The Glory of Easter!—Part 2

Quotations on the death and resurrection of Jesus

Here are some more beautiful thoughts on the theme of the death and resurrection of Jesus. As Christians, it’s such a core part of our lives, our purpose, our very existence.

I pray that the following quotes can be a powerful reminder of who we belong to and a tool to inspire those who are seeking truth to look to Jesus in their times of need and find everything they have longed for.

• Genesis ends with Joseph’s death. Deuteronomy ends with Moses’ death. Joshua ends with Joshua’s death. The Gospels end with Jesus’ resurrection. And that changes everything.—Tony Merida

• Come, and see the victories of the cross. Christ’s wounds are thy healings, His agonies thy repose, His conflicts thy conquests, His groans thy songs, His pains thine ease, His shame thy glory, His death thy life, His sufferings thy salvation.—Matthew Henry

• “What are we to make of Christ?” There is no question of what we can make of Him, it is entirely a question of what He intends to make of us. You must accept or reject the story.—C. S. Lewis

• Our God is a God of restoration, not destruction. He is a God of renewal, redemption, regeneration, resurrection. God loves to redo and restore. “I am making everything new!” he announced (Revelation 21:5). Gone will be hospital waiting rooms, gone will be tear-stained divorce papers. Gone will be loneliness, foreclosure notices, and abuse. Gone will be cancer. God will lay hold of every atom, emotion, insect, animal, and galaxy. He will reclaim every diseased body and afflicted mind. “I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).—Max Lucado

Maria: The world and the news are constantly throwing death at us. War and disease and poverty, the destructive forces, abound. But Jesus overcame death, He conquered death and rose again, and that is the hope we need to pass on to this suffering world. He lives, and because of that we—and they—can live too!

• It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things; but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.—C. S. Lewis

• Two thousand years ago, in the Middle East, an event occurred that permanently changed the world. Because of that event, history was split. Every time you write a date, you’re using the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as the focal point.—Rick Warren

Maria: I like that quote. Throughout the course of a day or week, I bet we all find ourselves writing dates with the year included. If every time I do so, it served as a reminder of the resurrection, I would be developing a habit that will help me place greater focus on hope, and is therefore a habit that is well worth developing!

• Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
  Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
  Stronger than the dark, the light;
  Stronger than the wrong, the right;
  Faith and Hope triumphant say
  Christ will rise on Easter Day!—Phillips Brooks

Maria: To reflect on how Jesus overcame death at His resurrection is so encouraging today, in the face of the negative, difficult, and evil things of this world. With all the problems of everyday life that each of us has to deal with, we need to know and be reminded that Jesus is with us every step of the way. He has overcome. We can rest in Him even in the midst of life’s battles.

• We can afford to follow Him to failure. Faith dares to fail. The resurrection and the judgment will demonstrate before all worlds who won and who lost. We can wait.—A. W. Tozer

• The church came into existence not to promulgate some political programme or campaign for moral renovation; but primarily to bear witness to the fact that God had intervened in history, raised Christ from the dead, and that forgiveness of sins could be received in his name.—John Lennox

• If a man can predict his own death and resurrection, and pull it off, I just go with whatever that man says.—Andy Stanley

• “Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men” (Lamentations 3:32–33). Does God ordain? Permit? Plan? Allow? The verb is not so much the important thing as the noun: God. And God is love.—Joni Eareckson Tada

• The resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s kingdom. … It is the decisive event demonstrating that God’s kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven. The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you’re now invited to belong to it.—N. T. Wright

Maria: Just think of that! We’re part of God’s kingdom that He launched on earth through the resurrection. That’s an important vision to keep in front of us. We’re not just people scattered around the world, trying to do the best we can for Him and to survive—we are part of His kingdom. And we are also His ambassadors. That’s a high calling!

• Belief in the resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian faith. It is the Christian faith.—George Carey

• The resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence. Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there. You can nail it to a cross, wrap it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise!—Clarence W. Hall

• Jesus lives! And because He lives, we live too. Death is conquered. He has overcome! Hallelujah! This life we live now is only the beginning! Let’s keep sharing this grand news with others in this hurting world. He has conquered death, and that is His promise of life for all who believe!—Joni Eareckson Tada

* * *

Jesus: My resurrection life within you is more actual energy than you’ve probably ever realized or utilized. You have the Spirit of My Father who raised Me from the dead dwelling within you, and just as He raised Me from the dead, so can He quicken your earthen frame by His Spirit. That’s one of My wonderful truths and promises I’ve given to you, and this resurrection power that is within you through Me has given you the same power to rise above. Claim it as yours!

* * *

Maria: Happy Easter to all God’s children! I hope this series of posts uplifts your hearts and focuses your vision on God’s kingdom and your personal invitation to it, delivered to you by Jesus. What a wonderful cause for celebration!