The bodily resurrection of Jesus is central to the understanding of the Gospel of John. The comfort that Jesus offers twenty-first-century Christians is rooted in His first-century words and actions. The Comforter brings the peace that Jesus spoke and did in all these words and actions for us. What He accomplishes in His resurrection thus directly impacts our lives in the present.
When our resurrected Lord Jesus met Mary Magdalene that first Easter, the words He spoke to her show us that we have entered a new era in God’s relationship with us. In short, Christ’s resurrection has changed everything. Jesus told Mary to go and tell His disciples: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God” (John 20:17).
Before Jesus died and rose from the dead, we were estranged from our God and Father. The fault was not on His end; it was all on ours. We rebelled against Him. Sin brought us separation from Him who is life. This separation would always come to its supernatural end in death and damnation. Your sinful flesh, which you inherited from Adam, your first father, brought this upon you. What is more, you confirmed that sinful flesh and separation with many more sins of thought, word, and deed.
But now, one of our own, a Brother with flesh like ours, has triumphed! He suffered for our sins on the old rugged cross. Doing that meant taking all that would separate us from the Father upon Himself. He took our lying, our cheating, our stealing, our anger, our hatred, our murder, our adultery, our shame, our disgrace, our hard-heartedness, our unbelief, our hatred upon Himself there on the cross. He cried out under all of that: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Whatever it took, that’s what He did to bring us back to God. He was the only one who was able to do this for us, being true God and also true man.
Now, after three short days, Christ is risen! We say that in the present tense because His bodily resurrection continues. He is risen to ascend to the Father’s side, so that one of our own, our big Brother, might plead for us to the Father forever. He sits at the right hand of God’s power and majesty to assure us forever of our salvation. He bears that same human nature, a nature like ours, to the Father’s side so that we might know that we, too, can call God “Father.” We are redeemed by the blood of His Son, our Savior and Brother. He bears the nail-pierced hands and feet and the spear-pierced side to the Father’s side so that we can be sure that all our sins and wickedness will never rise again to condemn us. He brings the flesh and blood that was dead but now lives forevermore all the way to the Father’s side so that we can be sure that death, even our death, is undone through His resurrection. He brings His victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil all the way to heaven’s gates so that we can rest assured in His victory.
In all the trials and struggles of this life, we have a powerful ally in Jesus, our resurrected Lord. He gives us the right to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, . . .” He brings His resurrected body to His Father and our Father to secure the right to pray in this way. We are invited to pray for anything, even our heart’s desire, all the while saying, “Thy will be done,” and knowing that our Father will give us what is good. We pray because Christ is risen!
When our sins assail us, when Satan attacks us in temptation with the dying gasps of His gloomy empire of darkness, we have a powerful ally in Jesus, our resurrected Lord. When we are tempted, He is able to help us because He Himself was “tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He knows our weakness and therefore is able to strengthen us for the fight against sin. He continually forgives and covers us with His righteousness. We forgive and are forgiven because Christ is risen!
When death itself comes knocking, either for us or for one of our loved ones, we have a powerful ally in Jesus, our resurrected Lord. We can lay our loved ones to rest in their graves in the sure and certain hope that just as Jesus is risen from the dead, so too will they who believe in Jesus rise to life incorruptible. We can face our own death as Jesus quells our fears with the good news that He is our risen Savior. Death itself may have a toehold on us, but it will not be able to hold on to us for long. We can live with one foot out of the grave already, knowing that no matter what happens, Jesus, our Savior, gives life and peace with God to us with His nail-scarred hands. We will rise because Christ is risen!
The grave had indeed been robbed that day. But it was not the disciples nor the chief priests nor the Pharisees who took Jesus’ body away. Christ robbed the grave of all its power. Christ robbed the crown from the devil’s pale brow. Christ robbed life away from death. Christ defeated the devil and gave us the true gift of life forevermore. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Blog post adapted from The Resurrection Changes Everything: Essays in Honor of the Rev. Dr. Herbert C. Mueller Jr. © 2024 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture: ESV®.