The Easter season is a time when Christians reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This pivotal event in human history forms the foundation of the Christian faith. As we approach Easter Sunday, let’s take some time to meditate on what the Bible teaches about this sacred holiday.
On Easter, we commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After being betrayed by Judas and put on trial by the Jewish authorities, Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. He was mocked, flogged, and forced to carry his cross to the place of crucifixion outside Jerusalem. There, Jesus was nailed to the cross between two criminals and left to die (Matthew 27:32-44).
But the story doesn’t end there. After Jesus died, his lifeless body was removed from the cross and placed in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. A large stone was rolled over the entrance, and Roman guards were posted outside. On the third day after his death, some women who were followers of Jesus came to the tomb and discovered the stone had been rolled away and the body was gone. Angels appeared and proclaimed that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would (Matthew 28:1-7).
This astonishing event verified everything Jesus had taught about himself. He was truly the Son of God who had power over death itself. His resurrection gave proof that he had conquered sin on the cross. It confirmed his authority to forgive sins and offer eternal life to those who believe in him (1 Corinthians 15:3-8, John 11:25).
After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to his disciples and many others over a period of 40 days. He comforted them, provided convincing proofs that he was alive, and commissioned them to take the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:3). Then Jesus ascended into heaven, where he reigns with God the Father. One day he will return again to fulfill God’s purposes on earth (Acts 1:9-11).
The resurrection sits at the very heart of Christianity. As the apostle Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). This central truth has several key implications:
- Jesus is the divine Son of God, as he claimed (Romans 1:4).
- Salvation is found in Christ alone, the conqueror of death (Acts 4:12).
- Believers have hope for eternal life because Jesus lives (1 Peter 1:3).
- Jesus empowers his church through the Holy Spirit to take the gospel to the world (Acts 1:8).
The resurrection of Jesus changes everything! It is good news that brings joy, hope, purpose and power for Christian living. That’s why on Easter Sunday we celebrate with hearts full of gratitude and praise.
As you reflect this Easter season, I encourage you to meditate on the power and love displayed in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Open your heart to the transforming work of the risen Savior. Here are some key passages to help you understand and apply the deep spiritual truths of Easter:
Old Testament Prophecies of the Resurrection
The idea of resurrection after death was radical in the ancient world. But Jesus’ resurrection was foretold centuries earlier by the Hebrew prophets. Psalm 16 points to the Messiah being raised from the dead to live forever:
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. (Psalm 16:10)
Isaiah 53, a prophecy of Christ’s suffering servant, says the Servant will be vindicated and rewarded after his death:
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:11-12)
Jesus’ Teaching on His Death and Resurrection
Jesus knew his mission on earth would culminate in his sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. He taught his disciples repeatedly about these coming events:
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (Matthew 16:21)
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31)
The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (Luke 9:22)
Jesus knew his death would bring salvation, but the disciples struggled to grasp it:
And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’” (Luke 13:32-33)
The Apostles on Christ’s Death and Resurrection
After Jesus rose from the dead, the apostles repeatedly preached about his sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. These two events formed the core of their gospel message:
This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:32-36)
And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’” (Acts 13:32-33)
The apostles emphasized that Scripture pointed to the death and resurrection of Christ:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)
The Centrality of Christ’s Resurrection
Paul underscores that the Christian faith hinges entirely on the resurrection of Christ. Without it, our faith is futile:
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:14-17)
But Christ has indeed been raised, guaranteeing the future resurrection of believers:
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
The Significance of the Resurrection
What does Christ’s resurrection mean for us? Paul explains key implications:
He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:5)
Jesus our Lord…was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:4)
Peter also describes the hope Christ’s resurrection gives believers:
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, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4)
Eyewitness Accounts of the Risen Christ
The Gospels record multiple eyewitness accounts of people seeing Jesus alive after his death. Here are just a few examples:
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). (John 20:11-16)
After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. (Mark 16:12-14)
He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)
The risen Christ appeared to many people over an extended period of time. The eyewitness accounts in Scripture provide verification of his resurrection.
The Impact of the Resurrection
Christ’s resurrection turned his grieving and despairing disciples into bold proclaimers of the gospel across the ancient world. What brought about this stunning transformation? Their encounter with their risen Lord.
The book of Acts records how the disciples were suddenly empowered to preach the good news of Jesus in the face of intense persecution. They healed the sick, cast out demons, and performed miracles to verify their message about Christ. They courageously spread the faith across nations during a time of tremendous oppression.
It was their fervent proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection that brought about the rapid spread of Christianity. This small band of ordinary men were radically changed because they knew Christ had conquered death. They had a living hope that transformed everything.
The resurrection remains the power source for Christians today. As Paul said:
That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)
I pray your soul will be stirred as you reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus this Easter season. May the Spirit fill you with great hope, confidence, and boldness! Christ is risen – Hallelujah!