Written by Benoît Santos - Updated on Oct 27, 2024
Have you ever heard of the resurrection? What do you know about the resurrection of Jesus? Would you like to know more about the resurrection of the Lord?
We have researched this topic to shed more light on it for you. Here is a sneak peek at what this article is about:
The resurrection of Jesus represents one of the fundamental beliefs of Christian ideology. Several Gospels have mentioned the fact that Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion.
There are many other mysteries surrounding the resurrection of Jesus. In this article, you will discover:
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What is the resurrection of Jesus;
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the meaning of resurrection;
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the importance of Jesus' resurrection.
Without further ado, let’s start the article right now!
What is the resurrection of Jesus?
The resurrection of Jesus is the action by which Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ is believed to have come back to life from the dead, three days after being crucified and buried. It is the fundamental belief of Christians from which this religious denomination was propagated. It also includes the belief that after the resurrection, Jesus ascends in body and soul to the presence of the Father and from there rules over all creation. This latter belief is known as the Ascension of the Lord.
For believers, the resurrection confirms the divine origin of Jesus , since in the framework of religious thought he was resurrected in a power attributed exclusively to God. Thus, the act of Jesus' resurrection is a proof of his divine nature and is, at the same time, a promise and a hope for all Christians. This event is the basis of the celebration of Easter and Holy Communion or Eucharist, in which the memorial of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus is recalled.
The centrality of the resurrection in Christian thought has given Sunday its current name in the Latin languages . Sunday thus means the Lord's day. In addition, the resurrection of Jesus is solemnly celebrated each year during Holy Week . This is the culmination or climax of Easter , which is remembered by two complementary rituals: the masses of "Glory Saturday" (at midnight from Saturday to Sunday) and "Easter Sunday" (in broad daylight).
Before continuing with the article, check out our blog about Lent and its religious significance.
The resurrection of Jesus in the gospel
According to the Gospels, Jesus was crucified on a Friday , immediately after the celebration of the Jewish Passover. Given the proximity of the Sabbath, a day of obligatory rest for the Jews, he was immediately buried by Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple of Jesus.
The day after the Sabbath, the stone had been taken away from the tomb, and Jesus' body was not found. Those who came were told by an angel.
The Gospels differ in the exact representation of the events. Two of them (Mark and John) agree that Mary Magdalene was the first to receive the news of the resurrection, a testimony that the apostles did not believe. The other two (Matthew and Luke) affirm that the Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were present. In addition, Luke adds the passage of the road to Emmaus, in which Jesus reveals himself to two disciples, who recognize him in the breaking of bread.
- The events are recounted in the following passages:
Mark, chapter 16.
Matthew, chapter 28.
Luke, chapter 24.
John, chapter 20.
It is in the book of the Acts of the Apostles that the evangelist Luke recounts the events after the resurrection , which allowed the apostles to take for certain the testimonies of Mary and Mary Magdalene.
According to Luke, after his resurrection, Jesus appeared several times to the apostles , testifying to what had happened. According to the account, Jesus shared with the apostles in the upper room for a period of 40 days, where he gave all kinds of prodigious signs. The meetings between Jesus and the apostles are recounted in chapter 1 of the book of Acts of the Apostles.
The Deep Meaning of the Lord's Resurrection
Concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus , we read in the Bible: "Now on the sabbath night, when it was already day, the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to visit the tomb. And, behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and rolled back the stone, and sat on it. And his countenance was as the appearance of lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And when they were terrified, the keepers trembled, and were as dead men.
But the angel answered and said to the women, Fear not you; for I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen , as he said: come and see the place where he lies. Go quickly and tell his disciples, He is risen from the dead, and, behold, he goes before you into Galilee, where you will see him. Behold, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the tomb with great fear and joy, and ran and told his disciples . And , behold, Jesus met them, saying, Hail.
They came and wrapped their feet around him and worshiped him. The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:1-9, 16-18).
A few versts.
These verses speak of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection three days after His crucifixion . It is precisely because Jesus was crucified to redeem our sins that mankind is no longer condemned by the law and is freed from the constraints of rules and decrees. Let us give thanks to the Lord! His resurrection is of the utmost importance to all brothers and sisters, for it is through His resurrection that we have been assured that He is God Himself, and that He is the One in whom we should sincerely trust. The Bible says, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17) . Without the Lord Jesus’ resurrection, simply having faith in Him would not be enough to be saved. Without His redemption, we sinners would still be bound by the laws. It is His resurrection that gives us hope of salvation . 🙏
The importance of Jesus' resurrection.
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is of unquestionable significance to mankind. How can we not rejoice over it? Despite our joy and excitement, let us nevertheless try to calm down and ponder these two questions: What are the deeper meanings of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus? What were the Lord’s intentions when He taught His disciples after His resurrection and appearance ?
