Easter Sunday and the hope of resurrection

Easter Sunday is the high point of the Christian faith. It marks the joyful end of the Lenten journey and the wonderful celebration of Jesus Christ rising from the dead on the third day. This shouldn’t be just an event Christians remember yearly. It is the very heart of our hope.

The resurrection declares that death doesn’t have the ultimate word (1 Corinthians 15:54-55; Revelation 1:18). Sin doesn’t have the ultimate word (Romans 6:10-11; 1 John 3:5). Suffering doesn’t have the ultimate word (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). Jesus, who was crucified, buried, and rose again in victory (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Matthew 28:6). And because He lives, all who belong to Him have a living hope that can not be destroyed (1 Peter 1:3-4; John 14:19).

This hope is particularly precious in a world crammed with grief, violence, uncertainty, and pain. As wars proceed, as many suffer loss, and as countless Christians all over the world cry out to God in distress, Easter reminds us that darkness never has the last word. The cross was not the tip of Jesus’ story, and since of Him, it shouldn’t be the tip of ours either.

Jesus willingly walked the trail to Calvary out of affection for us (John 10:17-18; Ephesians 5:2). He endured rejection, humiliation, suffering, and the agony of crucifixion in order that we could be reconciled to the Father (Isaiah 53:3-5; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19). He took upon Himself the load of sin and the punishment we deserved, opening the way in which for us to be brought back into fellowship with God (Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 10:19-20; John 14:6).

But even within the shadow of the cross, there was certainty. Jesus entrusted Himself fully to the Father, knowing that death wouldn’t end in defeat (Luke 23:46; 1 Peter 2:23). He believed completely in the ability of God’s love, and that love triumphed over the grave (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Acts 2:24).

That same resurrection hope is ours today.

Whatever we could also be facing, personal sorrow, persecution, hardship, disappointment, or fear, we will not be without hope. Whether we’re witnessing the suffering of others, walking through our own season of pain, or carrying the burden of a broken world, Easter reminds us that suffering shouldn’t be the tip of the story for those in Christ. Trials are real, and grief is real, but they will not be ultimate. Jesus has made a way for us to share in His victory.

For the Christian, the ultimate destination shouldn’t be despair, but glory (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). It shouldn’t be death, but life (John 11:25-26; John 5:24). It shouldn’t be separation, but everlasting communion with God (John 17:24; Revelation 21:3). Because Jesus rose, we now have the promise that we too will rise (1 Corinthians 15:20-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:14). The grave is not any longer a dead end. In Christ, it has develop into the doorway to everlasting life (John 3:16; Romans 6:23).

This hope shouldn’t be based on wishful pondering. It is rooted in the ability of God (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Ephesians 1:19-20). Scripture tells us that the identical Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in those that imagine (Romans 8:11). That means our identity has already modified, even when our circumstances haven’t (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:3). We should still face suffering on this life, but we accomplish that as people marked by resurrection power (Romans 8:18; Philippians 3:10-11). We carry inside us the presence of the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us, sustains us, and reminds us that we belong to a Kingdom that can not be shaken (Ephesians 3:16; Philippians 4:13; Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 55:22; Hebrews 12:28; Daniel 2:44).

This doesn’t mean every prayer will likely be answered in the way in which we hope, or that each suffering will likely be removed on this life. Some deliverances are miraculous and immediate, but others will only be fully understood in eternity. Yet this stays our confidence: in Christ, heaven is for certain (John 14:2-3; Philippians 3:20). Eternal life is secure (John 10:28-29; 1 John 5:13). Whatever we lose on this world can never compare to the glory that awaits those that are His (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Easter Sunday calls us to lift our eyes beyond what’s seen and fix them on what’s everlasting (2 Corinthians 4:18; Colossians 3:1-2). It invites us to keep in mind that our present suffering is temporary, however the life Christ has won for us is everlasting. Because He rose, we will endure. Because He rose, we will trust. Because He rose, we will hope (1 Peter 1:3; Romans 15:13).

So today dear readers, as we rejoice Easter, may our hearts be anchored once more within the hope of the resurrection. May we keep in mind that Jesus is alive, that His victory is complete, and that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (John 19:30; Colossians 2:15; Romans 8:38-39).

Christ is risen, and that changes the whole lot. Happy Easter!