Let me start by saying that I hope all of you had a happy and healthy Resurrection Sunday! The holiday for me could have been better, but I won’t complain. Any day where I can wake up in my right mind, with my health and my family still here is a good one, and a blessing. Am I right? 

The Easter holiday, for many of us, is a time to reflect on what Christ has truly done for all of us. For Christians, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core of what we believe. In 1 Cor 15:14, the apostle Paul says: “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” So, if Jesus had not laid down his life for us, there would be no atonement for our sins, no justification.  There would not have a mediator between us and God.  There would have been no grace, and no salvation.  Scariest of all, we would not know God’s love.

I thank God for Jesus’ life AND his death, because without it, I know that I am nothing.

So, I would like to share with you two facts about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that you may not have known.

1.  Jesus’ life is an historical record and there were many eye witness counts concerning the end of his life.  Contemporary writer and Jewish historian Josephus recorded the crucifixion (see here).  Over 500 people saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion and burial.  A woman, Mary Magdalene, was the first to see Jesus alive at the tomb (John 20:11-18).  Jesus also appeared for his disciples.  Jesus spoke to two men who were on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).  Apostle Paul wrote this regarding who saw Jesus after his burial in the tomb around AD 55:
   

   ³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance^[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas,^[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. (1 Cor. 15:3-6)

2. Christ’s Resurrection was prophesied in Old Testament Scriptures.   A few examples: The messiah will have His hands and His feet pierced (Psalm 22:16). The Messiah’s bones will not be broken  (Psalm 22:17). Men will gamble for the Messiah’s clothes (Psalm 22:18).  Israel’s King David in Psalm 16:10, wrote: “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” This foretold Jesus’ resurrection from the Dead.  There are many more examples, see here for more.

The resurrection of Christ truly reveals what is ahead for those who follow him! Paul called Christ “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The firstfruits were the first of the season’s crops. In this case, Paul’s states this term meaning that Jesus was the first of the crop of “the dead” to be resurrected. We can take this information to heart and believe that Jesus is our example and is also what we can expect for ourselves. Jesus already conquered death so we should not be afraid of dying ourselves. And, because he now raised and has a glorified body, we know that one day the same will happen for us believers as well. If that ain’t Good News, I don’t know what is.