The Meanings of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus
I prayed to the Lord in perplexity , and then, as I was studying the relevant materials, I saw this passage in a spiritual book: “The Scriptures contain the following verse, which describes Him after the resurrection : ‘Jesus came behind closed doors and stood in the midst of them, saying, “Peace be with you!”’ It is evident that at that time He was no longer a flesh, but a spiritual body. This was because He had transcended the limitations of the flesh and, behind closed doors, could also come among men and allow them to see Him. This is the greatest difference between the Lord Jesus after the resurrection and the Lord Jesus who had lived in the flesh before the resurrection. Although there was no difference between the outward appearance of the spiritual body at this time and the previous outward appearance of the Lord Jesus, at this moment He had become a Jesus who seemed foreign to people, because He had become a spiritual body after being resurrected, and compared to His previous flesh, this spiritual body was more confusing and disorienting to man.
This also created a greater distance between the Lord Jesus and people, who in their hearts perceived how much more mysterious He had become at this time. [...] The first thing the Lord Jesus did after the resurrection was therefore to allow everyone to see Him, to confirm His existence and the reality of His resurrection . Furthermore, this action restored His relationship with people to the state it had been when He had worked in the flesh, and He was the Christ who could be seen and touched. As a result, people doubted neither His resurrection after the crucifixion nor His work of redeeming mankind.
Another result is that His appearance to man after the resurrection and the ability to see and touch Him firmly anchored mankind in the Age of Grace. From that moment on, people could no longer return to the previous age, the Age of Law, because of the “disappearance” or “desertion” of the Lord Jesus, but instead would continue to follow His teachings and the work He had done. Thus a new phase of the work of the Age of Grace officially begins, and from then on, people who had lived under the law officially emerge from it and enter a new age, with a new beginning. These are the many meanings of the Lord Jesus’ appearance to man after the resurrection.”
Before and after the resurrection of Christ
These words allowed me to understand the matter better. Before His resurrection, the Lord Jesus was incarnate ; after the resurrection, however, He appeared to man in a spiritual body in the image of the flesh . The Lord Jesus had transcended the limitations of the flesh and was able to present Himself to His disciples even when the door was closed ; although the outward image had not changed, He actually possessed a spiritual body. The disciples felt that this was mysterious, were filled with confusion, and began to turn away.
The Lord Jesus had been very clear about the needs and mentality of man. After His resurrection, He appeared to man for forty days, ate bread and fish, and explained the Scriptures to His disciples, so that man could realize that He was still the same Jesus Christ, tangible in flesh and blood, and not a spiritual body that they could not touch: they could see His existence and recognize Him, without any doubt. In this way, the relationship between God and man would have been restored to what it was before the crucifixion. Man would have said, “The Lord has risen from the dead ! He is the same as before.”
He loves us the same way as before. He cares for us, He does not leave us, and He is always with us, always on earth.” Furthermore, through His resurrection and appearance to man, the Lord opened the stage of the age of grace and led man out of the law and into a new age. All His disciples knew that this was Christ, God incarnate, God Himself, and their faith was strengthened. Later, His disciples regarded the Lord’s resurrection as their greatest vision and began to bear witness to it, telling people about His work and preaching the gospel, which has now been spread to every corner of the world. These are the meanings of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus .
Reflections on the words of the Lord Jesus to Toma after his resurrection.
The Bible says, "After eight days his disciples were again in the house, and Toma with them. Then Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be with you. And he said to Toma, Put your finger here, and see my hands; put your hand, and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. Toma answered him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:26-29). When I read these verses in the past, I only understood that the Lord Jesus loved mankind very much and understood their weaknesses. He knew Toma's deepest doubts and appeared to him to cast them out.
However, I did not fully understand the intentions of the Lord’s gesture and the meaning of His words. My heart was immediately enlightened when I read the following passage: “What the Lord Jesus said to Thomas served to explain a concept very clearly to other people as well: The resurrected Lord Jesus is the Lord Jesus who originally spent thirty-three and a half years working among man. Although He was crucified, passed through the valley of the shadow of death, and was resurrected, all aspects of Him remained unchanged. Although He now has the marks of nails on His body, and has risen and walked out of the grave, His character, His understanding of man, and His intentions toward man had not changed in the slightest.
He also told the people that He had come down from the cross and had triumphed over sin, suffering, and death. The nail marks were only evidence of His victory over Satan, evidence that He was a sacrifice for sin, designed to effectively redeem all mankind. He communicated to the people that He had already taken upon Himself the sins of mankind and had completed His work of redemption. When He came back to the disciples, He told them by His manifestation, “ I am still alive , I still exist; today I am truly before you, that you may see Me and touch Me. I will always be with you.”
Faith and resurrection.
