Easter Bible Verses About the Resurrection

Easter is the heart of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, Paul says, our faith would be empty (1 Corinthians 15:14). With it, everything changes: sin is forgiven, death is defeated, and hope is alive.

These Easter Bible verses walk through Holy Week in order. Read them with your family through the week, or all at once on Easter morning.

Palm Sunday: the King arrives

• Zechariah 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass."

Centuries before Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the prophet described it. He came as a King, but a humble one.

Good Friday: the cross

• Isaiah 53:5: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
• Luke 23:34: "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
• Luke 23:43: "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
• John 19:30: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
• John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

"It is finished" was a declaration, not a defeat. The debt of sin was paid in full. Even on the cross, Jesus was forgiving His enemies and welcoming a dying thief into paradise.

Saturday: the waiting

Scripture is mostly silent about the Saturday between the cross and the resurrection. The disciples hid, grieved, and wondered if it was all over. If you're in a "Saturday" season, where God's promise seems dead and nothing is happening, remember: Sunday was already on its way.

Easter Sunday: He is risen

• Matthew 28:5–6: "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
• Luke 24:5–6: "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen."
• 1 Corinthians 15:3–4: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
• Revelation 1:18: "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

"As he said." Jesus had told them this would happen. The empty tomb is proof that every promise He makes, He keeps.

What the resurrection means for you

• 1 Corinthians 15:55, 57: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?… But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
• Romans 6:4: "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
• Romans 8:11: "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
• John 20:29: "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

The same power that raised Jesus lives in every believer. That's not just Easter-morning truth. It's everyday truth.

Ways to celebrate the resurrection

Read the story before the egg hunt. Matthew 28:1–10 takes just a few minutes and sets the tone for the day.

Watch the sunrise. The women went to the tomb "very early in the morning." An Easter sunrise is a powerful reminder of new life.

Wear the good news. Our Christian Easter gifts and apparel and Christian t-shirts make Easter Sunday a chance to share why you celebrate.

An Easter prayer

Jesus, thank You for the cross and the empty tomb. Thank You that "It is finished" means my sin is paid for, and "He is risen" means death doesn't win. Raise up what feels dead in my life. Help me walk in newness of life, with the same power that raised You living in me. Hallelujah, You are alive! Amen.

More: Bible Verses & Study.