Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! (Luke 24:5–6 (NKJV))

Do you believe in the resurrection? As we quickly approach Resurrection Weekend – the time when we celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the grave and overcame death – it’s a good time to do a little self-reflection.

As you do business with the Lord, here’s an excerpt from Day 10 of my book, How to Teach Your Kids about God, on that subject:

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Jesus’ resurrection is a fundamental part of the gospel. Jesus – the Son of God – came down from heaven; was born as a baby; lived a perfect life; died on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins; was buried in a tomb; and three days later, He rose from the grave.

If God hadn’t raised Jesus from the dead, life would be pointless. There would be no promise of eternal life with Him. We would have no hope.

But God did raise Jesus from the dead. Jesus overcame death! Praise God for that!

Not only did God raise Jesus from the dead, but He also gave us evidence of what He did. Many people saw Jesus after the resurrection. There were eyewitnesses. People who had followed Jesus during His ministry – who had watched Him die and be buried – later saw Him alive. They saw Jesus, ate with Him, and touched Him.

Mary Magdalene saw Jesus and clung to Him (John 20:15–17).
Thomas touched Jesus’ wounds from the crucifixion – His hands and His side (John 20:27–28).
The disciples ate with Jesus (John 21:12–13), and saw Jesus eat (Luke 24:41–43).

And Jesus appeared to many people, more than once. He appeared to:

His disciples when they were gathered together in a room without Thomas (John 20:19–24).
His disciples – again – when they were gathered together in a room with Thomas (John 20:26–29).
Two men walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–31).
His disciples – a third time – by the sea of Galilee (John 21:1–14).
Over 500 people at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:6).
His disciples – a fourth time – right before and as He ascended into heaven (Luke 24:50–51; Acts 1:4–9).

One of those disciples, John, had been so close to Jesus at the crucifixion that Jesus talked to John before He died and committed His mother, Mary, into John’s care (John 19:25–27).

And Mary Magdalene (to whom Jesus appeared first) was at the crucifixion, watched them take Jesus’ body down from the cross, followed them, and saw them bury Jesus in a tomb (John 19:25, stood by the cross; Matthew 27:57–61, sat opposite the tomb).

And now? Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us (Romans 8:34). Jesus is our advocate with God the Father (1 John 2:1). We can only come to God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. As Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 (NKJV)). Indeed, “[t]here is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 (NLT)).

Because Jesus overcame death, we have the promise of eternal life with Him. And if that wasn’t enough, Jesus has promised He will come again (John 14:3). We can hold on to that promise, knowing He will be faithful to fulfill it.

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So, let’s rejoice in the fact that Jesus rose from the grave. Because He did, our faith isn’t “useless” and our sins have been forgiven (1 Corinthians 15:17 (NLT)). Let’s praise Jesus for what He did for us as we walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Joshua Burdick on Unsplash