Resurrection

The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and the pollen is persistently present. It is time to return to the outdoors, enjoy the sunshine, and revel in the bursts of life nature displays. Spring has sprung!

One of the most wonderful parts of spring is the return of life we witness in nature. In the autumn season, leaves change colors, wither, and fall to the ground (leaving us with large piles to rake and dispose of). In the winter, the trees remain barren, and the grass is withered. Many creatures hide away, unseen and unheard for a season.  

In the spring, however, a resurrection of sorts occurs. The flowers bloom with dazzling, bright colors. The grass returns to its former green glory. The absent animals are now buzzing, flying, and crawling around their habitat. Although it seems like nature died for a time, in the spring, it comes back to life, amazing us with its natural beauty and splendor. 

I love that Easter always comes in the springtime. It is fitting to celebrate Christ’s resurrection during a season when life springs up around us. At the time of this devotional’s publishing, we just walked through the season of Lent, when we remembered the passion of Jesus. We remembered His suffering and His sacrifice that has made us whole. 

Then, three days ago, we celebrated Christ’s resurrection! Christians all over the world gathered with their churches and their families to remember the central, foundational truth of our faith: “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). We sang, ate, fellowshipped, worshipped, heard the Word of God proclaimed, and reveled in the fact that “According to his great mercy, [God] has caused us to be born again to a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). 

However, we can’t get to the resurrection without there first being the cross. We can’t celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world without Him first being slain for the sins of the world. On the pathway to the empty tomb, we cannot walk past or ignore Calvary, for there would be no resurrection without there first being death. 

Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:36: “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.” Here, Paul is speaking of the bodily resurrection of believers. He uses the analogy of planting, saying that a seed seems to die before it can spring up in the life of a plant. For us to experience the resurrection Jesus now promises us, He first had to die. The Son of God, who created the soil, water, and sun that give plants growth, had to die Himself. 

Jesus did not stay dead, however, for the cross gave way to the resurrection. Because of the sacrifice of our spotless Lamb, He is now the righteousness of all who trust in Him. Calvary leads us to the empty tomb. 

A few years ago, my dad and I visited The Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. There were many unique exhibits there, and I learned a lot about this great preacher and the fruitful ministry the Lord blessed him with. 

However, my favorite part of the experience was at the end of the main exhibit in the museum. To exit this portion of the building, you must walk through a walkway shaped like a cross. Once you cross this path, you are brought face-to-face with a massive painting of the empty tomb. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized, through this visual, that the cross was not the end. It leads to the empty tomb. 

Praise God that Christ did not stay dead, but He rose again. He has defeated death, swallowing it up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54). Although the cross meant unimaginable pain and suffering for our Lord, He returned victorious and allows us, as His children, to share in His victory over death. 

So, as you regard the wonder of spring, may you remember what God is pointing us to: death does not win. It is not forever, but there is coming a day when death will be no more (Revelation 21:4). Until that day, we trust in Christ’s promises He has guaranteed by His resurrection and share this good news with the world, that they might also have eternal life.