20 Inspiring Easter Quotes to Celebrate Resurrection Sunday
- G. Connor Salter Contributing Writer
- Published Feb 21, 2021
It probably goes without saying that Christianity centers on, well, Christ. More specifically, it centers on Jesus’ death and resurrection. The fact that Jesus actually returned from the dead shows that he was the Messiah, not just a teacher or a misguided revolutionary. Many of the Easter quotes we read in church every year or see on the web not only instruct us about the facts of Easter but also help us grapple with just how important this event is.
Let’s take a moment to consider what Easter Sunday really means, and then look at some of the more notable things that have been said about it.
Why Do We Celebrate Easter Sunday?
Easter Sunday is the day when Jesus came out of his tomb, showing to all that he had not only died on the cross for humanity’s sins, but he had also defeated death. While each part of Easter week is significant and should be taken seriously, Easter Sunday is the capstone. Good Friday gives us space to think about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the sorrow, and the power of the crucifixion. Easter Sunday creates a space to think about the hope Christianity gives. Jesus did not just commit the ultimate sacrifice, he also returned to life and now sits at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven (Mark 16:19).
Why Do We Say "He Is Risen" on Easter?
This phrase comes from several passages in the Gospels that describe Jesus’ followers discovering that he had risen from the dead.
In Matthew 28, Mary Magdalene and Mary go to Jesus’ tomb and find it empty. An angel tells them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay” (Matthew 28:5-6).
In Mark 16, the angel says, “Don’t be alarmed… You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here” (Mark 16:6).
In Luke 24, Jesus appears to two of his followers on the road to Emmaus. After he disappears and they realize who they were speaking to, “They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:33-34).
John doesn’t use this phrase exactly, but it uses the very similar phrase “rise from the dead” when it talks about Peter and “the other disciple” going to the empty tomb:
“Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead“ (John 20:3-9)
Since all four Gospels use this phrase in some way, it has become a traditional Christian greeting on Easter. Originally, Eastern Orthodox Christians used it as the basis for the Paschal Greeting or Easter Acclamation, where one Christian says “He is risen,” followed by the response “He is risen indeed.” The greeting has since spread to other denominations, although the exact wording varies with different traditions. In short, we say “He is risen” because it reminds us that Jesus has defeated death and sin, as the Bible affirms.
Easter Quotes from Fellow Christians
Because Easter Sunday plays a central role in the Christian story, Christian scholars and songwriters (in fact writers of pretty much every kind) have written many things about it. Here are some of the many quotes from notable Christians about this special day. Because Christian quotes tend to get circulated online and then get attached to the wrong author or the wrong book, each of these quotes is attributed to the book, sermon, or hymn that they came from:
“Easter is always the answer to ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!’” —Madeleine L’Engle, The Irrational Season
“And he departed from our sight that we might return to our hearts and find him there. For he left us, and behold, he is here.” —Augustine, Confessions Book IV
“Our old history ends with the Cross; our new history begins with the resurrection… The Cross terminates the first creation, and out of death there is brought a new creation in Christ, the second Man.” —Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life
“The gospel declares that no matter how dutiful or prayerful we are, we can't save ourselves. What Jesus did was sufficient.” —Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
“The resurrection meant, first, that Christ was undeniably God. He was what He claimed to be. Christ was Deity in the flesh.” —Billy Graham, “Unto the Hills”
“Our concern as followers of Jesus is neither with a religion called ‘Christianity,’ nor with a culture called ‘Western Civilization,’ but with a person, Jesus of Nazareth, the one and only God-man who lived a perfect life of love, died on the cross for our sins, bearing in his own person the condemnation that we deserve, was raised in triumph from the grave and is now alive, accessible and available to us through the Holy Spirit.” —John Stott, “In Christ”
“What is the difference between a dead Christ, whom the women went to anoint, and a living Christ? A dead Christ, I must do everything for; a living Christ does everything for me.” —Andrew Murray, Jesus Himself
“The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.” —Charles Spurgeon, “The Heart of the Gospel”
“Angels, roll the rock away; Death yield up thy mighty prey! See, the Savior leaves the tomb, Glowing in immortal bloom.” —Thomas Scott, “Angels! Roll the Rock Away”
“Remember Jesus of Nazareth, staggering on broken feet out of the tomb toward the Resurrection, bearing on his body the proud insignia of the defeat which is victory, the magnificent defeat of the human soul at the hands of God.”—Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat
Easter Quotes found in the Bible
Along with the passages in the Gospels that describe Jesus’ resurrection, there are various places in the New Testament letters that talk about the resurrection in theological terms. Here’s a collection of Bible quotes about Easter Sunday that captures both sides, the historical as well as the philosophical:
“They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus”Luke 24:2-3.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” 1 Peter 1:3-4.
“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’” Luke 24:6-7.
“You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this” Acts 3:14-15.
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8.
“As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” Mark 16:5-7.
“Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” Romans 8:34.
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” Ephesians 1:18-21.
“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2b
“We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise” Mark 10:33-34
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Halfpoint
This article is part of our larger Holy Week and Easter resource library centered around the events leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through his son Jesus Christ!
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