WHY THE RESURRECTION MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK
You probably said “Happy Easter” a dozen times this weekend. Maybe you sang the songs, dressed up for church, took the family photo, and watched kids hunt for eggs.
But here’s the question most people don’t stop to ask:
What if it’s actually true?
Not symbolically true.
Not just spiritually meaningful.
But historically, physically, undeniably true.
Because if Jesus really walked out of that grave, then Easter is not just a holiday to celebrate. It is a reality that changes everything.
It changes what death means. It changes what your life means. It changes what you live for.
And it matters more than you think.
The Central Claim of Easter
On the Sunday morning after the crucifixion, two women, both named Mary, walked to the tomb where Jesus had been buried. They weren’t expecting anything. They were grieving.
When they arrived, the stone had been rolled away. An angel tells them, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”
Then, as they ran to tell the others, Jesus himself met them on the road.
That’s the account from Matthew 28. The claim is not subtle. It’s not metaphorical. Jesus, who had been crucified and buried, walked out of that grave physically alive.
The apostle Paul later put it this way: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)
He calls it of first importance. This is not one truth among many, but the foundation on which everything else rests.
Not Blind Faith
Some people describe belief in the resurrection as a kind of hopeful thinking—almost the same as kids believe in the Easter Bunny—as if Christians just want it to be true, so they choose to believe it.
Paul doesn’t talk about it that way at all. He talks about it like someone laying out evidence.
After stating the core claim, he lists the witnesses. Jesus appeared to Peter. Then to the twelve. Then, and this is the part I can’t get past, to more than five hundred people at the same time—most of whom were still alive when Paul wrote it. (see 1 Corinthians 15:6)
Think about what he’s doing there. He’s saying: Don’t take my word for it. Go ask them. You don’t cite hundreds of living eyewitnesses unless you expect people to check. If you’re inventing a story, you don’t invite investigation. You avoid it.
The resurrection isn’t blind faith. It’s faith rooted in something that was seen, examined, and testified to by eyewitnesses to the risen Christ.
If you are skeptical, start here: Christianity is not asking you to admire a myth, but to wrestle honestly with a historical claim.
So here’s the question: Have you actually wrestled with the resurrection? Not casually considered it. Not assumed it. Wrestled with it. Because if Jesus really rose, ignoring Him isn’t neutral—it’s a decision.
The Enemy Every Human Being Faces
There’s a reason Easter hits differently when you’ve been through real loss.
Death is the one problem no human being can solve. You can be brilliant, wealthy, powerful, deeply loved—and death still comes. It shows up in the text message you never wanted to receive, the phone call that changes a family forever, and the quiet fear that one day the people you love will be gone.
Paul doesn’t minimize that. He calls death an enemy. Then he writes what sounds like a defiant cry from the far side of the battlefield: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)
He’s not pretending death doesn’t hurt. He’s saying it doesn’t win.
Jesus walked out of the grave. And in doing so, he broke death’s final claim.
And here’s the part that should rearrange something in you: What happened to Jesus is what happens to everyone who belongs to him. Resurrection. New life. And the promise that when this body dies, it will not be the end of your story.
The resurrection isn’t just good news about Jesus. It’s good news for you.
And that truth becomes even more powerful when death stops being theoretical.
When the Sting Is Real
Last fall, my brother Scott died suddenly of a heart attack. None of us saw it coming. One day, he was at work like always, and the next, he was in the ER. Once we all arrived at the hospital, we learned that he would never wake up. Realizing there was nothing we could do was heartbreaking.
In that moment, all the theology I had preached for years had to either hold up under the weight of real grief—or it wasn’t worth much. What I needed wasn’t abstract theology. I needed something solid. Something strong enough to stand on when everything else felt like it was shifting.
When I read 1 Corinthians 15 these days, I don’t read it as a distant doctrinal statement. I read it as someone who knows how sharp death can feel.
And yet, right in the middle of that reality, I hear these words: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Not denial. Not avoidance. Victory.
This Changes How You Live Right Now
It would be easy to file the resurrection under “things that matter after I die.” But Paul won’t let you do that.
At the end of 1 Corinthians 15, after everything he’s said about resurrection, he lands here: “Therefore… stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
The resurrection is not just future hope. It’s present strength.
It means your life has weight. Your choices matter. Nothing done in faithfulness to God is wasted.
The prayer you whispered when no one noticed.
The conversation you thought didn’t matter.
The act of obedience that felt small at the time.
None of it is in vain.
Jesus is alive. Death is defeated. Your future is secure.
So stand firm. Because if Jesus is alive, you have something solid to stand on.
Take Action
If you’ve been living like the resurrection is just ancient history, ask God to help you see it differently this week.
If you are a Christian, read 1 Corinthians 15 slowly and prayerfully, and ask God to deepen your confidence in the risen Christ. Bring your grief. Bring your disappointment. Bring your doubts and assumptions. And see what God can do through His word.
If you are still exploring faith, read the chapter and ask one honest question: What do I do if this is actually true?
And if you have never put your trust in Jesus, don’t let Easter stay a nice idea in the background of your life. The risen Christ is calling you to believe.
Because the resurrection is not just something to celebrate once a year. It is a reality to build your life on. And an invitation to believe.
All for Jesus,
Brad D. Jenkins
P.S. — If this has been helpful, please send me a message at brad@bradjenkins.me and let me know. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters or to sign up so that you don’t miss future posts, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog.
Watch the message “Why The Resurrection Matters More Than You Think” by Brad D. Jenkins at Anthem Church. YouTube