Praise the Lord! The Lord has been good to us throughout the past week and, without a doubt, His presence, protection, and provision will be with us during this week and the weeks ahead. In fact, this week is a very special for the followers of Christ across the world as they celebrate His resurrection from the dead. We also will be able to join the rest of the crowd across the world who follow Christ faithfully to celebrate His resurrection from the dead. Throughout this past week, most of the Christians just commemorated the very last week of Christ’s earthly life that had been filled with so much agonizing and excruciating pain and sufferings in His life (passion week) and this week we are celebrating Christ’s deliverance from His agonizing and excruciating pain and sufferings that He went through as He rose from the dead. There are untold numbers of reasons for a follower of Christ to celebrate in life despite the pain and suffering they go through due to their faith in Jesus Christ. For instance,

• • A few months ago, we commemorated the birth of Christ [Christmas] (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; 2:1, 25; Luke 1:31-33; 2:7, 11; John 1;14; Galatians 4:4);
  • a week ago, we commemorated the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem [Palm Sunday] (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19);
  • A few days ago, we commemorated the commemoration of Jesus’ arrest, trials, crucifixion, death, and burial [the passion week and Good Friday] (Matthew 26:47-68; 27:11-61; Mark 14:43-65; 15:1-47; Luke 22:47-23:56; John 18:1-19:42);
  • This week we are celebrating the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10);
  • In a few weeks time, we will commemorate Christ’s return to His Father in heaven [ascension of Christ to heaven] (Luke 24:50-52; Acts 1:9-11);
  • In another few more days, we will commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost [as per Christ’s promise, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and those who gathered in the upper room] (John 14:16; 15:26; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; 4:31; 2 Corinthians 3:17);
  • At the end of the age, we will celebrate Christ’s return to judge the earth and to take His saints to be with Him that they also may be where He is, as He promised to His apostles and other disciples and rest of all His followers [Jesus’ Second Coming; Greek: Parousia] (Isaiah 40:10; 62:11; Matthew 16:27; 24:30-31; 25:31-32; John 14:3; Acts 1:11;  Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 22:7, 12);
  • Again, we will celebrate with Him a life that will never end (that is, when we all get to heaven) by being with Him for ever and ever in eternity; and so on.

As the followers of Christ across the world celebrate the resurrection of Christ from the dead this week, it is our opportunity to commemorate and celebrate the resurrection of Christ with our fellow-believers as well as with our non-believing friends and neighbors so that we can share the love of Christ with them. In the light of the current time-frame, which follows the passion week and resurrection Sunday, let us focus our meditation on the theme of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, which will definitely empower our day-to-day walk with Jesus and will strengthen our relationship with the resurrected Christ and with our fellow believers in the Lord. The Lord also has blessed us with a pertinent Scripture passage (2 Timothy 2:8-13 / mentioned above) for our meditation, which mainly focuses on two important matters in connection with our spiritual journey: (i) Christ’s resurrection from the dead and (ii) Christ’s followers’ benefits out of His resurrection, as per the revelation Apostle Paul received.

Although the enemies of the Gospel of Grace that comes through Jesus Christ opposed and arrested and crucified and put an end to Jesus’ earthly life and ministry, although He was buried in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40), the Lord God Almighty raised Him from the dead, which is the gospel Apostle Paul preached to untold numbers of people ever since he had his encounter with Jesus Christ while he was on his way to Damascus to persecute the followers of Christ (2 Timothy 2:8; also refer to Acts 9:1-19). Paul made it very clear about the gospel he believed and preached as he was writing to the church at Corinth: Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you … that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). We, as the chosen people of God, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, and God’s special possession (1 Peter 2:9), are also called to preach the same Gospel of Grace that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His apostles preached. If we do so, the Lord who has risen from the dead will reward us for all the hard work we do as the ministers in the vineyard of God’s Kingdom (Matthew 20:1; Revelation 22:12). According to Apostle Paul, the resurrected Lord is the One who rewards His faithful servants, as it is written to the believers in Ephesus: The Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free (Ephesians 6:8; also refer to: Matthew 16:27; 1 Corinthians 3:8; Colossians 3:23-24; Revelation 22:12). The Lord also assured His followers that Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done (Revelation 22:12).