The Lord Jesus also wanted to use Thomas’ example as a warning to future generations: “Even if you believe in the Lord Jesus, you cannot see Him or touch Him, but you can be blessed by your sincere faith and see Him through it.” These words tell us that the Lord Jesus’ words to Thomas actually reveal God’s intentions. Even after His resurrection , the words spoken to Thomas communicated to people that He was still the Lord Jesus who lived day and night alongside His disciples, that He was the God who observes the depths of the human soul, the almighty God, and who fully understood everyone’s thoughts. Before He was nailed to the cross, the Lord Jesus knew that Thomas did not believe that He was the Christ ; and this did not change after the resurrection.
This is why he appeared to Toma and let him touch his nail marks, making him believe that he was truly Christ, God incarnate, removing all his doubts so that he could finally believe that he had been resurrected. The resurrection and appearance of the Lord Jesus, this overwhelming proof, has shown all believers the following facts: He is God Himself in all His glory, He has triumphed over death and Satan , He is Christ, in all His authority and power. The Lord Jesus’ words to Toma also send us a message: If you believe in God, do not act like Toma who only believed what he saw.
The most important thing for a believer is to have faith in God, and this has a direct impact on being approved by God and entering the Kingdom of Heaven . Those who have sincere faith in God will be blessed. But if they instead analyze God’s appearance and work based on what they see instead of His words, they will make the same mistake as Toma. At this point, I can’t help but think of the disciple Peter, who immediately recognized that the Lord was Christ, the Son of the living God ; this is because during his time in the Lord’s company, he had seen many qualities of God, which he recognized in the Lord Jesus’ words and work.
The Lord said He would return. Will we be able to recognize Him when He returns in the last days? On what will we base our recognition of Him? Revelation 2:7 says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. […]” Does it prophesy that when the Lord returns, He will speak His words? To welcome the Lord’s second coming, must we act like the wise virgins and listen to His voice? Let us give thanks to the Lord! May the Lord show us His mercy and open the eyes of our spirit so that we can welcome His return with sincere faith! Amen!
Resurrection and sovereignty.
The resurrection of Christ is the sovereign action of the power of God, who "gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not yet exist" (Rom 4:17). To speak of the resurrection of Christ, the New Testament often uses active verbs of which God is the subject ("God raised Jesus"). Sometimes passive verbs are used, but in this case too the agent is God ("Jesus is risen"). Rather than resurrection, one should speak of reanimation or resuscitation. This language does not deny the divinity of Christ. It simply highlights his humanity, since it is precisely this humanity of Christ that is the object of the "resurrection" by God the Father. As the active subject of the resurrection, Jesus is attested in the later writings of the New Testament, and in particular in the Gospel of John (cf. Jn 10:18).
Eternal Life After Death
After inspecting the tomb, the angel told the women to go and tell the disciples. With a mixture of fear and joy, they ran to obey the angel's command. But suddenly Jesus met them on their way. They fell at their feet and worshiped him. Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see me." After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the women near the tomb and later twice to the disciples while they were gathered in a house of prayer. 🙏
In John's account, a man who appeared to be the gardener appeared to Mary Magdalene and spoke to her by name. It was Jesus. Although their accounts differ, the gospels report that in the following days, many of the disciples saw Jesus and experienced his presence. This experience of the living Christ is at the heart of the Christian faith! He visited two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and he also appeared at the Sea of Galilee while several of the disciples were fishing. A memorable moment in the history of Christianity with the miracle of Jesus where he gave the apostles an abundance of fish. 🐟
PONTIUS PILATE THE BRUTAL PREFECT
When the guards reported what had happened to the chief priests, he gave them a large sum of money to keep Jesus' resurrection a secret . The priest told them to lie and hide the truth by saying that the disciples had stolen Jesus' body during the night. Shortly afterward, Pontius Pilate heard the news from one of the soldiers who told him the whole truth. An announcement that infuriated Pilate. He then decided to kill them all by slitting their throats one by one. Knowing that he did not like traitors and especially those who denounce his own allies, he also slit the throat of the one who had announced the bad news to him.
The apparitions of Jesus.
There are at least 12 different appearances of Christ in the resurrection accounts, beginning with Mary and ending with Paul. These were physical, tangible experiences with Christ eating, speaking, and allowing Himself to be touched. Jesus’ resurrected body was different from His physical body. It was no longer subject to the same laws of nature. He could transcend locked doors and be touched. He was able to walk through walls (John 20:19). The stone that enclosed His body was rolled away so everyone could see that He had indeed been resurrected. But He came out through the walls! Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus gave the Great Commission, telling His apostles to go and make disciples of all nations. Following this announcement, Jesus Christ returned to heaven and the apostles began their journeys. They split into several groups to preach the good word of God.
A sacred object in memory of the Lord
The resurrection of Jesus is effective for Christians. This resurrection is quite important for beliefs. It has been addressed by several Gospels including that of Paul, Peter… The resurrection of Christ symbolizes that he is still alive and that he is among us.
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