Christianity's epicenter of power lies not only at the cross of Christ, but also in the bodily resurrection of Christ, which is celebrated worldwide on this day.  The importance of Jesus' physical resurrection from the grave three days after his crucifixion cannot be over-stated. Without it, Christ’s dramatic death on the cross counts for nothing: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Cor. 15:14). The crucial nature of the resurrection is fourfold with regard to what it demonstrated to the world about Christ, his mission, our present need for him, and our future life in him.

First, the resurrection confirmed Jesus’ authority over death (Acts 2:24; 1 Cor. 15:55–57). Only God has authority over the final enemy of us all, and yet it was Christ who declared: “I lay down my life—only to take it up again,” adding with divine certainty,  “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again” (John 10:17–18).

Second, the resurrection proved his divinity in the eyes of witnesses (Rom. 1:4). Divinity itself appeared in Christ, the fountain of life, just as John the Apostle declared:

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:2–3)

Paul echoed these sentiments: “Just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. . . . You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Rom. 5:21; 6:22).

Third, the resurrection fulfilled Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah (Ps. 16:10; Acts 26:22–23). An oft-overlooked remark by Jesus is found in Matt. 26:52–54, Jesus speaking to Peter the moment of his arrest, telling him to put his sword back into its sheath for he needed no protection. He then asked: “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" Here we have Jesus alluding to his death as fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel’s suffering servant (Isa. 52:13–53:12; Matt. 26:24; Luke 2:25–32; 24:25–32; Acts 3:18).

Fourth, the resurrection made possible our justification before God (Rom. 4:25) and serves as a guarantee that believers will be raised from death to life everlasting (1 Cor. 15:20–23). As Jesus himself declared to those who witnessed his raising of Lazarus from the dead: "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even if he dies, and everyone who loves and believes in me will never die (John 11:25-26).

The validity of Jesus’ entire ministry and message rests on whether or not he rose from the dead. It either happened, or it did not—there can be no middle ground. If it did not happen, then we Christians are a most miserable lot because we have placed our faith in a myth. If it did happen, then the world must forever put away the comfortable notion that Jesus of Nazareth was nothing more than a “great teacher” or a “way-shower.” If Christ did indeed rise from the dead, then the world must recognize that he was who he said he was—God in human flesh.

It was Jesus himself who explicitly predicted time and again that he would conquer death by coming back to life (Matt. 16:21; 17:22–23; 20:18–19; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34; Luke 9:22; 18:33; John 2:19–22). If Jesus did not rise bodily from the grave, then he was a false prophet, or a liar, or a madman.

And there can be no doubt about what he meant when he said he would rise from the dead—i.e., the same body that went into the grave would be the same body that would come out of the grave. We see this truth expressed in John 2:19, during his conversation with hostile unbelievers: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days,” he proclaimed. The Jews failed to grasp what he was saying. But John tells us in subsequent verses exactly what he meant: “The temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken” (vv. 21–22).

Interestingly, the Greek word translated here as “body” (sōma) indicates that an actual body of flesh and bone would be raised. The noun sōma is always used in the New Testament for the physical body. This is why Jesus, after his resurrection, declared: “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39).

Another persuasive verse is Colossians 2:9, which reveals that all the fullness of deity dwells (present tense) bodily in Jesus. If Jesus no longer has a physical body, how can the fullness of deity dwell in his body? The answer is obvious, according to scripture: Jesus still has his physical body, the very same body in which he ascended to heaven as his disciples looked on (Acts 1:9).

I pray that on this Holy Day all of you will experience the wonder, the glory, and the miracle that we celebrate—the physical, literal, and historical resurrection from the dead of Jesus! Praise be to God. WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE!

peace in Christ,

Richard Abanes