What was empty in today’s story? (the tomb)
What did the angel tell Jesus’ friends? (Jesus was alive!)
Why did God send Jesus? (God sent Jesus to save the world.)
Read: Mark 16:1-8, Matthew 28:1-15
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,” John 1:5.
Jesus’ death is the single greatest sacrifice ever made, but without the resurrection, it loses its significance. The day Jesus rose from the dead was the day light defeated darkness forever. Jesus overcame the grave and backed up everything he ever said and all he promised. It’s true. Jesus would’ve been just another man who died had he not proved all that he said and all that he is (fully God) by rising from the dead three days later. The significance of Easter, of the resurrection, is the cornerstone of our faith. It’s why everything else matters and has significance.
Still, we can’t fully appreciate the resurrection of Jesus, God’s only son, until we understand the significance of his death. Author Elyse Fitzpatrick explains what Jesus’ death means: “he bore all of the wrath, shame, guilt, and punishment that was rightfully ours because of our sin. He bore it all. He also bore all the isolation, exile, and abandonment that we deserve. He bore it all in our place.”
In other, simpler words, IT IS FINISHED. Jesus’ death in our place means that the consequences of our sin and the punishment we rightfully deserve are taken care of completely. We don’t have to live in the prison of our shame and guilt anymore. The death of Jesus and the triumph of his resurrection mean that we are forgiven. Forever. The resurrection means that God sees us as clean and pure. The righteousness of Jesus is ours.
There really is no better news than Easter.
What does it mean to you that Jesus has complete victory over your sin, shame, and guilt? How do you live out of that?
Memorize 2 Corinthians 5:21 this week: “God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” How does that verse shape your view of Easter?