Day 6 – The Resurrection

Jesus was dead.

His followers were stunned. They watched as this Man who had brought life and hope to all of them was defeated by death. It didn’t make sense.

But what they had forgotten was that Jesus Himself had told them about all this. At least twice, when talking about His own future, He said, “…the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). Sure they had heard it, but when they saw Him die, they thought the grave is final – who can beat death?

They found out 3 days later.

On the Sunday morning after He was crucified, some women went to visit His tomb. When they got there, they were shocked to be greeted by an angel! You have to understand that angels are not little fat babies with wings; they are large, powerful beings radiating the glory of God! The women were afraid, but the angel said, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!” (Luke 24:5-6).

Risen from the dead! How did that work? No one rises from the dead!

Now Jesus’ followers were really confused. Despite the fact that Jesus told them He was going to rise from the dead, they didn’t connect the dots.  Yes, Jesus’ death paved the way for man to be free from sin, but His plan of redemption was not finished yet. Remember that because of Adam and Eve’s sin, all men experienced spiritual death. Now God had to do one more thing – give us back the life He always intended we should have.

This is what happened when He rose from the dead. God infused Jesus with eternal life – it is a supernatural life. And in doing that, He made this life available to everyone who wants it.

This is the Easter story.

Consider:

If you were one of the disciples, how would you have felt after the crucifixion?

If you were one of the disciples, how would you have felt after seeing Jesus rise from the dead?