Every Easter, we gather at church and listen to the familiar story: How, three days after Jesus was crucified and laid to rest in a tomb, women went to anoint his body and located the tomb empty and the heavy stone guarding the doorway rolled away.
“He is just not here; he has risen, just as he said,” an angel informed them. “Come and see the place where he lay.” – Matthew 28:6 NIV
Indeed, soon they and the opposite disciples soon became aware of the merciful and astonishing gift God had planned for his people, that he would send his one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins, paying our sin debt and paving the way in which for our everlasting souls. As Jesus himself proclaimed in John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
But it’s one thing to read those words or hear that teaching in church and know this happened 2,000 years ago to a gaggle of Jesus’s followers, and one other thing entirely to know what meaning for us today. After all, we’re not Jews living under Roman occupation, and most of us today aren’t persecuted for our religious beliefs. This begs the query: What does Jesus’s resurrection mean for us today?
The answer is a source of deep comfort, one which transcends any possible concerns on this earth or on this lifetime. Jesus’s resurrection then, even 2,000 years ago, signifies that all of us who consider today, and even years into the longer term, can have the peace of mind that though our physical bodies die, our souls will live perpetually in God’s kingdom. This is what Jesus called the “excellent news,” and it’s something every human being has access to in the event that they so desire.
What Is the Resurrection?
The word “resurrection” means to come back to life, typically after death. In John 11, after the death of his friend Lazarus, Jesus told Martha and Mary,
“I’m the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me won’t ever die.” John 11:25-26
The original Greek used here is anastasis, which implies resurrecting, or rising to life—the act of going from sitting or lying all the way down to standing. It’s the identical word utilized in Acts 1:22, after they spoke about needing to switch Judas Iscariot with an apostle who had been a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Plainly, the word resurrection isn’t a metaphor but a literal term. When the Bible tells us Jesus resurrected, it means exactly this: Jesus was dead, yet he rose to life again.
Indeed, when he appeared to the apostles after his resurrection, he asked them to the touch him as proof (Luke 24:39) and even ate some broiled fish (v. 43). He showed them the injuries in his hands and feet from his crucifixion and invited them to position their hands into him and so consider (John 20:19-29).
Why Did Jesus Die and Resurrect?
Jesus repeatedly told his followers that he could be rejected and killed, then raised to life on the third day. As he told his disciples in Mark 9:31,
“The Son of Man goes to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he’ll rise.”
Indeed, this happened exactly as he said it could. He also told the Pharisees and Sadducees that they were wicked in searching for an indication from heaven, noting no sign could be given to them “except the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 16:4). This, too, alluded to his death and resurrection, for the prophet Jonah was swallowed by a fish and spent three days in darkness before his resurrection.
Scripture tells us that on the time of his death, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, symbolizing that his sacrifice on the cross atoned for our sins. Now, the Holy of Holies was open for all people, not only Jews, to approach God and have a relationship with him. The apostle Paul further explained that Jesus was the right sacrifice, the flawless lamb. As he stated in Romans 3:25-26,
“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to show his righteousness at the moment, in order to be just and the one who justifies those that think about Jesus.”
Jesus’s sacrifice was mandatory, and it means all who decide to consider and follow him can benefit from the gift of forgiveness and everlasting life.
What Does the Resurrection Mean for Us When We Die?
Essentially, Jesus’s resurrection paves the way in which for our own resurrection. Because we all know Jesus Christ lives, we who consider in him know we can also live. When Jesus told Lazarus’s sister Martha that “whoever lives by believing in me won’t ever die” (John 11:26), he spelled out exactly what’s in store for us who consider. Our bodies will die, but our souls won’t ever die. As the apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:10,
“But if Christ is in you, then though your body is subject to death due to sin, the Spirit gives life due to righteousness.”
The apostle John writes in 1 John 5:12,
“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever doesn’t have the Son of God doesn’t have life.“
Because of Jesus, we’ve life perpetually. As Jesus promised in John 14:2-3,
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that weren’t so, would I actually have told you that I’m going there to organize a spot for you? And if I’m going and prepare a spot for you, I’ll come back and take you to be with me that you furthermore may could also be where I’m.”
You know the way in which, he told his followers—“I’m the way in which and the reality and the life. No one involves the Father except through me” (v. 6).
What Does Jesus’ Resurrection Mean for Us Today?
This means we don’t must fear the suffering and difficulty we experience. Instead, we’re to follow Jesus’ example and the commandments he passed on. We are to consider in him completely and repent of our sins. If we belong to him, we might be assured that we’ll join him in heaven. We have victory over death. This means we will walk in hope, trusting that the longer term is vivid. We can live completely for God, knowing that our place is secure. And we must share this excellent news with other people in order that they, too, can know the reality that sets them free. Before his ascension to heaven after the resurrection, Jesus gave his followers what is known as the Great Commission, commanding them,
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them within the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey every part I actually have commanded you. And surely I’m with you usually, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
They weren’t alleged to selfishly hoard the guarantees, truth, and hope of Jesus Christ to themselves. No, they were to share it with all nations and all peoples so that each one may know the excellent news. Today, we will live fully with perfect peace, hope, and joy knowing that our future belongs to the Lord, and our place in his heavenly house is secure after we pledge our lives and our hearts to him. So rejoice, my friends, and share this truth with others. For that is indeed excellent news. Amen, and thanks be to God.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/KatarzynaBialasiewicz
