The Resurrection of Jesus

After Jesus was crucified and the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to go and anoint Jesus’ body. The ancient Jewish custom for burial was to anoint the body of the deceased with spices and wrap it in a linen cloth with spices (Mark 14:8; John 19:40). The fact that these women brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body shows that, like the disciples, their understanding of the truth was still a bit hazy; they weren’t expecting the Lord’s resurrection. Nevertheless, the Lord valued their love for Him.

A tomb for a wealthy person at that time was a stone chamber carved out of a large rock, with a stone bed, table, and chairs inside. At the back of the chamber was a low, rectangular trough where the body, which had been anointed with spices, would be placed. The entrance to the chamber was sealed with a round stone that rolled in a groove and required a very strong person to move it. As the women approached the tomb, they said to one another, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had already been rolled away. They entered the tomb and saw a young man sitting on the right side, wearing a white robe, and they were alarmed. This young man was the angel who had rolled the stone away from the entrance of the tomb (Matthew 28:2). The young man said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'”

After this, Jesus appeared to the disciples and told them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” The gospel is meant to liberate not only people but also all of creation. Through His service, Jesus intended to “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ, when the times reach their fulfillment” (Ephesians 1:10). At this point, Jesus’ incarnate ministry on earth had come to an end. After His resurrection, He began to work with the church, which is His body. The disciples went out and preached the gospel everywhere, confirming the message.

The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ was God’s will established before the creation of the world. It is the core of salvation and the foundation of the Christian faith, and it truly happened in history. Jesus Christ’s resurrection signifies that God accepted His atoning sacrifice, which means that all who believe in His substitutionary death can be justified by faith and reconciled with God. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we can have a new beginning and a new life. Dear reader, may God’s grace also come to you, so that you too may personally experience the great power of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection and receive eternal life in Christ.