What is the resurrection of Jesus? (that He rose, and why it matters)

Q: What is the resurrection of Jesus? (that He rose — and why it matters)

The resurrection is the New Testament's claim that Jesus, after being crucified and buried, rose bodily from the dead on the third day — the tomb was empty and He appeared alive to many witnesses (; ; ; ). It is the center of the Christian faith, not a footnote. Paul stakes everything on it: 'if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins' (BSB, ; ). Why it matters: - It vindicates Jesus — He was 'declared to be the Son of God… by his resurrection from the dead' (). - It defeats death — Christ is 'the firstfruits', the guarantee that those who belong to Him will also be raised (; ). - It gives believers a 'living hope' ().

Topical

Short answer

The resurrection is the New Testament's claim that Jesus, after being crucified and buried, rose bodily from the dead on the third day, the tomb was empty and He appeared alive to many witnesses (Matthew 28:5; Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:6; John 20:16). It is the center of the Christian faith, not a footnote. Paul stakes everything on it: 'if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins' (BSB, 1 Corinthians 15:17; 1 Corinthians 15:14).

Why it matters:

It vindicates Jesus, He was 'declared to be the Son of God… by his resurrection from the dead' (Romans 1:4).
It defeats death, Christ is 'the firstfruits', the guarantee that those who belong to Him will also be raised (1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Corinthians 15:22).
It gives believers a 'living hope' (1 Peter 1:3).

Question

What is the resurrection of Jesus? (that He rose from the dead, and why it matters)

Analysis

What the accounts report

All four Gospels record the empty tomb on the first day of the week and Jesus' appearances (Matthew 28; Mark 16:6; Luke 24; John 20). He is seen first by Mary Magdalene (John 20:16), then by the disciples, and by doubting Thomas, who is invited to touch His wounds and responds 'my Lord and my God' (John 20:27; John 20:28). Paul preserves an early list of witnesses, Peter, the Twelve, then 'more than five hundred' at once, most still living when he wrote (1 Corinthians 15:5; 1 Corinthians 15:6), inviting readers to check the testimony. Jesus had predicted He would rise (Matthew 16:21), and the apostles' preaching from the very first sermon centered on it: 'God raised him up' (Acts 2:24).

Why it is the hinge of everything

Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15 is blunt: the resurrection is not optional. If it did not happen, preaching is empty, faith is futile, and the dead are lost (1 Corinthians 15:14; 1 Corinthians 15:17; 1 Corinthians 15:19). But 'Christ has indeed been raised from the dead' (BSB, 1 Corinthians 15:20), and that changes everything: it proves the cross actually worked (sins are forgiven), it shows Jesus is who He claimed to be (Romans 1:4), and it makes His people's own resurrection sure, because He is the firstfruits of a coming harvest (1 Corinthians 15:20–1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 Thessalonians 4:14). This is why the resurrection, more than any single teaching, is the ground of Christian hope.

Sources, trace every one

Every cited verse, in full. Tap any reference to open it in the reader.

Matthew 28:5bsb
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
Matthew 28:6bsb
He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.
Luke 24:6bsb
He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee:
John 20:16bsb
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” ( which means “Teacher” ).
1 Corinthians 15:17bsb
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
1 Corinthians 15:14bsb
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.
Romans 1:4bsb
and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:20bsb
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:22bsb
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
1 Peter 1:3bsb
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Mark 16:6bsb
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.
John 20:27bsb
Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”
John 20:28bsb
Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”
1 Corinthians 15:5bsb
and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:6bsb
After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
Matthew 16:21bsb
From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

On contested questions we show every major view, attributed and cited, and pick no winner. Answers are synthesized from primary sources, truth you can trace, not opinion.