The death and resurrection of Christ

Seeing as how today is Easter, I spent some time this morning reading in all four gospels about the death and resurrection of Christ.

Even though some of the details differ from one account to another, the basic story and sentiment is the same.

Jesus goes through a terrible trial in Gethsemane.
Judas leads a crowd to arrest Jesus.
Peter denies Jesus.
Jesus goes through several cross-examinations.
He is led to Golgotha.
Jesus dies on the cross.
He is placed in a new tomb.
When the disciples and several women visit the tomb on the first day of the week, Jesus has risen!
Jesus appears to various people and explains His death and resurrection.

Why are there so many accounts of the same events? I believe it's because each disciple had a different vantage point and wanted to record their own individual account. This is why some of the details are different but the overarching events are the same.

What does this mean for us today? I think John summed it up well.

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;

but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name
John 20:30-31 (NKJV).

We are given evidence that Jesus is the Christ. That He is the Son of God. And that we can believe in Him and receive eternal life.

Paul also gives us a wonderful promise in Romans.

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord
Romans 6:4-11 (NKJV).

Praise the Lord!