Happy Easter Sunday! Or – as some prefer – Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Today marks the end of a very busy week in the Church calendar traditionally known as Holy Week. It is the day we remember the resurrection of Jesus, the climax of the Easter story.

But, in truth, it is His death that gets a lot more attention. It’s more graphic, more heart-wrenching, more compelling. Jesus died for our sins. It is the ultimate sacrifice of love.

His death is also more relatable. We understand death; we have experienced the grief of losing someone we love. But most of us have no experience of rising from the dead, either personally or as witnesses.

Perhaps that is why the resurrection of Jesus sometimes becomes almost a postscript. Yet it is the cornerstone of the Christian faith.

As we mark Resurrection Sunday, let us reflect on the seven reasons why Jesus rising from the dead is so significant. 

1. The resurrection is the Gospel

The Gospel is the good news but what is this good news about?

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4b that the Gospel which is of “first importance” is simply this: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried, He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

The resurrection is part of the Gospel – a vital part. It is what makes the news Good because if Jesus only died for us, there would have been no triumph over death. Without the resurrection, our faith would be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14).

2. The resurrection is a distinctive of our faith

No other religion, no other founder of a faith ever claimed to be able to rise from the dead and then made good that claim. Indeed, Jesus is the only one who resurrected and did so without someone praying for Him or calling Him forth.

Jesus is also the only one who remained resurrected. All others who came back to life – the widow of Nain’s son, Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, Tabitha, Eutychus – eventually died.

The resurrection is unique to Christianity.

3. The resurrection demonstrates that Jesus is God

Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21, Matthew 17:22-23, Matthew 20:18-19, Matthew 27:63, Mark 8:31, Mark 9:31, Mark 10:33-34, Mark 14:28, Luke 9:22, Luke 18:31-33, Luke 24:6-7, John 2:19-22).

He also linked His resurrection to His deity (John 11:25-26). In fact, whenever He was asked to prove that He was God, He pointed to the miracles He performed. Resurrection is arguably one of the mightiest of miracles and, therefore, proof that He is God. Who else but God could do something like this?

Paul confirms this as much when he writes in Romans 1:3-4 that Jesus “through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead.”

4. The resurrection proves that God is real

The resurrection is a proven historical fact, witnessed by hundreds (1 Corinthians 15:5-8) and recorded by many, both believers and non-believing historians like Josephus.

Twice in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul mentions that Scriptures prophesised about Jesus’ life and death. He was not talking about the New Testament that had yet to be codified. He was referencing Old Testament prophecies of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection which were fulfilled in the presence of many witnesses.

This is proof that God is real because that which He promised, He brought to pass.

5. The resurrection is vital for our salvation

Without Jesus’ resurrection, there would be no salvation. Not only is His death crucial to our salvation, so is His resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15:17, Paul writes: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”

Essentially, if there was no resurrection, there would be no forgiveness of our sins. In raising Jesus from the dead, God showed His acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice. It is God’s affirmation that what Jesus did is enough to atone for our sins and secure our pardon.

6. The resurrection paves the way for our resurrection

If Jesus did not resurrect, neither can we.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:18: “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

The Bible refers to Jesus as being the “first fruits” which guarantees the whole harvest, of which all believers are a part (1 Corinthians 15:20). Since He was raised first, we who believe in Him know we too will be raised.

What a glorious hope that is. Because if we cannot rise from the dead, then this life is all that we have. Death is our final and only destiny. All our relationships would be pointless because everyone would cease to exist. All our suffering and efforts would be wasted because there would be no ultimate justice or reward.

No wonder Paul says we are “most to be pitied” if there is no resurrection.

7. The resurrection has transformative powers

Jesus’ resurrection does not just secure our future, it also impacts our present.

In Philippians 3:10a, Paul declares that he wanted to “know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection”. Jesus’ resurrection not only has power over sin and death, it has the power to resurrect us spiritually and help us live changed lives. 

When Paul met the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19), he was forever changed. From persecuting the Gospel, he began preaching it. The two disciples who met the resurrected Christ on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) turned back to Jerusalem to testify to what they experienced. The band of disciples who fled for their lives when their leader was crucified became fearless evangelists and apostles after they met the resurrected Christ.

The reality of the resurrected Christ transforms lives.

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