When the Sabbath (Saturday) was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week (Sunday), just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw an angel dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’” (Mark 16:1-6)1
I love reminding us of Easter’s good news all year long. Christ’s resurrection has changed everything and has ramifications for our everyday lives.
In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song; This Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace when fears are stilled, when strivings cease; My Comforter, my All in All; here in the love of Christ I stand.2
You may also like Muggeridge and Jesus’ Resurrection; Jefferson and Jesus’ Resurrection; Watergate “Proves” Jesus’ Resurrection; Learning from Katie Luther; Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension; Jesus’ Resurrection Gives Us Significance and Stability; Jesus’ Resurrection: Something New Begins; Churchill and Jesus’ Resurrection; Christ Is Everything: Resurrection Reality; God’s Love: New Every Morning (Part 1); Perpetua: Hero of Faith in the Strong Savior
Happy 50th Birthday to Cell Phones
April 3, 2023, marked a half-century of the handheld cellular mobile phone, and its inventor was Motorola engineer Martin “Marty” Cooper, now 97. The first cell phone was nicknamed “the Brick,” because it contained 30 circuit boards, stood nine inches tall, weighed 2.5 pounds, and took 10 hours to fully charge. It took Motorola another 10 years to release a commercial cell phone, but few could afford its $3,500 price tag (over $10,000 in today’s money). Now, there are more phones on Earth than people.3
Easter this year marks the 2,000+ year anniversary of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Now, Jesus’ followers have instant 24/7 access to speak directly to the only true and living Father of the universe through our risen Lord.4 Now we have a lifetime prepaid plan of salvation because of Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection.5 Now He guarantees that He will pray for and help His followers all through this life, that He will give us power to put away sinful thoughts, words, and deeds, and that when He returns He will give us imperishable glorified bodies like His.6 And the bucketloads of our benefits go on and on. Scripture says:
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human mind has conceived
the things God has prepared for those who love Him.
(1 Corinthians 2:9)
Eyewitness Accounts
Christians believe that Jesus rose from the grave because the Bible is a true and reliable record. We were not there to see these events ourselves, but by faith, given by God the Holy Spirit, we believe the Scripture accounts. Brooke Foss Westcott (1825–1901) said, “Taking all the evidence together, there is no single historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ.” Here is a summary of some of those accounts.7
| Event: Jesus Appears to | Date | New Testament References |
| 1. Women at the empty tomb | Resurrection Sunday | Matt 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-9 |
| 2. Mary Magdalene at the tomb | Resurrection Sunday | Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18 |
| 3. Other women | Resurrection Sunday | Matt 28:9-10 |
| 4. Two disciples on the Emmaus road | Resurrection Sunday | Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-32 |
| 5. Peter in Jerusalem | Resurrection Sunday | Luke 24:34; 1 Cor 15:5 |
| 6. 10 disciples in the upper room | Resurrection Sunday | Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25 |
| 7. 11 disciples in the upper room | Following Sunday | Mark 16:14; John 20:26-31; 1 Cor 15:5 |
| 8. 7 disciples fishing (Galilee) | One day at daybreak | John 21:1-23 |
| 9. 11 disciples (Galilee) | Some time later | Matt 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18 |
| 10. More than 500 people at one time | Some time later | 1 Cor 15:6 |
| 11. James (Jesus’ half-brother) | Some time later | 1 Cor 15:7 |
| 12. At His Ascension (Mount of Olives) | 40 days after resurrection | Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:3-9 |
| 13. Stephen at his martyrdom | Several years later | Acts 7:54-60 |
| 14. Paul on the Damascus road | Several years later | Acts 9:1-19; 22:3-16; 26:8-18, 1 Cor 9:1; 15:8f. |
| 15. John on the island of Patmos | Several years later | Revelation 1:10-19 |
Christ Did It All for Us
Many of these eyewitnesses were martyred because of their claim that they had seen, touched, and spoken to the risen Jesus in His physical body. Their lives would probably have been spared if they had denied what they witnessed. Even today, people die for various religious beliefs. But these men and women in the New Testament died for a set of historical facts. Even under severe pressure, they went to their graves rather than deny the facts of Christ’s life, teaching, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
I believe the Bible’s eyewitness accounts, and stake my hope on Jesus for this life and the next. If you have doubts, ask God the Holy Spirit to help you believe and to worship and serve Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death; this is the pow’r of Christ in me. From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand; ‘Til He returns or calls me home, here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand!8
Don’t you want to be included in Jesus’ plan of salvation?
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (made right with God), and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Christ will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ( Romans 10:9-13)
Notes (various Bible translations used): 1 Matt 28:2 says that an angel told the women of Jesus’ resurrection. Mark 16:5 says it was a young man. I have incorporated Matthew’s reading in my translation. 2 From “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. 3 Andrew Paul, “Happy 50th Birthday, Cell Phones,” Popular Science (4-3-23). 4 Heb 4:14-16. 5 Heb 9:11-27. 6 Rom 6:1-23, 8:33-39; Phil 3:20-21; 1 Cor 15:35-58. 7 This listing is expanded from Spirit of Reformation Study Bible, p. 1692. 8 From “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.
Note: Image is from a tapestry by Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502-1550). Photo by Jean-Pol Grandmont.