“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52–53)
Imagine your shock. You mourned the death of a loved one. You watched him get buried. Not long afterward, the sky goes dark followed by an earthquake. Days later, still unsettled by these phenomena, your dead relative walks in the door.
“ ‘You know, kids. Your mom and I were talking about it recently, and we agreed that even if in the end, Christianity ended up not being true, it was still worth it.’… something seemed to be off. The tension became even stronger for me when I read 1 Corinthians 15:19” - P&D
“The accounts of Resurrection Sunday morning in scripture seem to indicate that the resurrection of Jesus bodily from the tomb was a surprise—to the women who went there, to the disciples, and to Jerusalem….
By C. H. Spurgeon. Sermon 2197 delivered on Lord’s-day morning, March 29th, 1891 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4)
I HAVE AFORETIME preached upon the whole verse, so that this morning I shall take the liberty to dwell chiefly upon the latter part of it—“Like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
“Today’s scholars seriously discuss the resurrection’s historicity. They recognize that the ancient sources tell a coherent narrative about the days following Jesus’s death. The mainstream view among historians today is that it’s more probable than not that Jesus’s tomb was empty and that people genuinely believed they saw the resurrected Jesus.” - TGC
“Some … accuse Christianity of stealing the “death-and-resurrection-of-a-god” motif from other religions. However, scholars have rightly pointed out that stories of the death and resurrection of other gods, such as Dionysus and Adonis, post-date Christianity” - Associates for Biblical Research
“What we’re going to do is highlight the strength of the historical evidence of the resurrection of Christ by considering an alternative theory—some regard as the best alternative—grave theft plus hallucinations.” - Truth Unites
“1. Make sure your own heart is celebrating the resurrection…. 2. Don’t forget that some believers around the world risk their lives by telling this story….4. Recognize that your job is not to impress with your oratory skills; it’s to tell the story of a borrowed cross and an empty tomb.” - Chuck Lawless
“The Resurrection of Jesus is tragically under-taught, under-preached, and as a result, under-appreciated ….Apart from Easter weekend or funeral messages, it often becomes a footnote rather than the focal point of modern preaching.” - Baptist Press
I remember my mother once saying—quoting her father—that Easter Sunday is a lot like heaven. Perhaps it is the closest thing to it that we will ever experience here upon the Earth.
I cannot prove that statement Biblically, but I have attempted to meditate upon it through the years, and I think there is much truth in it.
