Easter has a full set of traditions that go back centuries, including Lent, Holy Week, the Last Supper, the crucifixion & the resurrection. The structure of the holiday itself hasn’t really changed much over time. But what has changed is how people go through it all. In fact, while some Easter habits line up with what Jesus taught in the Gospels, there are also those that don’t match what’s written there at all. Here are seven Easter habits that go against Jesus’s teachings.
1. When the season becomes a display
Many people don’t usually notice this one because it feels so normal. Once Lent rolls around, fasting becomes something quite visible, with people talking & posting about it all over social media. But that’s not what Jesus wanted. In the Gospel of Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus gives very specific instructions to believers, saying, “do not look somber […] so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting.”
It’s something supported by historical evidence, too. Scholars like N. T. Wright have stated that fasting in the first century was meant to be an act of private devotion instead of something for the public to see. As such, trying to make fasting into something visible, even when you’re doing it casually, goes against Jesus’s original instructions.
2. What gets left out
Likewise, there are those people who treat Lent like a personal challenge, believing that they simply need to give something up & stick to it. Nothing more, nothing less. Yet historically, that’s only part of it, as Lent has always included three things. These are fasting, prayer & almsgiving. What exactly is the last one? Well, it’s something that really does matter.
Jesus directly connects caring for others to serving him in Matthew 25:35-40, where he says, “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.” That’s rather important. Someone who only focuses on self-discipline during Easter, such as by cutting sugar or coffee, may end up avoiding helping others entirely. They’re losing an important part of the tradition that’s been there from the beginning.
3. At the altar
One of the most prominent aspects of Easter services is Communion. It comes from the Last Supper and is recorded in the Gospel of Luke 22:19-20, where Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” However, you might be surprised to learn that there’s actually another instruction that people often ignore in this part.
Matthew 5:23-24 includes a section where Jesus says that anyone who’s going to offer something at the altar but remembers a broken relationship should change their priorities. Yes, he said you should leave and fix that first. Jesus strongly encouraged people to take the path of reconciliation. It was something he encouraged people to take before worship, and it’s not optional. As such, taking Communion while holding onto conflict doesn’t fit with what Jesus said.
4. In the room, for show
Easter services can be quite big & public. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with that on its own. But what’s important here is the intention behind it because Jesus speaks about it directly in Matthew 6:1. He warns believers, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.”
Bible scholars like R. T. France have said that Jesus was addressing people who complete religious acts all for attention, whether that’s through prayer or giving, any kind of public display. Sadly, quite a few Christians don’t realize that. Easter has become a moment for them to look spiritual in front of others through their behavior and presentation. It goes directly against the warning that He gave in the Bible.
5. Outside giving
Giving during Easter tends to stay close, as people make baskets for kids & they might donate some money. They’ll also make a big meal for relatives. While it feels generous, it rarely goes beyond people who already belong to you, and that’s something that Jesus warned against doing.
He says in the Gospel of Luke 14:12–14 that people shouldn’t invite their friends or wealthy neighbors who can return the favor. Instead, He encourages his followers to invite “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.” Jesus believed in redirecting your generosity toward the people who can’t repay you, meaning that those who fail to give beyond the family circle during Easter are going against his advice.
6. Replacing worship
Easter Sunday is one of the busiest church days every year, with data from the Pew Research Center consistently finding that people who rarely attend church usually show up for major holidays only. You might think that’s acceptable. But it’s not. Jesus says in the Gospel of John 4:23 that true worshipers will worship “in spirit and truth,” rather than doing so because of one place or moment.
Essentially, He thought that people shouldn’t solely worship during occasional events. They should make going to church something that’s more ongoing, and anyone who only does so during special days like Easter is committing a big mistake. You should want to go far more often than that.
7. When attention goes to symbols instead of people
It’s easier to pack Easter with activities like egg hunts, decorations, themed services, kids & events, none of which is new. None of it is automatically wrong. But the issue comes with how these celebrations can take over your time and energy. Meanwhile, the people Jesus kept talking about don’t show up in the same way for the church.
He calls out a group in the Gospel of Matthew 23:23 for focusing too much on smaller outward practices at the expense of ignoring “justice, mercy, and faithfulness.” For Jesus, the issue is misplaced focus instead of total neglect of tradition. An Easter that centers around events & symbols usually overlooks people at the same time.
One thing that’s easy to miss in all of this is the fact that the Easter timeline hasn’t changed. Those events are fixed & repeated every year in the same order. However, what has changed is how people move around inside that timeline, and they tend to ignore Jesus’s very direct instructions on how to behave during this special time.
