The Miracle And Mystery Of The Resurrection

The resurrection, although mysterious to our earthly minds, had to occur to seal the death and burial of Christ. What good would Jesus’ death have been if it didn’t end in His rising from the dead? God’s plan has always been for Jesus–Yeshua to die, and in a public manner as happened on the cross on Calvary, so that everyone–believers and non-believers alike–can see that he did die, that it wasn’t a show. The enemies of God needed to see and (wrongly) believe that they had killed Jesus, or had Him killed, and think that they had destroyed that so-called son of man forever. Gone is his mad teaching and his accusations about their lies and deceit. They didn’t plan with God, who knows the future and what would become of humanity with different belief systems drawing people farther away from God.

The Empty Tomb

Yeshua is alive again. Did God call Him out of the tomb like Yeshua did with Lazarus? Did the Spirit of God move over His body like it did over the waters at the beginning of creation? Or was that come-alive Spirit already there within Yeshua and was activated when His body died physically? In whatever mysterious way it happened, Yeshua did rise from the dead. He is risen.

John writes that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb where Yeshua was buried while it was still dark. As soon as she saw that the stone had been removed from the mouth of the tomb, Mary ran back to the disciples and told Simon Peter and John about it. Mary hadn’t even looked inside the tomb but assumed that Yeshua’s body had been removed—from this, we know that Yeshua’s followers were aware of the Pharisees’ plot to move Yeshua’s body as a precaution against His prophecy coming true, that He would rise from the dead.

Only when Yeshua physically appeared to them did the disciples and other followers believe what He had already promised them that He would rise again on the third day. Don’t we sometimes waiver like that, demanding tangible proof before we believe?

Paul writes to the Colossians what Yeshua’s death accomplished, which was more than our sins being forgiven and washed away, there is more – ‘And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.’ Colossians 2:13-15

So much more was going on behind the scenes while everyone was watching Yeshua’s unfair trials, torture, and the cross. While everyone was looking at what was unfolding in front of their eyes, God was moving in the unseen world, conquering, prevailing, and vanquishing evil. Yeshua testified that He had overcome the world.

Restoration

Yeshua wasn’t idle after He rose from the dead but continued His ministry, fulfilling God’s purpose to restore people to Him.

Simon Peter denied Yeshua three times, and Yeshua asked Peter three times if he loved Him. As He restored Simon Peter, Yeshua restores us to Him and the Father when we repent. And He asks us that same question – do we love Him enough to be committed to Him?

John doesn’t write about Yeshua’s ascension to Heaven. Did his heart long to always keep the Saviour close? Did he now want to let Yeshua go? I know I wouldn’t want to let Yeshua go either, especially knowing that He died in our place for the cleansing and forgiveness of our sins, was buried and is now alive again. Yeshua had to return to God so that the Holy Spirit could come in to live in us, getting near to completing the cycle – God above us, Yeshua lived and walked among us, and the Holy Spirit in us.

Christianity alone offers forgiveness of sins when we confess and repent to God, transforms us through the power of the Holy Spirit, and guarantees our salvation into eternal life with God. Christianity is the message of indestructible hope in the person of Yeshua Hamashiach – Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Credit: The collage was designed in Canva