Christ is Risen!
Yesterday, I was asked about different Easter greetings and how they are different from one another. The simple answer is that there are several phrases Christians use to address one another on Easter and while they may all be correct, there are slight variances in meaning that are the subject of tonight’s post. By the way, Easter is sometimes called Pascha, a Greek transliteration from the Hebrew word, Passover!
First of all, the original Greek is the place that I always like to start out. Tonight’s post, entitled “Christos Anesti”, is translated “Christ is Risen” and is the traditional greeting that most of us use to address each other Easter morning. In fact, I have a dear brother in Christ who texts me early each Easter morning with the “Christ is Risen” greeting. I, of course, respond, “Christ is Risen, indeed” It is the traditional response between Christians. Brian and I have done this for years, and our tradition is that I always wait for him to text me first. I don’t know why, and I admit I almost texted him at 5:30 this morning, but I just couldn’t do it… He makes the first move and I, with deep respect, respond.
Some people prefer to address one another with the greeting, “Christ has Risen.” These greeting are what we call a Paschal greeting. That means that they are all acceptable ways of welcoming one another on Easter. So what’s the difference? That takes a little deeper dive, so let’s do it.
“Christ is Risen” came first and is, therefore, the original phrase that was used. Today, some people believe that the grammar is incorrect but in the day and the culture when this began, both grammar and vocabulary were very acceptable. The phrase is in what we refer to the “present” tense. In other words, it is active, happening right now and people who prefer this greeting tend to use it because it was the original. Additionally, since it is present tense, people like the fact that they are constantly reminded that they are serving a living God. It’s happening still – Christ is alive and Risen! Ongoing… each day… every moment, present with us!
Somewhere along the line, the present tense fell out of favor and was replaced by the phrase, “Christ has Risen.” The grammar for this phrase uses what is called the “perfect” tense. In Greek, this tense is used to describe something that happened, has been completed and is over, yet carries with it a continuing consequence of the action. In other words, Christ rose from the dead and it changed everything. We are still benefitting from the consequences of that action – that Christ died and rose again to overcome death and atone for the sins of all of us. But the action is over – complete.
Although “Christ is Risen” and “Christ has Risen” are both grammatically correct based on the different times during which they were popular, I am a fan of “Christ is Risen.” To some, it may seem like it may be grammatically incorrect, but I assure you that it is perfectly acceptable English. I furthermore like the present tense – it is here, now, ongoing, just as Jesus is present in our lives every moment of every day throughout all eternity.
And I love the response, “Christ is Risen, indeed.” A perfect response in my opinion. So there you have it – a little history on the origins of our familiar Easter greetings and how they came to be.
By the way, many people use the Easter greetings through the period of Eastertide in the Eastern Orthodox Church. That is the time until the Ascension when Jesus returns to heaven. Other Christian denominations, more common in our country, continue the liturgical season of Eastertide until Pentecost – 50 days from the resurrection when the Holy Spirit comes upon the assembled people at the beginning of the Acts 2 church.
Our verse for tonight comes from the King James Version (KJV), one of the originals translations into English (in 1611) and believe it or not, there is actually a verse that affirms the Easter greetings. In his Gospel, the apostle Matthew tells us in Matthew 28:6, in probably the most famous resurrection verse in the entire Bible, “He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
In fairness to those who prefer the other Easter greeting, throughout the years the same verse was translated a little differently in the New International Version (NIV), first released in 1984. It says, in Matthew 28:6, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” Notice that the word “is” has been replaced by the word “has.” Times change, don’t they!
My encouragement this evening is that you can’t go wrong here! As brothers and sisters in Christ, it is important that we remind each other of the joy and celebration of this day – the day that Jesus overcame death and lives in us and through us. My prayer is that as we enter this season of Eastertide we will keep this season, following the most important day in the Christian calendar, as a constant reminder of the love of Jesus for us and God’s plan to provide a path to return us to Himself. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…