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2,000 years ago, Jesus conquered death forever. The stone was rolled away from the empty tomb, and we were given new life in Christ.

But what happened next?

Discover five things Jesus did after His resurrection—and what they mean for us today:

1. Jesus showed up.

Jesus spent 40 days on earth after His resurrection. During this time, He eased His followers’ doubts and gave them direction for the future.

Jesus didn’t shout His love from heaven. He showed His love on earth. Today He does the same. He is still near, ready to hear our cries and heal our hearts.

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2. Jesus modeled community.

From breaking bread on the road to Emmaus, to having breakfast on the beach with His disciples, we see Jesus make time for relationships.

Jesus was never too busy to stop and show He cared. As His followers, we’re called to intentionally serve people in our families, workplaces, and cities.

Just like Jesus, you can prioritize your community. Center your friendships on God’s Word by adding Friends in YouVersion.

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3. Jesus comforted the broken.

When Jesus came back, He wasn’t frustrated that His disciples hadn’t understood His plan. He met them in their uncertainty and fear instead.

Jesus consoled the woman weeping at the empty tomb. He eased Thomas’ doubts. He spoke words of life and peace.

Today, our Savior still has grace for our questions and confusion. He still draws near when our hearts are broken.

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4. Jesus redeemed mistakes.

Before the crucifixion, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. Later, we see Jesus restore Peter by asking Him three times if he loves Him, and instructing Peter to care for His people.

Even though Peter stumbled in his faith, it didn’t cancel his identity in Christ.

In the same way, we can trust that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.

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5. Jesus instructed and empowered.

Right before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His followers to “go and make disciples of every nation.”

With these instructions, we’re called to live every day with intentionality, looking for opportunities to share the Gospel.

It’s our job to show people what it means to know God and to make Him known.

Share God’s Word with the people in your life today.

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Easter might be over, but what it means for us matters all year long.

Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we’re able to access God’s grace, presence, and reassurance like never before—forever.

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God’s love conquers all—even death.

Together, let’s rejoice in Jesus’ triumph over death and the everlasting life we have in Him.

Celebrate Resurrection Sunday by saving and sharing this special Easter Verse Image.

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At Easter, we remember that Jesus’ broken body put an end to our brokenness.

But before we honor the resurrection, it’s important to look back at the events that led up to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice.

One of the most important events in the hours before Jesus’ death was the Last Supper.

The timing of the Last Supper was special because it took place during Passover.

That might seem like a minor detail, but Jesus used it to connect His death—and resurrection—to the Israelites’ exodus out of Egypt.

Why Passover matters

Passover was a crucial event that the Jewish people observed for hundreds of years before the Last Supper.

After decades of oppression in Egypt, God was going to deliver His people from their slavery and bring them into the land that He had promised them.

But first, He had to raise up a leader to help mobilize the Israelites—Moses.

Moses, prompted by God, asked the pharaoh for their freedom, but each time, the answer was no.

In response, God sent a series of plagues to torment the Egyptians.

But, the pharaoh’s heart remained hardened.

Finally, an escape.

As a last resort, God sent a final plague: an angel of death to kill the firstborn son of every family in Egypt.

Because of the pharaoh’s cruel, oppressive evil—and unwillingness to repent of his sins—God provided justice.

But God provided something that the pharaoh never did: a way out.

Before the final plague, the Israelites were instructed to paint the doors of their homes with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. That way, when the angel of death came, their houses would be passed over, and their firstborn sons would be saved.

It might seem like a strange symbol, but through the death of the lamb, God brings evil to justice.

After the final plague—and death of his firstborn son—the pharaoh finally gave the Israelites freedom.

When they settled in the promised land, they commemorated the Passover every year with a feast—consisting of bread, wine, and a sacrificial lamb.

The blameless lamb

A thousand years later, Jesus and His disciples gathered around a dinner table to celebrate in the same way.

Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

MATTHEW 26:26-28

With these words, Jesus linked the Passover to God’s plan to redeem the world.

The final element of the Passover meal is a lamb. But as far as we can tell, there wasn’t a lamb on the table at the Last Supper.

That wasn’t an accident. It was a symbolic statement.

Through the lamb, God rescued the Israelites from slavery to the pharaoh.

Through Jesus, God rescues the world from slavery to sin and death.

A call to action

Less than 24 hours after the Last Supper, Jesus took His final breath on the cross.

His sacrifice was to take on all of humanity’s sins. He allowed Himself to be abandoned by His Father so that we would never have to be separated from God.

Jesus doesn’t just want us to understand what He did for us, He wants us to participate in it by entering into relationship with Him.

In doing so, we get to be a part of the greatest story ever told.

As we approach Good Friday, let’s remember that we get to be a part of God’s plan—thousands of years in the making—to redeem us all.

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