From Incarnation to Crucifixion, From Burial to Resurrection: The Story That Changed Everything

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:20–22

God’s Promise of a Savior

From the very beginning, God promised to the first fallen humans, Adam and Eve, that one would come to crush the serpent (the devil) and undo the power of sin and death (Genesis 3:15).

Through Abraham and Isaac, He showed that a substitute would be provided, a life offered in place of another (Genesis 22:13–14). In Exodus, a lamb’s blood became the means of salvation, protecting God’s people from judgment and death in Egypt, delivering them from slavery and bondage, and pointing forward to the ultimate sacrifice (Exodus 12:13).

The prophets, like Isaiah, foretold of a suffering Savior who would bear our sins and bring healing through His wounds (Isaiah 53:5). And in the fullness of time, that Savior came – Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

This is the most astounding and glorious account ever told.

The one and only true God of the universe – holy, just, loving, all-powerful, all-wise, and omnipresent – created us and everything that exists. When humanity rebelled against their good Creator, He did not forsake us. Though He could have justly left us in our sin, He had already planned from eternity to enter into His creation to make all things new, bringing restoration and reconciliation.

The triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, coeternal and equal in power and glory – not only created humanity in His image and sustains us in love. He also designed our salvation in the most surprising and glorious way.

Before the creation of time, space, and matter, God determined that the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son, would take on a second nature to become our Mediator. God became man in order to save mankind. This is what the Bible calls the Gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became fully human while remaining fully divine.

The Spirit of God overshadowed Mary, and Jesus Christ was conceived in her virgin womb, the giver of life entering His creation to rescue humanity (Luke 1:35). Jesus was born sinless and lived a life of perfect obedience to God the Father, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets before willingly laying down His life.

Do you wish to see God’s love? Look at the cross. Do you wish to see God’s wrath? Look at the cross.  —D. A. Carson

The Cross: God’s Justice and Love Meet

So what really happened at the cross of Christ?

God’s justice demanded full payment for our sin, but the only one who could satisfy that requirement was God Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21). The world needed a perfect and unblemished sacrifice (Hebrews 9:14). Only God is perfect, so only one who is truly divine could bear the weight of His wrath (Colossians 2:9), and only one who is truly human could represent us (Hebrews 2:17).

This is why Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, alone could take our place on the cross. At Calvary, God’s love and justice met perfectly.

Before His arrest, Jesus taught His disciples to love and serve one another and instituted the Lord’s Supper. Then He went with Peter, James, and John to pray, preparing to face the cross, where He would bear the full weight of the world’s sin.

Kneeling before the Father under the immense weight of His mission, He sweat drops of blood, a condition known as hematidrosis. He prayed, “Father, if there is a way, let this cup pass from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This was not a conflict of wills, but the expression of the true cost He would bear as fully human.

With His surrender complete and strengthened by an angel sent from the Father, Jesus was arrested, tried before Pilate, scourged, and led away, carrying His cross toward Golgotha, where the full weight of humanity’s sin would be placed on Him.

Along the way, Simon of Cyrene was forced by the soldiers to help carry the cross, possibly due to Jesus’ exhaustion. Simon’s brief act reminds us of the call to discipleship – to bear one another’s burdens – and shows how God uses ordinary people in His redemptive plan. Simon also represents the call for every believer to “take up their cross and follow Jesus” (Luke 9:23), reminding us that suffering for Christ is often unexpected, costly, and at first glance random.

Could God be calling you to walk through suffering alongside someone right now?

The Final Hours

On the cross, outside the city walls of Jerusalem, the great exchange took place for all who would believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior: our sin placed on Him, and His righteousness given to us. He died as our substitutionary sacrifice and rose again on the third day to offer forgiveness, eternal life, and reconciliation with God.

You might think this isn’t fair – and you would be right. We cannot be saved from our sin and God’s judgment by fairness or by our own efforts.

All those who belong to Jesus Christ are fastened with Him to the cross. — Augustine

The infinitely beautiful, majestic, and glorious Son of God was degraded, dishonored, falsely accused, beaten, mocked, and crucified. He was crowned with thorns, nailed to a cross, and pierced, experiencing the Father’s forsakenness as His blood was poured out (Isaiah 53:3–5; Matthew 27:27–31; Mark 15:16–20; John 19:16–18, 28–30).

As was prophesied, none of His bones were broken (Psalm 34:20; John 19:31–36), even though the Romans typically broke the legs of those crucified to hasten death. Instead, a soldier pierced His side, and blood and water flowed out, confirming that He had already died (John 19:34).

Jesus was then taken down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy disciple who received permission from Pilate, with Nicodemus assisting in preparing His body for burial. He was wrapped in linen and laid in a new tomb, with a large stone rolled in front of the entrance (John 19:38–42).

