The resurrection of Jesus is a matter of faith. It is a kind of faith that is absolutely necessary. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, if he was not resurrected, then we are of all men most miserable. In the most horrible of ways Jesus experienced death on the cross unlike any of us would encounter. For the record, we will begin by recognizing the resurrection of Jesus by logic and common sense.
Doubters have said that Jesus was never dead in the first place. Consider how badly his body was mauled. How weak he must’ve been. He was without food and water since the previous day. He was without any form of first-aid that he could administer to himself, or anyone would offer. The air inside of the tomb must’ve been noxious because it was filled with the presence of 100 pounds of spice that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus applied to the body of Christ. Even if he were healthy, Jesus could not move the stone aside from the entrance of the tomb.
Others have said that the disciples overtook the guards and stole the body of Christ. The men who stood guard were trained killers. They knew how to defend themselves and to overcome anyone who would try to attack them. This is further evidenced by the fact that the guards were bribed. The penalty for allowing someone to enter the tomb would’ve been death to the guards instead. He was not in a swoon. His dead body was not stolen. Jesus did in fact come back to life by his resurrection.
I had an unbeliever once asked me, “why would God need to die?” He did not need to die other than the fact that his love compelled him to die.
Instead of the disciples organizing an upheaval , they were gathered together in the room where they observed the Passover with Christ. They had the door locked so they may hide from soldiers who would want to arrest them. They hovered in fear and confusion. Their life as well as their future hung by a spider’s thread.
Why would it matter to a doubter if I want to believe that Jesus was resurrected so many years ago? Why is my faith being attacked as foolish. The hostility of the world tells me that Jesus really was resurrected. Otherwise, it would be me alone in my fantasy. Such hostility came from the plans of Satan himself. If all the world accepted the fact of Christ’s resurrection, this would make a major difference for how many more people would become believers. All the world would fall on their knees like when Thomas doubted the resurrection himself. After being confronted by the living Christ, he cried out, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)
Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20: 29) My friend, Jesus was talking about us! He was placing a blessing on us because we have not seen him and yet we believe. Let his resurrection be a powerful motivation for how you live in this world, how you react to the world, as it was to the disciples to spread the word of Christ throughout the world. They who truly believed had hope. They shared that hope with thousands and millions of people up to our time. Let the resurrection of Christ ground you each day against temptation, against deception. Let his resurrection give you strength. Know that you serve the living God who walked this earth and knew the temptations you have known. Offer praise to him. When focusing on his resurrection, your joy will be far beyond anything the world could offer you. Know the strange happiness in the confidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ who loves you. This Easter Sunday, have a spiritual awakening like you never thought possible.
Christian Writer 