The Resurrection of Jesus
The Reality of the Resurrection
The appearances of Jesus Christ after His resurrection testify of this miracle. The Bible clearly states that He appeared to Mary and that she recognized Him when He talked with her. He gave her the assignment to go to His disciples and tell them the good news that He lives.
He also appeared to the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus. They were sad, and their faith had begun to waver. They had hoped He would deliver Israel. But after Jesus died and was placed in a grave, their faith and hope disappeared. When Jesus approached them, explained the Scriptures to them and later broke bread with them, they recognized Him and were able to believe again. Filled with joy, they rushed to Jerusalem to announce to the other disciples that Jesus was alive and had met them.
Paul testifies, too, that Jesus appeared to him. What a difference this glimpse of the living Savior made in the life of this apostle! First a persecutor of Christians, then a follower of Jesus! First a proud Pharisee, then a humble disciple who counted all things for loss so that he could gain Christ. Yes, it was this glimpse of the living Savior that kindled the fire in his heart, which burned until he had spread the message of salvation through Christ throughout the world.
But the empty grave is further confirmation of His resurrection. It is absurd to think that the disciples had stolen His body, as some claim. What did they want with His body? And even if they had dared to go to the grave, how would they have removed the body? Didn’t the Roman guards stand in front, and wasn’t the grave sealed?
And what a change this experience made in the lives of the disciples themselves! Their sadness transformed into joy and their despair into hope. Only the resurrection could have brought that about.
Even today, only a living Savior can influence and transform people. We know from experience that He takes His place in a believing heart and changes our life. Faith in a living Savior gives us a living hope of future glory.
The Necessity of the Resurrection
The Lord Jesus had to arise from the dead to validate His own words. He had repeatedly said that He must die but that He would rise again on the third day. If He had remained in the grave, He would have been a deceiver. But, thanks be to God, He arose and thereby proved to the whole world that He is the true Son of God.
And what use would the preaching of the gospel be if Christ hadn’t risen? We would have no gospel! “And if Christ is not risen, then your faith is empty,” says the apostle, “and our preaching is in vain!” (1 Corinthians 15:14) But, praise God, He lives! We have the message of salvation for a sinful world. He lives, and because He lives, we will live too!
The Importance of the Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is of great importance, for otherwise our faith would be in vain. We would still be in our sins. Those who are asleep in Jesus would be lost, and we would be the most pitiable people of all, says the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:19). Only a living Savior can give us a living hope and a living faith. Only He can forgive sins and deliver us from death and from hell.
If Christ had not risen again, then we would have no hope for the future. If He weren’t living, then we wouldn’t live either. What a dismal thought! But hasn’t God put this hope into the heart of every person? We know that Jesus lives, and because of His resurrection, we will also live, and will one day be reunited with our loved ones who died knowing Christ.
We can pass on this Easter message to the whole world: We have a living Savior! He came triumphantly out of the grave. And through Him, we too can triumph over sin, death, and hell. With joy we can chime in with the apostle: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? […] But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
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