The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is pivotal in the Biblical narrative, and critical to the foundations of faith for all Christians.1 This wasn’t a fictional event, as His life is well documented by believers and non-believers alike. It is hard to deny His life and brutal death on a cruel Roman cross, when historians such as Flavius Josephus affirm this.
That Jesus lived is one thing, but what He did and why He did it is even more profound.
An innocent man died in the place of a guilty human race. The impact of this significant event goes beyond those who lived in those times – it still impacts every one of us today. The simple fact is that we have all sinned and cannot grant ourselves forgiveness. Our pardon came through Christ’s sacrifice. 2 It wasn’t nails that held Jesus to that cross, it was God’s love for us all. 3
Thankfully His death is not the end of the story. If Friday offers redemption to mankind, then the declaration, “He is risen” that following Sunday morning, is the premise for our victorious hope. 4
When we look at the daily news, we are bombarded with global events that can easily cause us to despair. This is the wonderful thing about Easter: when we look at the Cross, we find forgiveness for our past. Then turning to the empty tomb on Resurrection Sunday, we discover a fresh hope for our future. 5
My prayer is that this Easter, the death and resurrection of Jesus reminds us all of the hope we have in Him.
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-5
- Romans 3:23-26
- Romans 5:8
- 1 Peter 1:3-4
- Romans 15:13