Resurrection: Who Needs It?

There are some very important differences and distinctives to our Christian faith when compared to other faith traditions. Grace is certainly a key truth: to quote my friend Pastor Lamar, “God is not fair, but God is very good.” Ours is also the only faith that loves and serves a risen savior. Moses came down from the mountain with ten commandments written on stone, but Moses did not rise from the dead. Buddha defined a way of life for people in Asia, but Buddha did not rise from the dead. Mohammed called for religious unity among the Arabian tribes, but Mohammed did not rise from the dead. Our Easter claim goes beyond a commitment to the life and teachings of Jesus; it supersedes the importance of the death of Jesus on the cross.  We literally claim that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, rose from the dead on the third day; that he is alive today, seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, having all authority in heaven and on earth. We claim that Jesus is ruling today, and one day, at the end of the age, will return to set up his headquarters on planet earth.

But why do we believe these things to be true? What difference does it make, really? There are over 100 references to the resurrection in the New Testament. When the disciples decided to replace Judas as a member of their company, a key qualification was that he must be “a witness with us of his resurrection” (Acts 1:22). When Peter preached his first sermon on the Day of Pentecost the fact of the resurrection was a key theme. “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:23-24), and “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it” (Acts 2:32). When Paul began preaching the Gospel he followed the apostolic practice of clearly declaring the reality of the resurrection. “When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead.  God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay” (Acts 13:29-30, 34), and “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

It’s apparent that the Old Testament had already provided several interesting pictures of the resurrection of Jesus. The offering of Isaac by his father Abraham foreshadowed the death and resurrection of the Son (see Hebrews 11:17, 19). For Jesus, the three days Jonah spent in the big fish showed his experience of death and resurrection (see Matthew 12:40). In fact, there are several passages that seem to refer specifically to the resurrection of Jesus. “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay” (Psalm 16:9-10), and “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:10-11).

In fact, Jesus himself clearly prophesied his own resurrection. “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21), and “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19; see also Matthew 16:21 &  27:63).

So why was the resurrection of Jesus necessary? What did it accomplish?

1.      It fulfilled God’s plan of redemption. The work of Christ in redeeming and restoring humanity to God’s original purpose would not have been possible without the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1, 4).

2.      The resurrection served as a sign and a seal on everything Jesus claimed to be and do. Without the resurrection, Jesus might have been viewed as a righteous martyr and good teacher, but not necessarily God’s Son (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17-22).

3.      The resurrection replaced death with a whole new quality of life; divine, abundant life, a life that is now available to all who have accepted Jesus and become a member of his family (John 11:25-26; Romans 8:11).

The beautiful thing is that the resurrection of Jesus is a verifiable historical fact. As Luke recorded, Jesus offered a large group of personal eyewitnesses “many infallible proofs” of his resurrection (Acts 1:3), a topic for another time. As followers of Jesus you and I can be absolutely certain of what we believe to be true; we can stake our lives on, as countless others have already done.

Most importantly, every human person has the opportunity to embrace the new life Jesus has provided for us. We are invited to accept and believe; we are offered abundant life – today! And for this we will be eternally grateful.