The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body.  After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken (John 2:18-22 NIV).

As Easter approaches, we begin to focus on the resurrection of Jesus, the foundation of our Christian faith. 1 Corinthians 15:17 says that if Jesus has not risen, our faith is worthless, and we are still in our sins. Had Jesus not died on the cross and been resurrected on the third day, there would be no atonement for our sins, no salvation, and no Christianity.

On the evening before His death, Jesus washed His disciple’s feet and shared the Passover meal with them. While they were at the table eating, Jesus identified His betrayer, Judas Iscariot. Jesus told the disciples that He would be with them only a little longer. “Where I am going,” He said, “you cannot come” (John 13:33). Then, He promised not to leave them as orphans and that He would ask the Father to give them another Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with them forever (John 14:15-18).

Later that evening, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus agonized in prayer over what He would soon face on the cross (Mark 14:35-36). Judas, the betrayer, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, scribes, and elders. He went to Jesus, saying, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him, a prearranged signal identifying Him to the crowd. The men seized Jesus, arrested Him, and took Him to the high priest. Meanwhile, the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were trying to find evidence against Jesus to have Him put to death but found none (Mark 14:55). Finally, some men came forward and gave false testimony against Him:

“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands’” (Mark 14:58).

The men misinterpreted Jesus’ words, for He was not talking about Herod’s temple but His body.[i] The high priest asked Jesus, “What do you have to say about these charges? Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”

“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death (Mark 14:62-64).

Early in the morning, the chief priests met with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin to discuss their plans. However, they did not have the authority to inflict capital punishment, and Jesus had to be sentenced by a Roman leader (John 18:31).[ii] So they led Jesus away and took Him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea.   

“Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. The chief priests accused him of many things (Mark 15:2-3).

Pilate then asked Him, “Have You no answer? What about these charges they are bringing against you?” Jesus never said a word, and Pilate was amazed. Meanwhile, the Passover celebration was underway, and by custom, Pilate released a Jewish prisoner chosen by the people. Among the prisoners was Barabbas, a rebel who had committed murder in an uprising. When the crowd of people gathered, Pilate gave them a choice between Jesus and Barabbas. “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” he asked. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Barabbas released instead of Jesus. Pilate asked the crowd, “What should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

“Crucify him!” they shouted. “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:13-14)

According to John 19:12, Pilate feared that the Jewish leaders would report him to Caesar if he released Jesus. Pilate, wanting to pacify the crowd, yielded to their demands and released Barabbas to them. He then had Jesus flogged and handed Him over to be crucified (Mark 15:15). The Roman soldiers brought Him to Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull), and they nailed Him to the cross. Two criminals were crucified with Jesus, one on His right and the other on His left. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified Him, and at three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus took His last breath (Mark 15:25;33-37).

Following Jesus’ death, Joseph of Arimathea, an honored member of the Sanhedrin and a secret disciple of Jesus, assumed responsibility for His burial. As evening approached, Joseph went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, Pilate summoned the centurion to verify His death. When the centurion confirmed that Jesus was dead, Pilate gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped Him in linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb carved out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the tomb’s entrance (Mark 15:43-46).

Early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb with burial spices and saw that the stone had been rolled away. When they entered the tomb, the frightened women saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe.    

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him” (Mark 16:6).

The risen Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons (Mark 16:9). Over the course of forty days, the risen Jesus appeared to the apostles several times, proving to them that He was alive and teaching them about God’s kingdom (Acts 1:3). The risen Jesus also appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). Once, while He was eating with the apostles, the risen Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the Father’s promise, the outpour of the Holy Spirit.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Afterward, the apostles watched as the risen Jesus was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight (Acts 1:9-11). Ten days after the Ascension, the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost on all believers in Christ (Acts 2:1-4).[iii] On that day in Jerusalem, Peter preached boldly, and about three thousand people were baptized and added to the church (Acts 2:41). Today Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, where He has authority over heaven and earth (1 Peter 3:22). Praise be to God that not even death could keep its hold on Jesus (Acts 2:24). Now we can rejoice in our salvation, for Jesus has risen, just as He said He would (Mark 8:31).

[i] Mark 14:58  Life Application Study Bible

[ii] Mark 15:1    Life Application Study Bible

[iii] Acts 2:1        Life Application Study Bible