Resurrection Sunday
- Eljoh Hartzer, MTh
- Feb 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 20
He is risen - Jesus conquered death and rose again. Resurrection Sunday is the joyful celebration day marking the finale of the Easter timeline. Jesus Christ proved Himself to be the Promised Messiah after all. He did not stay in the tomb; He rose and walked among His people once more.
Hint: At the very end of this article is a free worksheet for you to personally and prayerfully engage deeper
This series of articles will cover the key events of Easter in the order that they're celebrated in in the Christian tradition.
Click the following titles to read about the true meaning of Easter and each day of Holy Week:
What happened on Easter Sunday
In the broader story of the Easter timeline, this is right after Jesus' crucifixion, Still Saturday, and before He spent forty more days on Earth.
Easter is not only about the cross, the pain, the suffering. It is also - and crucially - about the resurrection. Sometimes we miss this part...
On Sunday morning, the women who were part of Jesus' followers went to His grave with perfume and things that they prepared at their homes on Sabbath. Wanting to anoint His body and bless Him, they walked through the garden to the tomb where He was lying two days before.
To their surprise, the stone covering the entrance was rolled away. First, they worried that someone might have come and taken the body, so they rushed closer. Then they saw angels who told them where Jesus was. Another Gospel says there was a Gardener there - who was Jesus Himself.
He was not in the tomb anymore. He rose from the dead.
Journaling Prompts about Easter Sunday
What in your life represents a tomb?
Invite God's freedom into your tomb and sit in His presence.
Write down how you feel, reading about Jesus' resurrection.
Make a floral or herb bouquet and let it dry somewhere to release a pleasing aroma, like the herbs the women took to the grave.
This day in the Gospels
Matthew 28:1-2 (NIV)
1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
(Read the full account of everything that happened on Resurrection Sunday in Matthew 28)
Mark 16-1-3 (NIV)
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
(Read the full account of everything that happened on Resurrection Sunday in Mark 16)
Luke 24:13-16 (NIV)
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
(Read the full account of everything that happened on Resurrection Sunday in Luke 24)
John 20:19-20 (NIV)
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
(Read the full account of everything that happened on Resurrection Sunday in John 20)
Understanding this Easter day in the Old Testament
The Bible tells one beautiful story: God's big story. From the beginning, it is clear that God is the Creator. All of life is from Him and fullness of life is in Him.
Throughout the years, God's special messengers, the prophets, did have the power to resurrect some people from the dead. In all of Scripture it is clear that God is in the business of LIFE, while other sources like darkness or sin are in the business of bringing DEATH and DECAY.
One striking image that comes to mind is Ezekiel 37 & the valley of dry bones:
1The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
The Resurrection of Christ brought all of our dry bones to life. He died so that we may live.
1 Peter 1:3-4 - "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade."
If you've been wanting to dive deeper into the Bible yourself, I want to invite you to consider the following encounter tool:
A Prayer on Resurrection Sunday
Dear God, as I reflect on Sunday of Easter, would You be here with me? Jesus, You defeated death, died in my place, yet You rose again. Help me to live in this victory and not get stuck in dullness and death when You've already freed me. Amen.
Next up: The following day in Holy Week
Now, for our final stop in the Easter series of articles - We will now consider what the book of Acts says about Jesus spending forty days with His followers between His resurrection and His ascension.
Explore other events in the Easter story:
Below is a free printable worksheet PDF to go deeper with today's topic on the Easter timeline:
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