Written by Marc Wagner
Over the last couple months, we’ve been going through the many signs that Jesus performed in the Gospel of John.
At John 20:1-18 all of Jesus’ life and ministry, the whole reason he came from above, climaxes on the first day of the week. John begins bringing his writing to a conclusion by highlighting the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. John, Peter, and Mary Magdalene are all at the scene to witness the physical proof that he indeed has been raised (v.7-8,16,18). Again, an important lens to read the resurrection story through is John 20:30-31. This was “written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” We must not forget the purpose of John in including the resurrection.
To briefly reflect on the resurrection, we could approach it from three angles: evidence, evangelism, and spiritual life.
As evidence, the resurrection is proof of his divine identity and that his death was a death to atone for sin. “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority” (John 8:28, Rom 1:4).
The resurrection is evangelistic in that the gospel of John, as well as the other gospels, included testimony to the resurrection as one of its main features to provide the hearers’ assurance of divine redemption. “[Jesus] was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.” (Rom 4:25).
The resurrection is related to spiritual life because it is every believer’s source and standard for a holy life. Every aspect of the Christian life, from beginning to end, is somehow associated with the resurrection. “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4).
Be encouraged by the evidence of the resurrection to trust in who Jesus is, what he has taught and promised, and that his death was sufficient and accepted to forgive all your sins. Let us aim to “be holy as he is holy” because “our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Messiah, who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.” (Phil 3:20-21).
