4/20/25 Weekly Bible Lesson: Resurrection of Christ

Background of Text — For many people, the search for the meaning of life is an endless pursuit. What will give life meaning? Is it financial success? A nice retirement nest egg? Material possessions? Maybe meaning comes from an important career. Or maybe it’s a relationship; finding that special someone will make life complete and fill it with meaning and purpose. But it’s all an illusion. None of those things really get to the heart of the meaning of life. Matthew makes it quite clear what truly gives our lives meaning in chapters 27 and 28 of his gospel. 

Understanding 

Imagine being alive during Jesus’s time on earth — walking beside Him, listening to His parables, watching all those amazing miracles unfold before your very eyes. You heard His skillful responses to the traps of the religious leaders, His lessons about love and forgiveness, and, perhaps most importantly, His teachings on the Kingdom of Heaven. Then one terrible day, you stand at the foot of the cross and watch Him die. You would probably be thinking, “This isn’t part of the plan! This can’t be the end of the story!” In the moment, it would be difficult to see the meaning of any of it. 

Yet at the very moment Jesus gave up His spirit, the thick, heavy curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The sanctity of the Most Holy Place was violated, and the meaning was clear: its services were no longer needed. In the April 6 lesson, we learned from the Hebrews writer we now have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place because of Jesus’s shed blood (Hebrews 10:19). We no longer need an intermediary hidden behind a curtain to act on our behalf. We have direct access to God because of Jesus’s death on the cross! There is meaning in the death of Christ. 

Of course, His death wasn’t the end of the story. God was still at work. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead, making not only the Holy of Holies unnecessary, but the entire temple as well. John notes in his gospel that after the resurrection, the disciples remembered Jesus’s words to the Jews: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19). The temple He had spoken of was His body. There was no longer any need for daily animal sacrifices offered up in a manmade temple. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands” (Acts 17:24). 

One of the most beautiful aspects of this story involves the first people to witness the resurrection. Jesus did not reveal Himself to the Pharisees to gloat over them. He did not reveal Himself to Pilate or to Herod. He didn’t even go to His disciples right away. The first people to witness the risen Christ were Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary.” Matthew writes, “Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him” (Matthew 28:9). Why would Jesus show Himself to these two women first? Considering how women were viewed during that time, it doesn’t seem to add up. The testimony of a woman would not have carried much weight. As witnesses go, the two Marys were less than ideal. Nevertheless, they were the first to see the risen Lord, and they responded exactly the way they should: they worshiped Him. 

After they worshiped Him, they did exactly the right thing once more: they obeyed Him. Jesus told them two things: 1) do not be afraid, and 2) go and tell others. We read later in Matthew 28 that it was the chief priests and elders who were fearful, bribing soldiers to hide the truth, and spread false rumors. Christ’s followers, on the other hand, were vindicated, fearless, and set free. It was a day for rejoicing, not for fear. It was a day for sharing the good news, not for keeping secrets. There was meaning in the death of the Christ, but even more meaning in His resurrection. 

We still haven’t reached the end of the story. As Christians, we eagerly await His second coming. In the meantime, we should daily respond to the resurrection in the same way that the two Marys did. 

First, we worship the One who died for us and then had the power to walk out of His own grave. We serve a living Jesus, and that should prompt us to offer genuine and joyful praise every single day. 

Second, we live a fearless life knowing that Christ has conquered the grave. Even more than David we have reason to declare, “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1)? 

Finally, we go and tell others the incredible Gospel message. We are to share what we have seen and heard. In doing so, we are not only showing love to our neighbors, but we are also rejoicing and celebrating in the resurrection and the freedom we have. 

Christians never have to go searching for the meaning of life — it is all bound up in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To God be the glory!