Jesus – resurrection
For Christians, the resurrectionThe Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after the crucifixion. The rising from the dead of believers on the Last Day in a new, or risen, life. is the belief that Jesus came back to life three days after he died on the cross. The Gospel of Luke (24:1–9) explains how Jesus’ followers found out that he had been resurrected:
- On the Sunday after Jesus’ death, Jesus’ female followers went to visit his tomb.
- A stone had been covering the tomb’s entrance. However, the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty.
- Two men appeared to the women in gleaming clothes. The women were frightened but the men said:
Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’ (Luke 24:5–7).
- The female followers then returned to tell Jesus’ apostleOne who was sent out by Jesus to preach the gospel or 'good news'. and other people that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Belief in the resurrection is very important to many Christians because:
- the resurrection shows that Jesus defeated death
- it is seen as proof of life after death
- the resurrection also proves God’s omnipotencePossessing the greatest power. and omnibenevolentThe belief that God is all loving.
In the biblical book called 1 Corinthians, St PaulFormerly known as Saul, a first-century convert to Christianity who went on to spread the news about Jesus Christ. emphasises how important it is to believe in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He explains that he himself saw Jesus after his resurrection, and that Jesus appeared to the apostles and over 500 other people.
Paul then tells people that Jesus’ resurrection promises the possibility of life after death:
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
Question
After dying on the cross, Jesus was reincarnated. True or false?
False. He was resurrected. Reincarnation is when something is reborn and starts life again, often in a different form. Jesus is believed to have come back to life, in the same form and at the same point in his life as when he died.