The next day, the tomb was sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers at the request of the chief priests and Pharisees (Matthew 27:62–66). This new, unused tomb not only honored Jesus’ body and avoided confusion with other burials, but also fulfilled the prophecy: “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death” (Isaiah 53:9).

This stands in contrast to His birth, when Mary and Joseph could not find even a modest place to stay, and Jesus was born in a manger among animals. From humble beginnings to a criminal’s death, yet honored in His burial, we see both His humility and His glory.

For three days, His followers were filled with grief, fear, and uncertainty, while those who opposed Him felt relief at His death.

Silent Sabbath

Between the crucifixion and the resurrection, Scripture tells us that Jesus’ body lay in the tomb while the disciples mourned and hid behind locked doors (John 20:19). This quiet and dark day was not empty or meaningless. It was a Sabbath of waiting – a day when the power of sin and the schemes of the enemy appeared victorious, and death seemed final. Yet even in the silence, God’s plan was at work. Jesus, the sinless Lamb, descended to the realm of the dead, proclaiming victory over the powers of darkness (1 Peter 3:18–19; Ephesians 4:8–10).

Jesus’s body is in the tomb, and the disciples are afraid, confused, and without hope. It seems as if God has lost, evil has won, and the Light of the world has been extinguished. Sound familiar?

Our lives often include “Silent Saturdays.” You pray but feel nothing. You try to change but still struggle. You obey but don’t see results. Yet here is the truth: God is still working in the silence. Just because you don’t feel Him does not mean He is not moving.

Silence does not mean it’s over. Pain does not mean God has abandoned you. Keep trusting Him. The day of deliverance is coming. Resurrection day is near.

The Empty Tomb

On the third day, the women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with spices according to Jewish burial customs (Luke 24:1). But when they arrived, the tomb was empty. At first, Mary Magdalene stayed behind, weeping.

She saw two angels and then turned to see a man standing nearby, whom she thought was the gardener. In her grief and confusion, she did not recognize the supernatural presence and asked, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away” (John 20:15). Mary still believed Jesus’ body was missing and searched for an explanation.

Then Jesus spoke her name: “Mary” (John 20:16). In that moment, she recognized Him – her Teacher, Master, and Lord. She reached out to embrace Him, but He said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; go instead to my brothers and tell them” (John 20:17). Jesus’ words signal a change in His relationship with His followers. Before His resurrection, people interacted with Him physically. Afterward, His mission moved toward glorification, culminating in His ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit as Helper.

Holding on to Jesus physically is no longer possible. Mary and all believers are now called to follow Christ, whom we cannot physically see, touch, or hear audibly. In this new way, the risen Christ is revealed through the preaching and teaching of the Word, and through the lives and witness of His followers empowered by the Spirit.

Mary ran to the disciples to share the news, but at first, they did not believe her (Luke 24:11). Peter and John ran to the tomb and found it empty, just as she had said. They were amazed and returned to tell the others.

From hopelessness and despair, to disbelief, to astonishment and joy – the followers of Jesus finally met their risen Rabbi, Savior, and God, alive and triumphant (John 20:18; Luke 24:36–39). In contrast, the religious leaders and opponents of Christ were left confused, anxious, and frustrated. They had thought that by crucifying Jesus, they had won. But the empty tomb and reports of His resurrection left them plotting, spreading lies to cover their failure (Matthew 28:11–15).

The resurrection not only brings the future into the present but also brings heaven to earth. —Timothy Keller

Resurrection Power for Today

From incarnation to crucifixion, from burial to resurrection, the life of Jesus changed history and eternity. His resurrection doesn’t just promise a future heaven; it shows that God’s kingdom has already begun to break in, transforming our world and our lives, even as we await its full fulfillment.

By putting your faith in the crucified and risen Savior, you not only become a citizen of heaven, but you are also called to be an ambassador and witness, following in the footsteps of the early disciples.

The resurrection gives hope in a dark and broken world, reminding us that God is making all things new, reconciling all things to Himself, and that nothing – no pain, no failure, not even death – is beyond His redeeming power (1 Corinthians 15:20–22; Colossians 1:19–20; Romans 8:18–21; Revelation 21:5).

Once separated from God and walking in darkness, we can now be restored through Jesus. We move from slavery to sin into the freedom to live for and with God for eternity. From a life marked by fear of death and God’s judgment to one filled with forgiveness, hope, purpose, and the resurrection power found in Christ our Redeemer.

Hallelujah for the cradle, the cross, the empty tomb, and the ascension to His throne at the Father’s right hand, where Christ now rules over the universe as our victorious King. May we live each day in the power and hope of His resurrection, eagerly awaiting His return.