Far More Than Tradition 4/5/2026

By: Jennifer Richardson Holt

It was very likely this date. By examining timelines and studying the governing regimes of the time, we can be reasonably certain.

I don’t think I had ever truly grasped—perhaps I had been told and simply hadn’t paid attention—the full reality of this celebration.

Today is Easter.

We all know this. And we all think we know what it means.

For some, it’s dyeing eggs and hunting them later, baskets brimming with sweets. For many, it means attending a church service. There are family gatherings, long-prepared meals, traditions passed down and lovingly repeated.

I take part in most of these myself.

But this year feels different.

This year, the reality of what we celebrate has been settling into my thoughts for days—and considering its weight, it should be.

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The term Christian can be used lightly. It’s one of those things many people say, but far fewer fully understand.

Contrary to popular thought, being a follower of Christ is far more than simply knowing about Jesus.

The clearest way I can describe it is through relationship—any relationship.

If you truly love someone, you want to spend time with them. You want to do what brings them joy. You avoid what you know would hurt them.

It really is that simple.

To follow Jesus is to be in a relationship with Him.

And if you are in a relationship with Him, you live like you love Him. You do the things He said to do.

We tend to overcomplicate it. Yes, theology can become deeply complex if you dive into every debate and nuance. But at its core, the matter is simple:

If you love Him, you will live like it.

And if that is the definition of a Christian that we’re using, I will gladly take it.

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Easter isn’t just an important holiday for Christians.

It is the holiday.

The events we celebrate today are the foundation of everything we believe. If they are not true, then our faith collapses entirely.

Today—yes, I do mean April 5th, as this was very likely the date—is the day the most monumental event in human history occurred.

An itinerant rabbi from Nazareth, three years into His ministry, was sentenced to death—not for wrongdoing, but because He did not align with what people expected or wanted Him to be.

He had done no wrong.

In fact, He had done extraordinary good.

He healed the sick. He fed thousands from almost nothing. He raised the dead.

And though He died as an innocent man—executed like a criminal—He did not remain a victim.

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On this day, long ago, He rose from the grave.

If you aren’t a believer, I understand the hesitation. It is a supernatural claim—one that stretches the boundaries of what feels reasonable.

But what I’ve come to understand more deeply this year is that it isn’t a careless or baseless claim.

There is substantial historical and evidential grounding.

Faith is often framed as belief in the unrealistic—but it is not as untethered as it’s made out to be.

Scholars across disciplines have studied Jesus. His life—and even His execution—are well documented. The Romans kept meticulous records. Crucifixion was not myth.

And the resurrection? It has been examined, debated, challenged, and defended for centuries.

It is not a fragile idea.

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There is something profoundly grounding in realizing that this is not a whimsical tale or a comforting illusion.

This is the claim:

That death itself was overcome.

That the God who spoke the universe into existence stepped into human frailty, endured suffering, and rose again.

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It should feel extraordinary.

It is extraordinarily so.

A God becoming man is almost absurd when you consider humanity honestly. Most of us wouldn’t recommend the species.

And yet—He came anyway.

He lived among us. He suffered at our hands. He died.

And then He rose.

Why?

For you. For me.

For relationship.

He endured unimaginable suffering—not because He lacked power, but because He chose restraint. He could have ended it in an instant. He could have called down forces beyond comprehension.

But He didn’t.

Because His focus was us.

It always has been.

And somehow, astonishingly, it still is.

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So this Easter—seek Him.

Truly seek Him.

Investigate. Question. Scrutinize.

Truth does not fear examination.

It welcomes it.

And if you already believe, then press in further. Look deeper into the reality of who He is and what He has done.

Because this realization—this weight—has settled on me more heavily this year than ever before:

He was, and is, real.

He was, and is, who He claimed to be.

He did, and still can, change everything.

Hallelujah for Easter.