Easter: Exploring Important Passages of the Bible

The resurrection of Jesus is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. As Paul wrote, "If Christ hasn't been raised, then your faith is worthless" (1 Cor. 15:17a CEB). Without Easter, there would be no church. All four gospels present the Resurrection as historical occurrence, and most of the other books of the New Testament allude to or elucidate the meaning of the Resurrection. That Jesus died for our sins and was raised to new life by the power of God is the heart of the gospel.

Easter is the most important day of the Christian year. Thus, it seems fitting that we should read and study the accounts on which Easter is based, namely the stories in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The goal of this volume is to move beneath the surface of the stories to explore what the Resurrection means for our lives. This is the method of "spelunking scripture." As we examine each passage, we move beyond the details of the narrative to probe how it speaks to us, and to seek connections with life today. Each resurrection narrative, or post-resurrection appearance, is interpreted by three sermons. The sermons are designed to bring the resurrection of Jesus into our time and circumstance, and to enable us to recognize the risen Christ in our midst.

Spelunking Scripture is a series of studies based on some of the most important passages of the Bible. Other volumes in this series include Christmas, The Letters of Paul, and Acts and the General Epistles of the New Testament. The Easter study focuses on the passages in the Gospels that tell about the Resurrection, just as the Christmas study focuses on the birth narratives. All scripture is inspired, but not every passage of scripture is of equal importance. These passages of scripture that tell the story of the Resurrection are among the most important ones in the Bible.