Rising from the Dead - Jesus' Go-To(-Heaven) Move

Harry Houdini was an American-Hungarian magician who became famous for his spectacular escape acts. For example, he was tied up with iron chains and put into a water tank. If he wouldn't have freed himself in time, he would have died. People loved him because his acts were a combination of thrill and illusion. Now, let's imagine raising the bar a little bit and putting it to a whole new level. Imagine that the water tank is a stone cave with no hidden switches or exits. Imagine that, instead of chains, the artist would have been nailed to a wooden structure, with actual nails, no fake props. Oh, and by the way, imagine the "magician" is dead. Well, THAT is not just a new level, it's a whole new dimension. 

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:1-6, NRSVCE)

What Matthew reports on can also be found in the accounts of the other three evangelists: Mark, Luke, and John. Yes, even secular writings mention this story, for example in Flavius Josephus' reports on the history of Israel under the Romans. 

During his life, Jesus was known as a great teacher, a rabbi, philosopher, friend, miracle worker, and many more things. Those things alone would not have made him special. If it would only be for those things, we would still use the Roman calendar and the infamous 2020 would have been 2773 (which is way more awkward to say, in my opinion). But we call the current year 2021 AD, with AD standing for anno domini, Latin for "year of the Lord". The Lord mentioned is not just any lord or a certain Roman emperor. No, it is indeed Jesus Christ, Lord of all creation. But why focusing on Jesus and not one of the other miracle workers? Because Jesus rose from the dead. He overcame what ended the career of any other popular figure throughout time: death. 

One might ask now: What did Jesu do during the three days that he has been dead? The first letter of Peter gives us the answer.

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. (1. Peter 3:18-20, NRSVCE)

To bring it all together, Jesus rose from the dead so that we can rise one day, too. Through his sacrifice and his victory over death, we can one day reach the ultimate goal of the Plan of Salvation: exaltation and being reunited with our Heavenly Parents.

Media Sources:
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