By Kelly Wise Valdes
Easter is a special and important day to us as Christians. Sometimes we celebrate Easter in April, however, this year we are celebrating Easter on Sunday, March 27.
Easter Sunday is the most significant celebration for Christians because it reminds us that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected. Some of our friends may see Easter as a fun day where they hunt for Easter eggs and get candy. But, the resurrection of Jesus is the real reason why this day is important to us as Christians.
I remember when I was a kid I heard the word resurrection a lot during the month of Easter. But I always wondered, “What does resurrection actually mean?”
The answer is actually very simple: Resurrection means to come back to life after death. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but He came back to life three days later. Jesus’ friends found His tomb was empty, and then they saw and even touched Him. He stayed on earth for another 40 days and then Jesus went back to heaven to be with God.
Many of my friends used to ask me why Jesus’ resurrection was so important. Why couldn’t Jesus pay for sin by dying on the cross and then stay dead?
If Jesus had only died and never come back to life then His death would have been like the normal death of a human. But the resurrection shows Jesus is both a man and the Son of God, with the power to come back to life.
Jesus Christ proved he was more powerful than sin and death by coming back to life. The resurrection shows God will give Christians life again after they die. Just like God gave Jesus a new body, God will one day give all believers perfect, new bodies to live forever with Him in Heaven. (See 1 Corinthians 15:35–57.)
This is the real Easter: an empty cross and an empty tomb. Jesus has risen!
1 Peter 1:21, “Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him; and so your faith and hope are in God.”
