The Easter season is a time of celebration and reflection for Christians around the world. As we approach the end of our Easter reading plan, let’s take some time to go deeper into the meaning behind this important holiday and what the Bible teaches us about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On Easter Sunday, we commemorate the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion. This miraculous event is at the very heart of the Christian faith, as the Apostle Paul explains: “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). The resurrection validated everything Jesus did and taught, from his atoning death on the cross to his claims about being the Son of God. As Peter proclaimed in Acts 2:24, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”
But while Easter Sunday focuses on the resurrection, the events leading up to it are equally important. The week before Easter, known as Holy Week, marks Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, his Last Supper with the disciples, his arrest and trial, his crucifixion and burial. Each of these occasions carries deep spiritual meaning for Christians today. Jesus willingly gave up his life on our behalf, taking the punishment that we deserved for our sins. As the “Lamb of God”, Jesus’ sacrificial death opened the way for God’s forgiveness and grace to flow to all who put their trust in him (John 1:29; Ephesians 1:7).
Meditating on the events of Holy Week gives us a vivid understanding of Christ’s love and what he endured for humanity’s redemption. Isaiah 53, written centuries before Jesus’ birth, prophetically describes the Messiah as “despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Yet this was God’s plan to deal with sin once and for all. Only through the shedding of perfect blood could atonement be made on our behalf (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus willingly gave himself as the final and ultimate sacrifice, after which no other sacrifices for sins would be needed.
On Good Friday we commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion at the hands of Pontius Pilate. The agonizing torture and public humiliation of crucifixion was actually the high point of Jesus’ mission on earth. As he hung on the cross, Jesus spoke the immortal words, “It is finished” (John 19:30). This signified that his work of salvation was now complete. The debt of sin was paid, and the way was opened for the veil in the temple to be torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This tearing of the veil represented how Christ has now created open access to God for all who come through him.
For Christians, Good Friday is called “good” because out of Christ’s intense suffering came the glorious salvation of humanity. As the writer of Hebrews says, “For the joy that was set before him [Jesus] endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). On the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus rose again, demonstrating his power over death and fulfilling his predictions that he would return to life: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). The resurrection is the triumphant conclusion to Christ’s suffering on our behalf.
So as we read the Easter story from the Gospels, let us truly contemplate the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. He literally went through hell and back again to open up a way for us to have eternal life with him in heaven. Without Easter morning, Good Friday would have no meaning. As the Apostle Paul declares, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). But because Jesus did rise from the grave on that first Easter, our faith has meaning and power. Christ’s resurrection proves that he is who he claimed to be – the divine Son of God – and that his promises can be trusted completely.
The events of Holy Week also carry important symbolism. For instance, the Passover meal that Jesus shared with his disciples on Maundy Thursday represented the blood sacrifice he was about to make. Jesus was about to become the unblemished Passover Lamb, whose blood would protect us from judgment and death. The bread and wine that the disciples shared with Jesus foreshadowed the Last Supper sacrament that Christians partake in to remember Christ’s sacrifice through the communion elements.
Even Jesus’ burial after his crucifixion was filled with significance. The fact that Jesus was laid to rest in a donated tomb fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 53:9 about the Suffering Servant having his grave “with the rich in his death” (ESV). The spices that Jesus’ body was anointed with were typical burial customs at that time. But the most important fact was that the tomb turned out to be empty! The stone was rolled away not to let Jesus out, but to let the disciples and others in to see that Jesus had conquered death itself through his divine power.
As we conclude our Easter reading journey this year, may we resolve to keep the death and resurrection of Jesus central in our lives and faith all year long. The Easter message is not confined to just one Sunday – it has significance every day for Christians. In the power of the resurrection, we have new spiritual life with Christ. And because Jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin, we can joyfully look forward to eternal life with him after our own deaths.
The New Testament ties Easter directly to our faith journey. In 1 Peter 1:3 we read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (ESV). It is Christ’s resurrection that makes our own spiritual rebirth possible. And the hope of sharing in Jesus’ resurrection energizes our day to day Christian walk. As Paul says, we can “walk in newness of life” because of what Jesus accomplished through his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4).
The story does not stop at Easter. Over the 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and many others to provide “many proofs” that he was alive (Acts 1:3). He used this time to teach them more about God’s kingdom and to prepare them to carry on his work through the church after his ascension. Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances are crucial because they really drive home the reality of his literal, physical resurrection. The tomb was not only empty – Jesus himself was seen, touched and eaten with over a span of weeks.
Finally, Easter fuels our hope for Christ’s return and the resurrection of all believers. Because Christ was the “firstfruits” of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20), we can have confidence that those who belong to him will also experience resurrected life when he comes back again: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). The Easter miracle gives us anticipation of the day when Christ will consummate his kingdom and transform even our lowly bodies into his glorious likeness (Philippians 3:20-21). Sin, suffering and death will be banished forever.
As you reflect on Easter this year, remember that this holiday and the scriptures that describe it are so much more than a nice annual tradition. These events really happened in history and have enormous power to transform our lives. We are called not just to celebrate Easter but to find our lives reshaped by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. May God bless you richly as you continue seeking him during this Easter season!
Here are some key passages to read through as we conclude our Easter reading plan:
Isaiah 53 – Prophecy of the Suffering Servant
Matthew 21:1-11 – Jesus’ Triumphal Entry
Matthew 26:17-30 – The Last Supper
Matthew 27 – Jesus’ Crucifixion
Matthew 28 – The Resurrection
Mark 15 – The Crucifixion
Mark 16 – The Resurrection
Luke 22 & 23 – The Last Supper, Trials, Death of Jesus
Luke 24 – Jesus’ Resurrection and Appearances
John 13-17 – Jesus’ Farewell Discourse
John 18-21 – Betrayal, Trials, Death and Resurrection
Acts 1:1-11 – Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances and Ascension
1 Corinthians 15 – Resurrection of Christ and Believers
Revelation 1:9-20 – Vision of the Glorified Christ