The Reason for the Resurrection

In Matthew 28:6 the angel said to the women who came to the tomb on Sunday morning, “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.”

In Mark 16:6 the angel said to the women, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here.”

In Luke 24:5-6 the angel said to the women, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!”

John doesn’t record the women’s encounter with the angels. It records Mary’s encounter with Jesus at the tomb. She only recognized Jesus when He spoke her name.

Three things are made clear with the Gospel’s accounts of the resurrection.

First, Jesus died.

Jesus was in a tomb for three days. You don’t stay in a tomb for three days unless you are dead.

Jesus had died. In the Mark account it says that Jesus was crucified. The end result of crucifixion is death.

Jesus had died in the view of the women who came to his tomb that day and in the view of His other followers.

Second, Jesus had risen and was alive.

In the Matthew, Mark, and Luke accounts, the angel says Jesus is risen and in the Luke account the angel asks why they were seeking the living among the dead.

In John, Mary was not expecting to see Jesus and at first didn’t recognize Him. When she did, she knew it was Jesus; not His Spirit but Jesus Himself, a real, living person.

Third, the resurrection of Jesus is an essential event.

Only Matthew and Luke record the birth of Jesus. All four Gospels record the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The resurrection of Jesus is a real thing. It is one of the most documented events in the history of the world.

It is a history-changing event.

If the resurrection is not true, then:

Christianity is the greatest hoax in the history of the world.

Jesus is either a lunatic or a liar.

We as humans have no hope.

If the resurrection is true, then:

Christianity is true and there is a way to come to know God.

Jesus is Lord.

We as humans have hope.

I could give you all the Biblical reasons for the resurrection giving us hope, but I want to share with you personal reasons for the resurrection giving me hope.

The resurrection frees me from being fearful of life.

I am not this bold risk-taking person. I am in my human nature a fearful person. The resurrection of Jesus gives me confidence that, no matter what I face in life, Jesus is bigger.

The resurrection frees me to really trust Jesus.

Jesus tells His followers several times that He is going to Jerusalem to be rejected by the religious leaders, be crucified, and rise from the dead. And that is exactly what occurred and exactly what He did. Because of that, I know that I can trust in everything He says in His Word.

The resurrection allows me to give to Jesus those things that are most precious to me.

The most precious things to me are my biological and faith families.

I can trust my biological family to God. I can trust that God loves my son and will take care of him and my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren. I can trust God when He takes my son to South Africa to share Jesus. I can trust God when God has directed my daughter-in-law to go to Puerto Rico after a hurricane has hit the island. I can trust God as I watch my grandchildren grow up and face the issues of life.

I can trust my faith family to God. I can trust that when members of my faith family come to me with spiritual struggles and even doubts that God will enable me help them find the answers they need. I can trust that when my faith family goes through times of loss and sorrow that He will comfort them. I can trust for God to love and grow my faith family.

The resurrection allows me to look forward to all that God has promised to me as His child.

I have an eternal home with God in heaven.

I have the assurance of a resurrection.

I have the reality of an intimate love relationship with Jesus.

I loved the idea of Jesus’ resurrection when I viewed it from a theological viewpoint. Now that I view Jesus’ resurrection from a personal viewpoint, I see it as the one event that has changed my life and given me boldness, freedom, and hope.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is believing in and living in the realness of Jesus’ resurrection.

Because Jesus is Alive, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls.

                                                Joe