Three rednecks die and are at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter tells them that they lead sinful lives, never gave a minute’s thought to the Lord, but they can still enter Heaven if they can answer one simple question.
St. Peter asks the first man, “What is Easter?”
The man replies, “Oh, that’s easy, it’s the holiday in November when everybody gets together, eats turkey, and is thankful…”
“Wrong,” replies St. Peter, and proceeds to ask the second man the same question, “What is Easter?”
The second man replies, “No, Easter is the holiday in December when we put up a nice tree, exchange presents, and celebrate the birth of Jesus.”
St. Peter looks at the second man, shakes his head in disgust, looks at the third man and asks, “What is Easter?”
The third man smiles and looks St. Peter in the eye.
“I know what Easter is. Easter is the Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover. Jesus and his disciples were eating at the last supper and He was later deceived and turned over to the Romans by one of his disciples. The Romans took Him to be crucified and stabbed in the side, made Him wear a crown of thorns, and He was hung on a cross. He was buried in a nearby cave which was sealed off by a large boulder. Every year the boulder is moved aside so that Jesus can come out, and if He sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter.”