Why Easter?

Some say that Easter is the most important Christian holiday.  Others will say it is a name of a pagan holiday. 
I see this Christian Holiday as a Holiday Season that is one week long.  The name Easter does not really convey the meaning of this glorious Holiday Season.
The Holiday most people call Easter and the day that more people will attend Church than any other Sunday of the year starts on the Sunday before the Day we refer to as Easter.  That Sunday  is the beginning of Christ's Passion week, and is referred to as Palm Sunday. ( John 12:12-13)
The Multitudes greeted Him as King on that Sunday but later that week the Multitudes were crying crucify Him.( John 19:14-15 )
Jesus was crucified.
Who crucified Jesus?
In order to determine who crucified Jesus, maybe we should see why Jesus was crucified.
I believe man was originally created to live without death. You have heard and hopefully read the first three chapters of Genesis where Adam sinned and fell from the Grace of God that was given to him in the Garden of Eden. 
After Adam and Eve sinned they noticed they were naked, the garments of leaves could not hide their sin from God. God Himself covered their sin by shedding blood of an innocent animal to make them garments from animal skins. ( Gen. 3:21 )
Throughout history we see man's attempts to cleanse himself of his or her sins. I myself noticed I have committed sins, I have done things I regretted.  We might try living perfect but through my weakness of flesh I have yielded to temptation and sinned. I am not alone. ( Rom. 3:23 )
God gave the Hebrew nation a feast called Passover. That feast celebrates and symbolizes the Exodus out of Egypt. The Hebrew children were to take a lamb without blemish into their home, ( Exodus 12:2-3 ) Then they were to kill the lamb and apply the blood to their doorposts. ( Exodus 12:6-7 ) The feast is called Passover because the blood on the door post would cause the plague of death to passover home.( Exodus 12:12-14 )
In the Exodus story Egypt is a type of sin. Sin has to be covered by blood. Just as the nakedness of Adam and Eve was covered by the death of an animal, sin is covered by death, by the shedding of blood. ( Heb.9:22 )
The yearly sacrifices had to be made every year because the priest and the sacrifice had weaknesses, they were not perfect.
Jesus came without sin, born of a virgin, no original sin, although His mother was Mary His father was God. ( Luke 1:34-35 ) He is our Passover Lamb of God.
Jesus entered into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday( the 10th day of the month ) as the Passover Lamb of God. ( Exodus 12:2-3 ) He lived in the peoples presence until (the 14th day of the month) when He shed His blood as the Lamb of God for our sins. ( Exodus 12:6 )
Now back to that question... Who crucified Jesus?
The Jews cried "crucify Him"(  John 19:6 )
Pilate the governor had to power to crucify Him.( John 19:10 )
The Roman guards drove the nails into His hand and feet. ( John 19:17-18 )

The Jews demanded His crucifixion, Pilate okayed  His crucifixion and the soldiers drove the nails,
The religious establishment, the government and the servants all had a part and no one objected.

But we are missing something.....Jesus had the armies of heaven at His call, ( Matt. 26:53 ) 
Jesus chose to lay down His life ( John 15:13  )
Because of LOVE, Jesus was our Passover Lamb of God.
Because of LOVE God gave the world our only hope. ( John 3:16 )
That lie you told, that moment of indiscretion is all it takes to earn hell.
Sin's penalty is death. ( Romans 6:23 )
He could have came down off that cross, He could have called 10,000 angels but love endured the cross.( Philippians 2: 7-8 )
Jesus is that Gift of God.
God has made a way for all to have eternal life with Him. He has given a gift of eternal life. ( Romans 10:13 )
If anyone goes to hell, it is his or her's own choosing, ( 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 )

Yes, Jesus died for us, he paid the penalty for our sins. ( 2 Corinthians 5:21 )

If you were to travel the world and see the tombs of the great men of  history, those tomb hold the bones of those men. The tomb where they laid Jesus is empty, you will not find His bones in a tomb.
Friends of Jesus laid a crucified lifeless Jesus in a tomb, the tomb was sealed with a large stone and a government seal.
Just as Jesus had said, as Jonah was in the fish for 3 days, the tomb would not hold Him captive. 
The stone was rolled away, not to release Jesus but to reveal an empty tomb.
Jesus lives!

The name Easter fails to convey what happened on that day. Some may even relay the name Easter to a pagan goddess Eostre. 
A more descriptive name for this day would be Resurrection Day.
Jesus rose from the dead, penalty for sin paid in full.

A man once asked "what must I do to be saved"  ( Acts 16:30-31 )


Why was Jesus crucified?
That we might be saved from eternal separation from God.
Who crucified Jesus?
We did!!!   By our sins