Christ Risen From The Dead

Divine resurrection, God’s raising Christ from the dead, is relevant to eternal life. Indeed, believing faithfully in this fact determines one’s everlasting resting place. Accepting it leads to infinite life with God (Romans 10:9-10), but rejection ends in eternal condemnation (John 3:18).

Jesus Foretells His Resurrection

On several occasions, Jesus foretold His resurrection. He told both His Disciples and the Jews.

He said to His Disciples:

From that time Jesus began to point out to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day. And yet Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ^“God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!”

Matthew 16:21:22, NASB

To the Jews, He said:

 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

John 2:19-21, NKJV

As shown above, Jesus unveiled His resurrection.

Peter reacted in disbelief. He focused on Christ’s upcoming suffering and death instead of realizing the significance of Jesus’s resurrection.

On the other hand, the Jews concentrated on the apparent humanistic outlook. They reacted by telling Jesus the physical aspects of the temple, which illustrates that their mindset was one of sight, not anchored in faith. Their blindness to Christ’s  truth exposed them as unbelievers.

The Sadducees refused to accept it (Matthew 22:23-32). Some of the Jews discounted the validity of God’s word. They forgot that the Prophet Hosea shared this truth (Hosea 6:1-2).

Could you imagine being alive at the time Christ revealed this truth?

How would I react?

Our fortune is understanding God’s gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). It’s through God’s grace, faith in Christ’s Deity, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit that we understand this incredible reality.

Resurrection Day

Resurrection Day, known as Easter Sunday, began with Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and other women visiting Jesus’s tomb. They wondered how they would remove the stone that sealed Christ’s tomb. Their visit was to apply spices to preserve His body.

Once they arrived at the tomb, to their astonishment, its seal was removed, exposing its entrance. When entering Christ’s grave, they encountered angels telling them of His resurrection (Matthew 28:1-7, Mark 16:1-7, Luke 24:1-7, John 20:1-10).

Jesus first revealed His risen body to Mary Magdelene (Mark 16:9-11). He commanded her to tell the disciples this account of His resurrection (John 20:19-20).

When Christ appeared to them, they had doubts (Luke 24:38). However, Jesus showed them proof, and they were glad to see Him (Luke 24:40-41). He spent forty days with them before returning to heaven (Acts 1:1-3).  Christ commissioned the Disciples to spread God’s Good News (Matthew 28:16-20).

Conclusion

Each Gospel recorded His resurrection, not by accident. For this reason, humanity is left without an excuse for this divine revelation. Christ’s resurrection is crucial to salvation. I can’t afford to overlook this significant testimony to God’s New Covenant. To do so would leave us in eternal darkness. I’m grateful and filled with joy to know the reason for Christ’s resurrection.