The Journey to the Cross – The Resurrection

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” 
Luke 24:5b (NIV) 

There’s a story about a young scientist named Marie Curie, a woman who defied the expectations of her time. She and her husband Pierre were fascinated by invisible energy, the kind that could pass through solid matter and transform everything it touched. What they discovered would later be called radioactivity—a force unseen, yet powerful and undeniable in its effects. People couldn’t see it, but they could see what it did. It changed the world. 

Two thousand years before Marie Curie made history, another unseen power broke forth—not from a laboratory, but from a tomb. On a morning when all hope seemed buried and final words had been spoken, God unleashed the most earth shaking, death-defying, life-giving force the world has ever known: Resurrection power. 

In Luke 24, the women rise early and head to Jesus’ tomb with spices, expecting to anoint a life less body. They arrive grieving, weighed down by sorrow, but instead of death, they find an empty tomb. The stone is rolled away. The grave clothes are folded. The body is gone. And in their confusion, two men in dazzling clothes ask: 

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Can you imagine hearing those words? They didn’t just change that morning. That question shook the women out of mourning and into wonder. The tomb was supposed to be the end. Death was supposed to be final. The messengers announced a new reality: “He is not here—He is risen. That declaration didn’t just change their day—it changed eternity. 

And that question still echoes today. 

We still search for life in dead places. We seek peace in empty promises. We chase joy in fleeting pleasures. We search for meaning in possessions, power, and popularity. But resurrection teaches us that life—real, abundant, everlasting life— isn’t found in the tombs of this world. It is found in the risen Christ. 

THE POWER OF RESURRECTION 

Resurrection is not just an event to be remembered. It is a power to be lived. Resurrection means dead things can come back to life—your faith, your joy, your peace, your hope. If Jesus could walk out of that tomb, then you can walk out of whatever has tried to bury you. 

The Apostle Paul put it like this in Ephesians 1:19–20: “God’s power is very great for those who believe. That power is the same as the great strength God used to raise Christ from the dead.” 

Let that sink in. The same power that rolled the stone away…The same power that breathed life back into Jesus’ body… The same power that defeated death and hell… Is at work in you. Not just to raise you physically, but to resurrect your hope, renew your mind, and restore your soul. 

THE REALITY OF HIS VICTORY 

The resurrection is not just a footnote to the crucifixion—it is the climax of the story. Without it, the cross would be a tragedy. But because He lives, the cross is a triumph. Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile” (1 Corinthians 15:17). But thanks be to God—He got up! 

Jesus didn’t just escape death—He conquered it. He didn’t just survive the grave—He stripped it of its power. Death has been defeated. The grave has lost its grip. The enemy has been overcome. 

THE RESURRECTION CHANGES EVERYTHING 

The women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others (v.10)—ran to tell the disciples, but their words sounded like nonsense. That is how resurrection sounds to those who have only known crucifixion. That is how hope sounds to hearts still stuck in despair. 

For over three years, Jesus had captivated hearts through His teaching, preaching, and healing. They began to believe He was the promised Messiah—sent to deliver Israel and establish God’s kingdom. Three days ago, those hopes died when their rabbi, their friend, their Lord was crucified. 

Yet even in doubt, Peter rose and ran to the tomb. Something in him couldn’t let go of the possibility. And when he saw the empty linen clothes, he walked away wondering what had happened (v.12). 

That’s where resurrection begins—In the wonder. In the trembling hope that maybe—just maybe— God has done the impossible. 

SHARE THE GOOD NEWS
 
So, the next time you wonder, “Can God still use me?” “Can God forgive me?” “Can He raise these dead places in my life?” 

Go back to that verse. Go back to that tomb. And remember— He is not there! He is risen! 

The women didn’t fully understand what had happened, but they believed—and they ran to tell it. Don’t just stand at the tomb in shock—live like He lives. Walk in that power. 

Share the good news. Let your life preach: the grave is not the end.
 
So, let me ask you one more time: Why do you seek the living among the dead? 

He is NOT in the tomb. 
 
He is NOT in your past. 

He is NOT in that dead relationship, that dead end job, that dead dream, that dead mindset. 

He is risen—He is alive! 

And because He lives, you can live too. Not just someday in heaven—But right now. 

With resurrection power. With abundant life. With hope that cannot die. 

Sandra Bagley is an Associate Minister at New Haven Missionary Baptist Church, and an award-winning columnist. Readers may send feedback to religion@helenaworld.org.