And they remembered his words, Luke 24:8

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is full of power. Paul speaks of it in his letter to the saints at Philippi, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil 3:10).

When the women who had seen where the Lord’s body was laid (Luke 23:55), they prepared spices (Luke 23:56), and returned early on Sunday (Luke 24:1) to find the stone rolled away from the tomb and the body of the Lord Jesus gone (Luke 24:2-3). Two angels spoke to the bewildered women (Luke 24:4) saying to them, “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:5-7).

One of the Holy Spirit’s jobs is to bring to remembrance all that Jesus had spoken to us (John 14:26); and though the gift of the Spirit would not be given until the Day of Pentecost, there was still tremendous power in the truth of Christ Jesus crucified and risen.

Keep in mind that the truth of the resurrection is powerless, even meaningless, if it does not accompany the truth of the Savior’s crucifixion. I believe the apostle Paul learned this lesson quite well, preaching the resurrection in Athens on Mars Hill, yet resulting in very little fruit afterward (Acts 17:16-34). There were a few converts; however, I believe they were saved by God’s grace in spite of Paul’s preaching, not because of it. This is what led him to passionately preach Christ crucified in Corinth afterward (1 Cor 2:2). When you really think about it, this makes perfect sense. There will be a resurrection of all people when Christ returns, yet only those who trust in His sacrificial death upon the cross will spend eternity with the Lord Jesus. The power of Christ’s resurrection is the truth of His redemption through the cross.