The Resurrection of Jesus: Who Exactly Raised Him from the Dead.?

Death is man’s greatest enemy, and every man, no matter how great, eventually dies. The whole world—physical, biological and social—is under the reign of death, imposed by God’s Curse on man’s dominion when he first rejected God’s word and brought sin into the world (Genesis 3:17). But Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God and the world’s promised Redeemer, has conquered death, bearing the Curse Himself (Galatians 3:13), and thus opening the way to God and everlasting life.

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the central fact of the Christian faith. As Paul wrote: “If Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain; ye are yet in your sins” (I Corinthians 15:17).

The entire structure of Christianity—and indeed of any hope for eternal life and for any meaning to human existence—stands or falls with Christ’s resurrection.

The fact of His resurrection is the most important event of history and therefore, appropriately, is the most certain fact in all history. It is supported by a wider variety of testimonial and other evidence than any other historical event that has ever taken place since the world began. It is therefore mandatory that every individual must face the issue of the claims of Christ on his own life and service.

Jesus took our place and forgave our sins from the Cross. He was buried in a tomb and then the unexplainable happened—He rose from the dead!

On the third day after the crucifixion, Matthew 28:1-2 says, “At the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And then there was a great earthquake. For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.” 

Many saw Jesus Christ alive after his death.

They had witness of the apostles, of course, and also of the “five hundred brethren at once” (I Corinthians 15:6), all of whom had seen the lord Jesus after His resurrection, and they were convinced their testimony was true.

Some have suggested that these post-resurrection appearances of Christ were only visions or hallucinations, or perhaps a case of mistaken identity. But visions and hallucinations don’t occur repeatedly like this, to individuals and to groups, indoors and outdoors. And certainly the disciples could recognize the One who had been with them every day for more than three years.

As a matter of fact, when they saw Him in the upper room after the resurrection, they themselves first “supposed that they had seen a spirit” (Luke 24:37). But then He invited them to touch Him and especially to note the nail scars in His hands and feet. Then He ate dinner with them, and they could no longer doubt that it was Jesus Himself, in the same body, as they had always known Him.

The participation of the Trinity in the resurrection of Jesus is truly miraculous and awe-inspiring. It reveals the unity of God, and how each person of the Trinity works together, being equal in divine perfection and attribute. They complemented one another’s roles in raising Jesus from the dead. And this is part of what we celebrate this weekend. Please reflect on this truth and marvel in its mystery as together we celebrate our Lord and Saviour.