Why Does the Resurrection Matter?

A Conversation in a Coffee Shop 

“I believe the Bible,” Jesse said as we sipped tea at a local coffee shop. “I love Jesus’s teachings about being kind to one another and doing good deeds.” She smiled. “The world would be a better place if we all did what He said.” 

I poured a little honey into my tea and stirred it gently. “Do you believe Jesus died, was buried, and rose again?”  

“I guess,” she said thoughtfully. “It was awful that they crucified Him. He was just trying to help people. The part about Him rising from the dead, though, is a little hard to believe. I mean, does the resurrection really matter? Isn’t it enough that Jesus was a good man doing good things?” 

“It does matter,” I said, “because if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, He wasn’t a good man.” 

“Really?” Jesse said. “Why’s that?” 

“A good man wouldn’t lie,” I said. “Jesus told his disciples again and again that He’d be crucified, buried, and would rise again. If he didn’t rise from the dead, He was a liar.” I leaned forward and raised my eyebrows. “Do we really want to entrust our eternal destiny to a liar?”  

Jesse thought for a moment, weighing my words. 

“The resurrection also proved that God accepted Jesus’s death on the cross as payment for our sins. When God resurrected Jesus, it was His seal of approval. Remember what Jesus cried out on the cross right before He died? He said, ‘Tetelestai’— ‘It is finished.’ The debt is paid. When God raised Jesus from the dead, it was His stamp of approval on Jesus’s sacrifice.  

“The apostle Paul told the Corinthians, ‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins’” (1 Corinthians 15:17).  

Jesse cradled her mug in both hands and brought it to her lips. “I’ve never thought of that.” 

“There’s another reason the resurrection has to be true,” I said. 

“Why?” 

“Because if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, how could He promise eternal life to those who believe in Him? That would be like someone saying you could climb to the top of Mt. Everest, but couldn’t prove that anyone had ever done it.”  

Jesse nodded. “Good point.” 

“Jesus told His disciples on the night of his arrest, ‘Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.’ Then He proved He had the power to conquer death by rising from the dead.” 

Jesse smiled and nodded. 

“But you know what?” I said, smiling. “People didn’t have to take His word for it. Jesus appeared all over Jerusalem after His death. Imagine if your grandma died, and three days after her funeral, she started showing up all over town. Walmart, Chick Fil A, Starbucks.” 

I opened my Bible, found 1 Corinthians 15, and read Paul’s words, “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, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also” (1:3–8). 

“Jesus didn’t just appear to His closest friends,” I said. “Hundreds of people saw Him, most of whom were still alive when Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians. If they doubted what Paul said, they could go ask the eyewitnesses.”  

“Believing in Jesus will always require faith,” I told Jesse. “But faith isn’t a blind leap in the dark. It’s the next logical step based on strong evidence.” 

I leaned forward and met her eyes. “The resurrection matters. It proved Jesus was who He said He was and did what He promised to do.” 

“That’s good to know,” she said, swirling the tea in the bottom of her mug. She drained the last sip and set it aside. “You’ve given me a lot to think about. I guess the resurrection really does matter.” 

—Written by Lori Hatcher. Used by permission from the author.