Okay so today I wanted to really get into this “Is Risen” Bible verse thing people keep talking about, especially around Easter. Honestly, I kept seeing folks say “He is Risen!” but then I thought, wait, where is that actually written down? And what does it really mean beyond the big Easter greeting? So I decided to track it down and actually read it myself.
The Starting Point: Just Opening the Book
First thing? I just grabbed my physical Bible, like the actual book. Way too much reliance on quick internet searches these days, you know? Flipped open the New Testament. My gut said it was probably near the end, in the stories about Jesus after he died.
Started skimming. Easy to miss things. Remembered hearing “He is not here, he is risen” somewhere. Finally hit paydirt in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24. There it was! Verse 6. Read it slowly: “He is not here; he has risen!” Right there. The angels saying it to the women at the empty tomb. Felt good to actually see it printed on paper.
Digging Deeper: It Wasn’t Just One Spot
But here’s where it got interesting, and where my simple search got more involved. I thought, okay, found it. Job done. Nope.
- Matthew’s Turn: Almost put the Bible down, then remembered something, flipped back. Yep, Matthew has it too! Chapter 28, verses 5-7. An angel says pretty much the same thing: “He is not here; he has risen”. Interesting. Same message, different eyewitness?
- Mark Chimes In: Now I’m rolling. Went to Mark, chapter 16, verse 6. Boom again. The young man (angel) at the tomb: “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.” So that makes three accounts hitting the same point.
Felt kinda silly assuming it was just one single verse everyone quoted. It’s more like a core message echoed in different parts of the story.
Trying to Really “Get” It
Okay, location found. Multiple locations, actually. But what does “He is Risen” actually mean? Past the obvious “he came back to life,” right?
I re-read all those sections – Luke 24, Matthew 28, Mark 16 – slowly. Focused on what happened next.
- The women finding the tomb empty was huge. Not just believing a ghost story – the body vanishing was the first physical evidence.
- The disciples didn’t believe the women at first (Luke 24:11)! Felt kinda good knowing even the first followers struggled. Made it more human.
- Jesus appearing later – not just as a spirit, but eating fish, touching people (Luke 24:36-43). This wasn’t just coming back to life temporarily; it was a new kind of body, defeating death for good. That’s the mind-blowing part: it overturned the whole idea of death being final.
- And the angel’s instructions in Matthew 28:7 and Mark 16:7 to “go and tell” the disciples. That’s where the “He is Risen!” greeting we use started! It was literally the message they were told to spread.
Sitting with it, the phrase moved from just words on a card to a statement of victory and hope. It’s not just history; it’s the foundation for the whole Christian thing – that death was beaten. Makes you see why the early Christians were so fired up, despite getting thrown to lions.
Went from a simple “where’s that written?” question to actually feeling the weight of it. Makes the Easter greeting way more powerful now. Glad I didn’t just Google it and skim a couple of verses. You gotta read the chapters, see the reactions. The context is everything.
