flatt
"Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness."
~ Floyd W. Tomkins
"People come together with their families to celebrate Easter. What better way to celebrate than to spend a few hours going on the journey of Christ's life."
~ Roma Downey
"We were old sinners—but when we came to Christ we are not sinners anymore."
~ Joel Osteen
"The story of Easter is the story of God’s wonderful window of divine surprise."
~ Carl Knudsen
"I really do believe that God is love, one of deep affection and grace and forgiveness and inspiration."
~ William P. Young
"But from this earth, this grave, this dust, my God shall raise me up, I trust."
~ Walter Raleigh
“Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life” - S.D. Gordon
“Easter is very important to me. It’s a second chance.” - Reba McEntire
“The great gift of Easter is hope.” - Basil Hume
“The very first Easter taught us this: that life never ends and love never dies.” - Kate McGahan
“Easter is our tomorrow insured.” - Craig D. Lounsbrough
“Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.” - Janine di Giovanni
“The resurrection is at the core of our beliefs as Christians. Without it, our faith is meaningless.” - Joseph B. Wirthlin
"Christ has not only spoken to us by his life but has also spoken for us by his death." - Soren Kierkegaard
“If Easter says anything to us today, it says this: You can put truth in a grave but it won’t stay there.” - Clarence W. Hall
"There would be no Christmas if there was no Easter." - Gordon P. Hinckley
"Death is the justification of all the ways of the Christian, the last end of all his sacrifices, the touch of the Great Master which completes the picture." - Sophie Swetchine
"And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here." - St. Augustine
"We proclaim the resurrection of Christ when his light illuminates the dark moments of our existence." - Pope Francis
"Christ the Lord is risen today, sons of men and angels say. Raise your joys and triumphs high; Sing, ye heavens and earth reply." - Charles Wesley
"By the cross, we, too, are crucified with Christ; but alive in Christ. We are no more rebels, but servants; no more servants, but sons!" - Frederic William Farrar
"God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ’I love you.’" - Billy Graham
"A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act." - Mahatma Gandhi
"Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain." - John Piper
"Easter promises that what God does in the resurrection of Jesus is God’s intention for the entire creation." - James A. Harnish
"It was inevitable that Jesus Christ should be crucified. It was also inevitable that He should rise again." - Dick Sheppard
"The Easter eggs symbolizes our ability to break out of the hardened, protective shell we've surrounded ourselves with that limits our thoughts and beliefs. As we break open our hearts and minds we discover a transformation to new, life enhancing thoughts and beliefs." - Siobhan Shaw
"The world is waking up after a long winter. Easter is a time to celebrate life!" - Trudi Stain Trueit
"Today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced." - Jeffrey R. Holland
“Easter is where every ending would forever be held hostage to a beginning.” - Craig D. Lounsbrough
"Our old status lies in his tomb. A new status is ours through his resurrection." - Sinclair B. Ferguson
"Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness." - Floyd W. Hawkins
“If anyone or anything tries to curse or kill the Goodness at the Center of all things, it will just keep coming back to life. Forever Easter.” - David Housholder
“Easter does not change history. Rather, it transforms what history does to us and what the future can do for us.” - Craig D. Lounsbrough
“Love paid a price so hope could become a reality.” - Susan Gaddis
“His crucifixion is the key; His resurrection is the door... it is only by his death that we have the mandate to enter into the gates of eternal life. His doors are open always.” - Israelmore Ayivor
1 Peter 1:3- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Acts 12:4 - And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
Romans 5:8 - "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 4:25 - Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Mark 16:1-8 - When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. ...
John 11:25-26 - Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Romans 1:4 - And was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Luke 24:1-12 - But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise." And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
Matthew 28:1-20 - Jesus Has Risen
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
The Guards’ Report
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
The Great Commission
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
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This article is part of our larger Holy Week and Easter resource library centered around the events leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through his son Jesus Christ!
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What Is Palm Sunday?
What is Maundy Thursday?
What Is Good Friday?
What Is Easter?
What is the Holy Week?
Easter Prayers