The Meaning of Christ's Resurrection

It was a great joy to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday. Resurrection Sunday is always my favorite of the entire year. It's obviously a favorite for a lot of other people as well, with a number of first-time visitors as well as friends and family from out of town.

What makes Easter Sunday so special is the meaning of Christ's resurrection. I've said before many times, Jesus is not the only person ever to have risen from the dead. He is not the only person ever to have died on a cross. Crucifixion was the preferred form of execution for the Romans. In fact, they once lined a road between Rome and one of the territories they had conquered with slaves hanging on crosses. And don't forget, even on the very day Jesus was crucified, there were two others next to him hanging on crosses as well.

As for resurrection from the dead, the Bible tells the story of numerous people brought back to life after they had died. The first is the story of the Shunammite woman's son, who was raised from the dead by Elisha the prophet. There are several more in the New Testament as well. One of the more well known is the story of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, according to John 11. Then, at the moment of Jesus' death, Matthew reports that "the tombs broke open and the bodies of many people who had died were raised to life" (27:52). I wonder what that looked like!

Though Jesus isn't the only person ever to have died on a cross or raise from the dead, what makes his death and resurrection stand out is the truth that he was no ordinary man. He was God the Son in human flesh. In Acts 2:22, Peter said: "[he]... was a man accredited by God to you with miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him...." In other words, Jesus was unique. He was the sinless Son of God, so he was the only person ever to die on a cross who was both innocent and infinite.

As for his resurrection, Jesus is the only person ever raised from the dead who did not die again. The Bible doesn't say exactly what happened to Lazarus after his resurrection, but the presumption is, he died sometime later. Even, if God had some other plan for Lazarus and the others like him who experienced resurrection, the resurrection of Jesus still stands by itself. Jesus is the only person ever raised from the dead and then exalted to the right hand of God the Father, where he sits until his all his enemies are made his footstool.

Interestingly enough, the New Testament almost always refers, in some fashion, to Jesus' exaltation as Lord in the context of verses that refer to his resurrection. In other words, the Bible teaches that the purpose of Jesus' resurrection was for him in turn to be exalted to the Father's right hand. This is why there are so many verses which indicate that to believe Jesus rose from the dead is tantamount to believing that he is the exalted Lord of Lords.

On of my favorite verses to illustrate the connection is Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

So the death of Jesus, along with his resurrection, are unique events. And they are packed with significance for our lives, both here and now, and for all eternity. It is for these and so many other reasons that Resurrection Sunday means so much to us all.

Later this week, I'll get back to writing about Genesis. We return to our study of Genesis 2 this Sunday...