We all know that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day after His death on the cross. Paul said His resurrection is so crucial to our faith that without it, we would be the most pitiful of all men in the world:
"And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable." (1 Corinthians 15:14-19)
Christianity is based on the fact that the Christ lived, died, and rose from the dead. That's a non-negotiable; we won't be Christians unless we truly believe in the risen and living Lord Jesus Christ.
But how did Christ rise from the dead? Moreover, why did He?
How did Jesus rise from the grave?
Contrary to how popular culture depicts the dead coming back to life just like how fictional zombies crawl out of their graves, Jesus rose in a very powerful way.
He simply lived again.
Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-8 and Luke 24:1-12 tells us that an earthquake occurred as an angel of the Lord went down from heaven to roll away the stone that closed the tomb. They also tell us that some of the women who followed Christ went to His tomb and did not see Him there; instead they were told that Christ is alive just as He promised.
If we were there in the exact same scenario, we'd all be surprised to see the tomb empty and to hear that the Savior who suffered and died a few days ago is now alive!
Christ proved Himself alive by showing Himself to many people (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Why did He rise from the dead?
Now here's the more important part: why did Jesus rise from the dead?
There are a few reasons, all of them significant. Here are but three of them:
- First, it's because He said He will rise from the dead.
"He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"" (Luke 24:6-7)
- Second, it's to prove that He is indeed the Son of God.
"...and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." (Romans 1:4)
- Third, it's because death has no power over Him.
"...whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it." (Acts 2:24)
The first reason proves that He does not break His Words. The second reason proves that He is God. The third reason proves that He is sinless and is above everything that is named.
In closing
Christ rose from the grave to show that God is supreme over all. He has conquered sin and death, and there's nothing that is more powerful than Him.
He is Lord over all.
