The Easter story hinges on one detail: the Resurrection. Without resurrection, Easter is business as usual... yesterday’s news. The story that the God of the Universe was writing through Jesus’ life and death matters because of what came next: Life from death. It remains an unfathomable entrance of God into our human story, accompanied by an invitation that we, too, might overcome death and enter into eternity with God.
Without the Resurrection, there is no Easter joy. Without the Resurrection, Good Friday is a cruel joke. Without the Resurrection, our lives lived in Christ cease to offer hope. But we do have hope.
We Have This Hope
The entire Easter season is a celebration of HOPE precisely because of the Resurrection.
I often find myself resonating deeply with Mary Magdalene and the women at the tomb who went to anoint Jesus’ Body for burial. So convinced were they that the story had ended, there was no imagining a different ending. It felt too much to hope in the somber days following the death of their Friend to imagine there would be more to come. Maybe you find/you have found yourself there, too.
And yet.
Scripture is fairly littered with foreshadowing and blatant reminders that Jesus indeed will suffer, but will not remain in the place of suffering. Over and again, prophets, disciples, and evangelists echo the seemingly impossible words: He will rise.
Scripture Verses about Jesus’ Resurrection
He will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken. // Isaiah 25:8
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. // Matthew 12:40
He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him. // Mark 16:6
For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. // 1 Thessalonians 4:16
As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. // Mark 9:9-10
No wonder Jesus repeated this message over and over. His followers were not ready to grasp the sacrifice and mind-bending promise of eternal life offered from—a reality most of us are still grappling with if we are honest. And yet God’s Heart remains steadfast and patient with our questions, doubts, and shaky confidences. So much so that He offers further invitation to those who would follow Him.
Scripture Verses about the Resurrection of God's People
If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. // Romans 6:8-10
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” // John 11:25-26
But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise! Awake and sing, you who lie in the dust! For your dew is a dew of light, and you cause the land of shades to give birth. // Isaiah 26:19
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. // 1 Corinthians 15:21-23
For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. // Romans 6:5
Where Do You Need Resurrection?
As much as the Resurrection took on a look no one expected, it’s a reality we need to sit with regularly. God’s ways are perfect and so far above our own. It is important to be reminded that God is a God of infinite Love while remaining a God of mystery. Whether our walk with Christ has been long or short, that second detail is bound to catch up with us.
I know that I need this reminder more than annually, but the Easter season is as good a time for me to examine any boxes I may have drawn around the Lord.
Have you found yourself in unexpected circumstances, at rock bottom, on top of your game? Have you made faith a convenience?
Wherever you find yourself spiritually this season, ask yourself this: What circumstance have I assured myself that God cannot enter into and restore? And then pay close attention to what happens next!
Scripture Verses about Resurrection #BISblog //Click to tweet