Who is Jesus? The Resurrection

Verses:

'Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. '

John 20:1

'I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.'

1 Corinthians 15:50

'“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? “I will have no compassion, '

Hosea 13:14

Devotional:

As the darkness of Saturday gave way to the light of Sunday, what an unbelievable scene Mary Magdalene had to process. The overwhelming grief of the Friday crucifixion was followed by a Saturday where she could not do anything because it was the Sabbath and their law required almost complete rest, which meant she certainly could not go apply oil and spices to a dead body. So when she reached Jesus' tomb and did not find a body, her first instinct was what yours and mine would probably be: “someone stole the body” not “He is risen.” And yet, He had risen!

This instinct can be true for us today as well. When a loved one passes away, we tend to focus on the loss of “the body.” Those who die in Christ, though, are not stolen. In fact, they are more alive than they have ever been! They have experienced a true resurrection. One that is not just a resurrected body but a soul that is made alive and will never again taste death, sin, pain, hurt, tears, fear, or loneliness—those things all wiped away in one glorious resurrection. Truly, death, where is your sting?

Reflect:
It’s an amazing thing to think that by placing our faith in Christ, our soul finds life for the first time. And Christ wants to bring life to every part of us. Is there a part of your life that needs new life? Why not take a moment and ask Christ for to renew that in you today?

Respond:
The Resurrection is the hinge point of humanity. If you trust in Jesus Christ as your risen Savior, this has paved for you the highway to heaven. If you haven’t trusted Christ as your Savior, if you haven’t experienced the forgiveness and freedom we can find in Him alone, why not take that step right now? There is no better way to experience the joy of the Resurrection Sunday than to know that your sins have been forgiven and you, too, will one day experience life after death.

Pray:
Lord Jesus, thank You for laying Your life down on the cross for my sins. Your sacrifice made a way for me to know You as my Savior. Because of Jesus' Resurrection, I can have new life in You. In Your Name I pray, amen.