Learning the Jesus Way of LifeSample

The Resurrection

Pray: Jesus, give me the faith to go where you go, do what you do, trust what you say, and love how you love. Today, I commit to following you. Amen.

The story of Easter is a story of impossibilities. Impossible events centered on an impossible person. That person is Jesus, a man whose story starts with a womb that should have been empty and ends with a tomb that should have been full.

The crucifixion wasn’t the end of the story; it was just the set-up for a resurrection. Because on the third day, Jesus rose to life. He put death to death. He defeated sin, darkness, and the devil. He walked out of His own grave, victorious, leaving His enemies lying in the dust.

Why? So that all of humanity, a people infected by sin, could be rescued from a disease that is always fatal and be reunited with a God who is always good. This is why we celebrate Easter. On Friday, God tasted death, but on Sunday, death was the only one lying in the grave.

The fire of hope that had faded blazed once again. But, nobody knew it yet.

While Jesus’ male disciples were huddling together in a locked room, waiting for the Romans to show up and do to them what they did to Jesus, some of His female followers got up early to visit the tomb where Jesus had been laid. When they got there, things were not as they expected. The stone that sealed the tomb had been rolled away, the tomb was empty, and a divine messenger was there waiting for them.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:5–6 NIV

Not only were these women the first witnesses of this miracle, they were also the first people to carry the message of Jesus’ resurrection.

“Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Matthew 28:7–8 NIV

If that wasn’t enough, they were also the first people to see the risen Jesus face-to-face.

Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Matthew 28:9–10

When they woke up that morning, they expected Jesus to do what dead people do: stay dead. Instead, their expectations were shattered, their faith was restored, and their lives were forever changed. They discovered their faith was not in vain. Their commitment to Jesus wasn’t wasted. Their trust in Him wasn’t misplaced. He was who He said He was, and He did what He said He would do.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:55–58 NIV

The Gospel is the good news that Jesus came to rescue us from sin and repair our relationship with God, so we can play a part in His plan to restore the world.

And just like the risen Jesus met those women on that first Easter Sunday, He wants to meet you today—because He is alive and active in the world He died to redeem. The Gospel doesn’t stop with what God has done in the past. It includes what He is doing today and what He will do in the future.

The good news about Jesus is, and always will be, a message of hope. It is a promise that no matter how dark the night may seem, we can be confident that because of Him, the future will be brighter and better than our past, and we have a part to play in it.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John‬ ‭1:4–5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Application: So, what is our part to play? We stand firm in our faith. We trust Jesus is who He says He is, and we obey what He’s asked us to do by giving ourselves fully to the work He is already doing in the world. For some of us, it’s obvious what Jesus is doing and the part He’s invited us to play. For others of us, it may be a little less clear. If you already know what it is, then identify one way you can contribute to that work today. If you aren’t sure, then ask the Holy Spirit to show you where He is already moving in your community and for Him to give you the wisdom and courage to do what you can with what you have, knowing that none of it will ever be wasted.