In Matthew 28:8-10, we read about this amazing event:
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.
What Does “He Is Risen” Mean?
The phrase “He Is Risen” mean that Jesus Christ has literally risen from the dead and is alive today.
In the Bible, an angel at Jesus’ empty tomb says to the women who had come to annoint his body, “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”
Jesus was most certainly dead when they laid him in the grave on Good Friday. He died on the cross in front of a great crowd of people. But when the women came to the tomb, the angel joyfully proclaimed, “He is risen, he is not here!”
The glorious meaning is that Jesus has risen from the dead, paid for our sins, defeated death, and conquered Satan. It also means that he is now in heaven with the Father and His Holy Spirit (John 20:17).
9 Reasons Why “He Is Risen” Changes EVERYTHING
1. He Is Risen Means Jesus Is Alive
This may sound like I’m stating the obvious but think deeply about this for a moment. Paul said that if the resurrection didn’t happen, we are most to be pitied. Everything we’ve believed and built our lives upon is a horrendous trick, a lie of demonic proportions.
But the resurrection of Jesus IS true, which means that Jesus is alive, which means that everything he promised will happen. It’s not a myth, fairy tale, or children’s tale. Christ is risen from the dead and is achieving EVERYTHING he said he would.
Yes, things may be falling to pieces. Yes, life may be full of struggle and toil and darkness and despair. But there is good news: Jesus is alive, brought back to life by the hand of God.
If Jesus is alive, then we are never without hope.
2. It Means Jesus Is Reigning
Our risen Lord is just that – Lord. He sits on the throne of heaven, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our lives and the world may seem insanely chaotic but there is nothing outside of the sovereign rule of King Jesus.
Satan, every demon, and every nation may plot against us and the Lord, and yet Jesus responds like this:
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision (Psalm 2:4).
Nothing can stop our Lord from accomplishing his good plans.
How many times has someone said, “God is dead,” only to be proven wrong again and again?
Politics can’t stop Jesus. Our sin and weakness can’t stop him. Satan can’t stop him. Everything and everyone must bow before the risen and ruling Christ.
There is no better news than that.
3. He Is Risen Means A Man Sits Upon The Throne
This is utterly mind-boggling. The incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ mean that a man, a human, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, is seated on the throne of heaven.
God is not distant, unfeeling, and unable to sympathize. We have a king who became like us. He knows hardship, grief, sadness, and rejection. Jesus the King is high and exalted, Jesus the man draws near to the brokenhearted.
Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8).
Christ knows the struggle and striving and suffering that come with trying to follow God in a fallen, broken world. Yes, he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
But he’s also a man who still has scars on his hands, feet, and side.
4. The Risen Lord Means The Penalty For Sin Has Been Paid
In Romans 6, we’re told that the wages of sin is death. Those who love wickedness must face the just consequences of their choice. Our rightly deserved punishment is both spiritual and physical death.
When Jesus rose from the dead, it demonstrated that the penalty for sin – death – had been satisfied. Nothing else was needed, the price was paid, all had been accomplished.
Death no longer had a claim on Jesus. It could no longer demand that wages be paid to it.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote:
The Resurrection is the great announcement of the momentous fact that Christ has finished the work He came to do. He is no longer “under the law.” He is back in glory. Why? Because He has done everything that the Law could demand. Now the Law has exhausted itself upon Him, and He will die “no more.”
When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” he was not exaggerating or adding theatrics. It was a beautiful statement of objective truth.
John Piper puts it this way:
The Bible says he was raised not just after the blood-shedding, but by it. This means that what the death of Christ accomplished was so full and so prefect that the resurrection was the reward and vindication of Christ’s achievement in death.
5. The Resurrection Of Jesus Means He Will Make All Things New
In the song “All Things New,” Andrew Peterson writes:
So hold on to the promise The stories are true That Jesus makes all things new
Jesus will come again, and when he comes he will make ALL things new. Every tear will be wiped away, sin will be eradicated, and this rickety, run-down, sin-stained world will be made new.
No more cancer. No more depression. No more Boko Haram or abortion or school shootings. Right now we live in a dark and dying world, but the king is returning.
Thank God that this world is not our final home. Thank God our life doesn’t consist of eating, drinking, and then dying. The risen Christ will make all things new.
6. He Is Risen Means We Will Receive New Bodies
Christ is the first fruits of the harvest that is coming.
Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven (1 Corinthians 15:49).
Right now, our bodies decay. Fall apart. Go to pieces. We are afflicted with migraines, heart disease, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, and ALS. But this won’t always be the case. Christ will return and we will receive new, resurrection bodies that don’t feel the crippling effects of sin.
Our destiny is not to be souls without bodies, floating around in heaven. Just as Christ received a new body when he rose from the grave, so we will receive new, immortal, resurrection bodies.
Bodies that are not and cannot be broken.
That is such good news.
7. The Resurrection Means We Have A Sympathetic Great High Priest
The risen Jesus is our Great High Priest, taking us into the Most Holy Place, and praying on our behalf. Because he also suffered, he is able to sympathize with our weakness.
He knows our frame, knows that we are dust, and strengthens us accordingly.
Jesus is near to us, helping us, praying for us. He brings our requests to God, purifying and sanctifying them. Because of our sympathetic great high priest, we can draw near with confidence.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15–16).
8. Jesus Is Alive Means We Have The Power Of The Holy Spirit
Now that Jesus is alive, he gives the Holy Spirit to all who believe in Him.
Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear (Acts 2:32-33)
Praise God, the Holy Spirit is no longer reserved for prophets and mighty men and women. He comes to all who believe, weak and strong, young and old, mature and immature.
Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we are brought into a relationship the triune God.
Jesus Christ sends the Holy Spirit to us and also brings into the presence of the Father.
9. He Is Risen Means We Have Hope
Though we struggle and flail and stumble now, we have hope. Though we are pressed and afflicted, we are not destroyed. Though we walk through the Valley of Death, we will fear no evil.
We can let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also, the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still, Jesus has risen from the dead.
How was Paul able to sustain hope when he lay beaten and broken in prison cells? How was John able to be hopeful while exiled on the Isle of Patmos?
Because they both had seen the risen Savior. They knew that their King was alive, that he was with them, and that nothing could stop his good plans.
Where In The Bible Does It Say He Has Risen?
We’ve already looked at a number of Bible verses about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But for further encouragement, let’s look at some additional verses about the Jesus being raised from the dead.
Luke 24:6-7 (NIV) – While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!
Luke 24:9-11 (NIV) – When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.
Mark 16:14 (NIV) – Later, Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
John 20:26-29 (NIV) – Eight days later, his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Luke 24:36-43 (NIV) – While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.”
FAQ About Jesus Dying and Rising Again
Why do we say ‘he is risen, indeed’ on Easter?
We say “He is risen, indeed” on Easter because we are celebrating the fact that Jesus is not dead, but is alive today and will someday return again.
Why was Jesus Christ’s resurrection possible?
The resurrection of Christ was possible because He fully paid the penalty for our sins. The wages of sin is death. Jesus paid those “wages” and so death no longer had any claim on Him and God raised Him from the dead!
What is our hope through Jesus’ resurrection?
The Bible tells us that through Jesus’ resurrection we can be forgiven of our sins and experience a new life with God. We are also assured by the Scriptures that death will not have the final word. We can experience eternal life in heaven with God. What a glorious truth!
