After the death of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy follower of Jesus and a respected member of the Jewish Council, was given permission by Pilate to take His body down from the cross, wrapped Jesus’s body in linen, and placed Him in a rich man’s new tomb which, was nearby. He did this because it was the Jews’ Preparation Day to remove the leaven from their houses for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Sabbath drew near as the sun went down. So the women who came with Him from Galilee followed to see where His body was laid in the tomb. Then, they returned home to prepare spices and fragrant oils before resting on the Sabbath, as commanded by the law. They planned to return with the spices on the first day of the week (Luke 23:50‒56).
Mary Magdalene and certain other women went to the tomb very early on the first day of the week, bringing the spices they had prepared for the burial. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, and when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among 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.’” And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to the rest of the disciples. Luke 24:4‒9
Jesus had previously taught His disciples concerning His suffering, death, and resurrection, but they didn’t understand (Mark 8:31-32; 10:32-34). Then, after His resurrection, they remembered what He had said to them and what they did to Him (John 2:22; Luke 24:8), and they witnessed His resurrected body (Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
What does His resurrection mean for us who believe? First, we receive justification (the action of showing something right), and we will live with Him. He has given us abundant and everlasting life (John 5:28-29; 6:40; 10:10; 14:2‒3).
Who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 4:25–5:1
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3–5
What does it mean to be kept by the power of God through faith? God’s divine power keeps us in this life after our new birth in Christ until we come into our eternal inheritance, to be with Christ forever in heaven, because we believe and have received Him and all He came to give us.
Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior have secured their salvation, healing, provision, and protection through the blood of Jesus and resurrection power (Isaiah 53:5; Exodus 12:13), which gives us authority over the devil (Revelation 12:11; Luke 10:19). Jesus has already redeemed us from the curse and the power of darkness and has given us victory (Galatians 3:13; Colossians 1:13; 1 John 5:4). We can plead (apply)the blood of Jesus over our lives as we pray and declare the name of Jesus (Philippians 2:9-11) over our lives, families, and circumstances every day. Because Jesus Christ lives, we can walk in faith and have hope for every day!
It means we no longer need to fear death. Jesus has authority over death. Jesus Christ has the keys to the kingdom. Satan never had them because only God alone has power over death and Hell, determining who goes there (John 14:6; 11:25-26). Jesus had ultimate victory through His death on the cross (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 3:8). Death came with it when sin entered the world (Romans 5:12). The author of sin and death is the devil. Satan no longer has power over death through the fear of death that had held humanity in bondage (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus conquered death and the grave (Revelation 1:18)!
When a believer dies, our body returns to dust (2 Corinthians 5:1), but our spirit and soul depart to be with Christ. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:6-9). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is our guarantee of eternal life and that we will live eternally with Jesus (John 6:40; 14:1-3). Our victory will be complete when we receive our glorified, resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11
The unbeliever does not have this hope (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:12-13) because they are not in Christ and, therefore, without God and hope (Ephesians 2:12). They face eternal separation from God and may have a fear of death, not knowing what may come next for them after they die.
If you have not received Jesus as your Savior, you can do that today, reconciling yourself to God the Father and knowing where you will spend eternity, with Christ in heaven.
Prayer for Salvation (To be prayed out loud)
Heavenly Father,
Your Word says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. I ask You to forgive me for my sins. I repent and turn from them, turning to You. I am calling on You and asking Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life. I believe Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for me. I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, and He is alive today. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me the Holy Spirit to live inside me. I now belong to You. Help me live for You and obey You all the days of my life.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
If you prayed the prayer for salvation in faith, you are now a child of God and a member of His family (John 1:12). Please visit my website and explore the steps on how to deepen your relationship with Him. https://alexiscarucci.com/welcome-to-gods-family/
Please visit the following website to explore more about living the abundant life Jesus came to give us and discover what the Bible says about healing and how to receive it from Jesus, the Healer. https://amazon.com/author/alexiscarucci/
Have a Blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Living the Abundant Life 