He Is Risen!

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.
—Matthew 28:1 (NLT)

Resurrection comes from resurge or resurgence, in the sense of “coming back” or “renewing” or “rising up.” In other words, Jesus Christ, who was once down, dead, laid aside, crucified, later stood up miraculously and bodily. He “resurged.” He came back to life, never to die again.

All but one of the world’s religions are built on philosophies. Only Christianity claims that its founder is still alive, having been resurrected from the dead.

His tomb is empty. He is risen!

His life was the watershed of history. His death and resurrection are the cornerstone of Christianity.

And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” —Mark 16:3 (NASB)

But when they arrived, the stone was rolled back, and an angel was sitting on it. Their worry was replaced with wonder. Have you ever done that? You worried about something, only to find that the problem was already solved, and a solution even better than you could have imagined had occurred?

I think of that often when I read the accounts of the resurrection of Christ. What must it have been like to be there? What if I had come to that garden tomb in the misty morning hours, burdened with sorrow and loss, only to find the huge stone pushed aside and the tomb empty?

Christ came back from the dead so we might live as He lived and claim triumph over death as He did. He died and rose again to offer us new life-transforming power to live beyond depravity. And the first evidence we see of this is in the lives of Jesus’ once frightened and disillusioned followers.

Low in the grave He lay—Jesus my Saviour!
Waiting the coming day—Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose,
with a mighty triumph o’er His foes;
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to weigh.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ Arose!
—ROBERT LOWRY, 1826–1899