Easter is to the Christian what Independence Day is to America. Just as on 4th of July, Americans celebrate Revolutionary War-era patriots who sacrificed for our liberty, Christians on Easter celebrate the sacrifices of our Savior who bought us a different, eternal kind of liberty.
Not surprisingly, in a nation of zealots for liberty, many of our most esteemed leaders have had great respect for the liberty purchased for us by Christ Jesus.
Patrick Henry of “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” fame, for example, saw the greatest worth in Christ’s liberty.
“This is all the inheritance I can give to my dear family,” he wrote. “The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.”
Samuel Adams, the Father of the Revolution, found eternal comfort in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. “I . . . recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.”
John Jay, First Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court and co-author of “The Federalist Papers” expressed a similar sentiment. “Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved son.”
“My only hope of salvation is in the infinite, transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the cross," wrote Benjamin Rush, an influential signer of the Declaration of Independence, declaring his absolute dependence on Christ Jesus. “Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!”
These are only a handful of examples pulled from the wills of notable Founding Fathers. Amazingly, as has been documented, the Founders almost universally recognized hope in Jesus Christ in their wills.
More than that, many also argued that the spiritual liberty purchased for us by Christ Jesus on the cross laid the groundwork for securing political liberty.
“It cannot,” proclaimed Patrick Henry, “be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
George Washington famously believed it was more honorable to be a follower of Christ than a patriot. "While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion,” the Father of his country wrote. “To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."
The American tradition of publicly attributing our national prosperity both to patriots and the merits of Jesus has continued into the modern era. George W. Bush, for example, who issued explicitly Christian Easter proclamations every year of his presidency, pronounced in 2003:
“Easter is the most important event of the Christian faith, when people around the world join together with family and friends to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the hope of life to come.
For Christians, the life and death of Jesus are the ultimate expressions of love, and the supreme demonstrations of God's mercy, faithfulness, and redemption. Since Christ's miraculous Resurrection on Easter, more than 2,000 years ago, Christians have expressed joy and gratitude for this wondrous sacrifice and for God's promise of freedom for the oppressed, healing for the brokenhearted, and salvation.
Though this year's observance comes at a time when our world faces many challenges, the message of Easter remains unchanged -- though sorrow may last through the night, joy comes in the morning. This holiday comforts us, as we remember that suffering will pass and goodness will prevail.”
Even as we prepare to enter the weekend commemorating Christ’s Passion, death, and glorious resurrection, may we remember the foundational significance of this blessed holiday. As patriots such as Patrick Henry openly acknowledged, our beloved country was founded on “the gospel of Jesus Christ,” through which we may have life and life more abundantly (John 10:10).
