Sunday

“What does it mean if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead?” That’s a question I asked myself when I was 17 years old. I grew up in church my whole life. My parents loved Jesus and told me about Jesus at a young age. Yet, when I got to High School, one of my best friends was an atheist. Countless times, I would find myself in conversations where I would be asked, “If Christianity is true, what about _______?” To be honest, I couldn’t provide an answer at the time. I would flounder to come up with something of substance to respond with, and I found myself in a real crisis of what I believed. Multiple thoughts of “Is this Christianity thing even true? Was the Bible all a hoax?” flooded my mind and kept me up at night. At 17, I started a pretty massive period of deconstruction, but I didn’t know where that would lead me. I got my answer when I learned the true meaning of the resurrection.

It is a historical fact (by both Christian and Secular Scholars) that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person who suffered a real death by way of crucifixion, whose tomb was really empty three days after suffering this death, and whose followers claimed that he had risen from the dead and had their lives dramatically changed after these claims - ultimately leading them to die for this belief. The question is, what do all of those facts mean? What does it really mean if Jesus rose from the dead?

In many teachings on this Easter Sunday, the resurrection of Jesus is often framed as an “add-on” to a “more important” work on the cross. After all, it was on the cross that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, and the importance of that cannot be overstated. However, what, then, is the importance of the resurrection? If the death of Jesus on the cross was apayment for sin, the resurrection is the receipt, showing that the payment was made in full. The resurrection is proof that Jesus is who he claimed to be (Matthew 16:21,17:23,20:19). The resurrection is proof that God does not just exist but that God loved you and me so much that he came and paid the penalty for all the wrongdoing of humanity. Ultimately, the resurrection shows us that Jesus did not succumb to the inevitable result of sin and death on the cross. The resurrection is proof of His victory over sin and death, and the resurrection is an extended invitation to our own victory over sin and death. Jesus’ resurrection makes our resurrection possible. This is the message of Easter Sunday.

“Thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

For a full account of the events of this day, see Matthew 28:1–20, Mark 16:1–8, Luke 24:1–53, John 20:1–21:25.

Reflection Questions

1. What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for your life today?
2. How can you live in victory today?

Prayer

Jesus, I thank you not just for the cross but for the empty tomb. I thank you that you are my Victorious King. I thank you that because of your resurrection, I too can experience resurrection in my life. I rest and am strengthened by your victory today. In your name, I pray, Amen.