Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” – John 11:25

Jesus made the above proclamation moments before calling Lazarus out from the dead. At this time, Mary, his sister was in dismay and was moved to question his promptness to coming to their aid. Unbeknownst to her, she was speaking to the a God who had power over death. So Jesus said to her “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” Shortly afterwards, Jesus backed his claim by raising Lazarus from the dead. What was his first demonstration over death set the pace for what was going to be a cornerstone to the faith of all believers – the resurrection of all believers who die in Christ.

Christ’s death removed the barrier of death that stood between between God and us. It took away the power death has over all mankind and gave us the blessing of resurrection after death. Apostle Paul sums it up succinctly in 1 Corinthians 15-55-57 – O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christians everywhere, including us, Easter Sunday is a wonderful occasion to celebrate Christ’s victory over death. As Christians, we hold that Jesus Christ rose from the dead bodily. We think that on the third day, the tomb was empty, that the grave clothes were still inside because Jesus had unexpectedly ascended out of them and left them there as a tangible reminder of his power to rise from the dead, and that by the time the angel moved the stone, he had already left the tomb. He’d already disappeared, walking straight through the walls. And he then provided numerous eyewitnesses with abundant and convincing evidence of his existence. That’s what we believe.

This Easter Sunday, may we remind ourselves the victory we have in Christ and hold on steadfast to the faith we so profess. This is the word of God.