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Christianity depends upon the resurrection of Jesus because it is the greatest miracle Jesus performed. Jesus did many other miracles before his death which were witnessed by thousands of people. John says Jesus did so many “works” that the world could not contain the amount of books should all of them be recorded (John 21:25).
Jesus’ closest followers did nothing after his death. Even though he did all those miracles, people’s lives were not altered. They simply experienced the miracles, he died, and they went on with their lives.
Then Jesus rose from the dead with a new body. People like Peter, Thomas, and Mary experienced Jesus in his new body and their lives were changed.
The resurrection is the most important miracle Jesus performed. It is important for the world at large as well as for you. Jesus allowed paralyzed people to walk and blind people to see. Defection and decay is not what God ultimately intends for you and me. He intends for us to be healthy and have all we need.
He healed a few people as a way of demonstrating his love for the whole world. Furthermore, his miracles were billboards previewing that he will one day rid the whole earth of all corruption.
The resurrection proves that the greatest affect of decay and corruption—death—has been overcome and will be overcome (1 Corinthians 15:26). His resurrection is his invitation for you to freely join him and receive power to feel, think, and live as you were truly created to.
The resurrection is the most meaningful miracle Jesus performed. Lesslie Newbigin helpfully divides miracles into two categories: 1. Some miracles focus on the effectiveness of Jesus’ ministry—bringing God’s reign and presence upon the earth at that time. 2. Some miracles emphasize the person and power behind them—functioning as sign posts saying, “What Jesus is doing comes from God.”
Some emphasize one characteristic over the other. The resurrection does both.
When Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana (John 2), no one understood who he really was. It demonstrated his power and that, perhaps, this person is special—but people were not clear about his identity.
Yet, Jesus’ resurrection clearly communicates that Jesus is God’s sent savior and king—and not for the Jews only, but for the whole world. His closest followers decisively understood who he was after the resurrection.
The resurrection is the greatest miracle because it does not merely restore, but recreates. Jesus’ other miracles restored what was broken back to its normal state—seeing eyes, hearing ears, living bodies, usable legs, etc. When Jesus resurrected, his broken and lifeless body was newly created and not merely restored back to its natural state—it went beyond its natural state.
If Jesus’ old body was a horse carriage, then his new body was a Lamborghini…except better. Jesus’ new body was imperishable, immortal, spiritual (though, still physical), and glorious. None of the other miracles were like this.
The miracle of Jesus’ resurrection displays God using his universe-creating power for our benefit. We easily overlook God’s awesome show of power in the universe because we have seen it too many times. In the resurrection, God uses that power for the unthinkable: He creates new bodies.
People may ignore God, but he does not ignore them. People may wish to forget God, but God wishes to forgive them. Jesus’ resurrection is a witness to God’s miraculous desire to forgive us our faults against him and to give us new hearts for him—and then a new body in the next age.
Thanks for Reading,
Aaron