Holy Week: Resurrection Sunday

A Day of Joy

As the sun began to rise, the group of women walked towards Jesus’s tomb. Carrying spices they had put together, they hoped to anoint His body in the grave. They wondered how they would roll the heavy stone away to gain entrance into the tomb. They more than likely didn’t know Pilate, at the request of the Pharisees, had placed guards at Jesus’s tomb. Once they arrived, their lives changed forever.

An angel descended from Heaven and rolled the stone away. The guards, stricken by fear, fainted like dead men. The angel invited the women in to show them the most marvelous sight: an empty tomb. Terrified, the women feared someone had stolen the body of their precious Lord. The angel explained to them that their precious Lord was in fact alive. The tomb was empty because Jesus was raised from the dead! He then instructed them to go tell the disciples. The women obeyed. They started to run when a man met them. “Greetings!” He told them. It was Jesus! The women fell at His feet and worshipped Him.

No one can really know the exact feelings these first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection felt. It was probably a good mixture of fear, sadness, confusion, and ultimately joy. I’m sure their day started with a mournful tone as they still grieved the death of Jesus. But, then to find out He was really alive? What joy!

Just as His resurrection news brought joy to those who mourned Him that day, we should be joyful as we celebrate His resurrection. But why?

Jesus’s resurrection means He conquered death. It also means that those who believe and follow Him are no longer sentenced to eternity in Hell. He did this out of perfect love for His creation. That’s what we should rejoice over.

And, He hasn’t stopped working on our behalf. Forty days after His resurrection, He ascended into Heaven where He currently sits at the right hand of God the Father. He advocates for us and He prays for us (see 1 John 2:1 and Hebrews 7:25). He is the Great High Priest who can sympathize with us as He faced many of the same trials and tribulations we face (though He never gave in to sin) (see Hebrews 4:14-16). And, He will return one day soon to reign on earth (see Revelation 20).

He is risen! He is risen indeed! He has defeated death. His death atoned for our sins. His resurrection gave us eternal life! What an overwhelming joy to know that as unworthy as we are, Jesus found us worthy to die for, to forgive us of our sins, to redeem us, and to give us life so that we could spend eternity with Him. Oh, what a beautiful and loving Savior! What kind of love is this? Again, it’s perfect love!

You can read the story of the resurrection in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20.