Why Easter matters

People who only attend church once a year usually choose Easter Sunday. It’s ironic, because this is the service where we celebrate the one claim about Christ that most people have difficulty really believing: His resurrection from the dead. In our culture, there’s widespread acceptance of the fact that Jesus existed, that He taught nice things about how to live, and that He died on a Roman cross.  But people stumble over the assertion that He rose from the dead three days after His execution.

The resurrection is often treated like a legend, like Santa Claus. It’s fun to play along, pretending that it happened.  But most people don’t take it seriously or give time to consider what a resurrection really means. Our cultural practice of Easter seems to be—celebrate an old truth for a day, then live the rest of the year as if it’s a myth.

But this doesn’t work. There are three reasons why Easter matters more than just one day a year.

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First, Easter matters because the resurrection is central to Christianity. In his letter to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul raises a counter-factual question. What if Jesus were not raised from the dead? In other words, what if the Easter story is just a myth? 

Paul is clear. Christianity could not stand on its own without the resurrection. Preaching would be worthless, faith would be misplaced, the dead would be lost forever, and sins would not be forgiven (1 Corinthians 15:13–18). If Christ wasn’t raised from the dead, then all the suffering and trials endured by Christians over the centuries have been a pitiful waste, and we are of all people "most miserable" (1 Corinthians 15:19). 

Without the truth of Easter, there is no salvaging of Christianity. It would be a dead religion that has spent 2,000 years duping people into wasting their lives.

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Second, Easter matters because the resurrection really happened. People stumble over the resurrection because it seems incredible (it is a miracle, after all). But it’s impossible to explain the tumultuous events of the first century if Christ did not rise from the dead. 

Weak disciples suddenly became bold witnesses of the resurrection. Hardened skeptics, like Paul and Jesus’ own half-brother James, became so convinced in the resurrection that they gave their lives to tell others about it. Within just five weeks of Christ’s death, over 10,000 Jews confessed publicly their belief that Christ was resurrected in fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures. Almost overnight, the day of worship changed from Saturday (the Sabbath) which had been observed for 1,300 years to Sunday—the day of the Resurrection.   

Then, of course. there is the empty tomb. The corpse of Jesus has never been discovered, and no plausible natural explanation for this has ever been offered. The Romans and religious leaders lacked the motivation to steal the body of Jesus and hide it. If they could have produced Jesus’s corpse, they would have paraded it up and down the streets of Jerusalem and disposed of Christianity at its inception.  The disciples lacked the courage to steal the body by defeating an entire unit of Roman soldiers who had been assigned to guard the tomb.

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What accounts for so many rapid and dramatic changes in the disciples and in religious customs? Something dramatic happened that first Easter morning. The hand of Almighty God reached down and rescued His Son from the grave---just as He will do for all who trust in the  saving power of Jesus Christ.  Someone has said that Easter is God’s "Amen" to Christ’s "It is finished!"  

Easter cross (iStockphoto)

Finally, Easter matters because one day you’re going to die. I believe people are drawn to Easter because we all know, deep down, that death is coming for us one day. Like Job, we wonder: when I die, will I live again? That is the bottom-line question that we cannot stop asking because God has "placed eternity in our hearts" as the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us.  In each of us is an innate desire to live forever.

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Easter matters because it proclaims the truth that what we all inherently want is, in fact, possible. Because of what Christ has done, eternal life and unending joy are possible. This isn’t based on wishful thinking, but on an empirical fact. Jesus Christ is alive. He conquered death just as He promised He would. And one day, those who trust in Him will also enjoy eternal life.

After facing life-threatening cancer, pro-golfer Paul Azinger expressed his new perspective on life.  "I’ve made a lot of money since I’ve been on tour, but happiness is always temporary. The only way you will ever have true contentment is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  I’m not saying that nothing ever bothers me and I don’t have problems, but I feel like I’ve found the answer to the six-foot hole."

FILE – USA Captain Paul Azinger celebrates with the Ryder Cup in 2008. Credit: Action Images / Paul Childs Livepic (Action Images / Paul Childs  Livepic)

Easter is the answer to that "six foot hole" in the ground we will all experience one day.   Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies" (John 11:25).

That’s why Easter matters. That’s why Easter will always matter. 

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Dr. Robert Jeffress is senior pastor of the 16,000-member First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, and is a Fox News contributor. His daily radio program, "Pathway to Victory," is heard on more than 1,400 stations nationwide, and his weekly television program is seen in 195 countries around the world, including Fox Nation. Jeffress has appeared on many media outlets, such as "Fox & Friends," "Hannity," "Good Morning America" and "Real Time with Bill Maher." He is the author of nearly 30 books, including "Not All Roads Lead to Heaven," "Choosing the Extraordinary Life" and "18 Minutes with Jesus," is available nationwide. He lives in Dallas.