Let us continue to meditate upon the theme of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. In fact, Jesus Himself foretold His disciples about the things that would happen in His life during the last days of His earthly life:

Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life” (Matthew 20:17-19)

Thus, the resurrection of Christ from among the dead is not just an idea or a rumor that spread across the world, especially among the followers of Christ, right from the first century AD onwards. The Jews and their Sanhedrin (a combined force of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, teachers of the law, the priests [including the high priest and the chief priests]), together with the Roman regime tried with the best of their abilities and resources and made every possible arrangements to stop the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Matthew 27:62-66). As part of securing the tomb where Jesus’ body was kept, a large stone rolled and kept at the entrance of the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid (Matthew 27:60, 66; 28:2; Mark 15:46b; 16:3-4; Luke 24:2; John 20:1); securely sealed the tomb from outside with the seal of the Roman regime (Matthew 27: 66); and posted powerful Roman soldiers outside the tomb to guard the tomb (Matthew 27:64-66; 28:4, 11-15). However, nothing could stop the plan of God in raising Jesus up from the dead. As Jesus foretold His disciples and other faithful followers, He rose from the dead on the third day (Matthew 12:40; 20:17-19; Luke 24:46). Yes, the resurrection of Christ from among the dead is true and it is real! Jesus Himself said: I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:18). Elsewhere it is written as it is said by Jesus: I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25a).

The Holy Scriptures (the Bible) very clearly speaks about the resurrection of Christ from among the dead. For instance, on the first day of the week after Jesus’ death and burial, when the women came to the tomb with the spices they had prepared to anoint Jesus’ body (Mark 16:1; Luke 23:26a; 24:1), the angel who was at the tomb said to them, Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay (Matthew 28:5-6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1-9). Apostle Peter confronted the onlookers, who gathered around him and John, saying: Men of Israel … the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One … You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this (Acts 3:12-15). Apostle Paul stated that many who witnessed the life and ministry of Jesus Christ saw the resurrected Lord as He appeared to them after His resurrection from the dead, including to Paul himself who was not part of Jesus’ followers during His earthly ministry:

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve … he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time … then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (1 Corinthians 15:3b-8)

Apostle Paul stated again that

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man (1 Corinthians 15:19-21)

Luke, as an evangelist and the ministry companion of Apostle Paul and the author of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, quoted from the sermon of Apostle Peter that God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him (Acts 2:24).

Apostle John testified about the reverential relationship between Jesus and His apostles before and after Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-3)

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, remember what prophet Isaiah prophesied about seven hundred years prior to Jesus’ crucifixion on the Mount of Golgotha [also known as the Mount of Calvary] for our sake (Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22; Luke 23:33; John 19:17) that He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Thus, through His death, He brought us healing for our body and soul as well as life to our soul and spirit, as Jesus said: I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this (John 11:25-26). Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). As Christ suffered, died, rose from the dead, and lives for ever and ever as He foretold His disciples (Luke 24:46-47); we, His followers, also will rise from the dead and live with Him forever and ever, as Apostle Paul mentioned: Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God (Romans 6:8-10).

As we conclude this meditation, let us trust in the Lord because the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is for us, so that we can follow our risen Lord without any fear and live our lives worthy of our calling. Jesus assured His followers that He will return to take them (the saints) to be with Him where He is, as He foretold: If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:3). Prophet Hosea prophesied that He will come to us who wait upon Him: Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth (Hosea 6:3). Therefore, as prophet Hosea mentioned, let us acknowledge the Lord and invite Him into our lives as the Lord and Savior of our life, so that we will be able to live with Him for ever and ever in eternity.

Dear friend in the Lord, as of now, we have a risen Savior to trust and to take refuge in times of trouble (Psalm 27:1; Psalm 46:1; 1 Corinthians 10:13). Believe that God can deliver us from any power and authority however strong they are. There is no power that can keep us in bondage forever that God cannot break and deliver us, there is no large enough stone that God cannot roll away in order to free us from the bondage of the tomb. If any of us are going through a tough time in life, believe that He is there for us regardless of how great or strong the enemy or the situation is. If any of us are not yet a follower of Christ, God wanted to free us from the bondage of sin and death and give us a new life in Christ Jesus (Jeremiah 29:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; Ephesians 2:6). Apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy: 8 Remember Jesus Christ, a descended from David, was raised from the dead. This is the gospel I [Paul] preach … 11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself (2 Timothy 2:8-13). Do not be afraid but trust in God. Believe in God and believe in Jesus His Son, as Jesus said: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me (John 14:1 [Isaiah 41:10]). For Christ is risen! Yes, He is risen indeed! May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!