Introduction
Easter is not just another holiday: it is the heart of the Christian faith. These 20 verses, quoted in the World English Bible, follow the thread of this event in five stages: the prophecies that announced it long in advance, the price paid on the cross, the empty tomb on resurrection morning, Jesus' appearances alive to his disciples, and what his resurrection concretely changes for you today. Read them slowly, like a path leading from waiting to joy.
The prophecies that foretold his coming
1. Psalm 16:10
"For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption."
David, in a psalm of confidence, hopes beyond his own life: "you will not leave my soul in Sheol." The first Christians saw in this psalm a prophecy of Jesus' resurrection, the only one to never know the corruption of the tomb. Read all of Psalm 16.
2. Isaiah 53:5
"But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed."
Isaiah describes in advance a suffering servant, centuries before the cross: "by his wounds we are healed." Easter puts a name and a face to this ancient prophecy: that of Jesus, put to death and then raised. Read all of Isaiah 53.
3. Hosea 6:2
"After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before him."
The prophet Hosea calls Israel to return to God, hoping for its restoration: "on the third day he will raise us up." This phrase, taken up later by Jesus himself, already announces the precise rhythm of Easter: death, then on the third day, life. Read all of Hosea 6.
4. Matthew 16:21
"From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up."
Jesus begins here to prepare his disciples for what awaits him in Jerusalem: that "he must... be killed, and the third day be raised up." Nothing catches him off guard: the cross and the resurrection are part of a single plan, announced before it even happens. Read all of Matthew 16.
On the cross, the price paid for us
5. Matthew 27:46
"About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
On the cross, Jesus takes up the words of Psalm 22 and cries out with a loud voice: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He carries to the end the loneliness of judgment, in your place: this cry shows how real the price paid for you truly was. Read all of Matthew 27.
6. Luke 23:34
"Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots."
As they nail him to the cross, Jesus prays for his executioners: "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." His first word from the cross is a pardon offered, not an accusation: this pardon is offered to you again today. Read all of Luke 23.
7. John 19:30
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” He bowed his head, and gave up his spirit."
Just before dying, Jesus speaks three words that change everything: "It is finished." This is not an admission of failure but of victory: the work entrusted by the Father is complete, nothing is lacking for your salvation. Read all of John 19.
8. 1 Peter 2:24
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds."
Peter sums up the cross in one dense sentence: Jesus "bore our sins in his body on the tree." The goal is not only forgiveness, but a changed life, "that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness." Read all of 1 Peter 2.
The empty tomb and the resurrection
9. Matthew 28:5-6
"The angel answered the women, “Don’t be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying."
Before the open tomb, an angel reassures the frightened women just before the decisive announcement: "he has risen, just like he said." Jesus' promise did not go unfulfilled: it is fulfilled before their eyes, exactly as he had announced it. Read all of Matthew 28.
10. Luke 24:5-6
"Becoming terrified, they bowed their faces down to the earth. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He isn’t here, but is risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee,"
The same women receive a question that still challenges us today: "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" We do not search for a memory in an empty tomb, but for someone very much alive to speak with. Read all of Luke 24.
11. John 20:1
"Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb."
Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb early in the morning, "while it was still dark," carried by grief. She discovers that "the stone [was] taken away from the tomb" even before understanding what it means: the light of Easter rises before faith follows. Read all of John 20.
12. Acts 2:24
"whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it."
In his first sermon, Peter publicly announces that "God raised up" Jesus, "having freed him from the agony of death," because it was not possible that he should be held by it. The resurrection is not a legend told in private, but the central event preached from the Church's very beginning. Read all of Acts 2.
The appearances of the risen Christ
13. Luke 24:36
"As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be to you."
As two disciples are recounting their encounter with the Risen One, Jesus himself appears among the group and says, "Peace be to you!" His first word after the resurrection is neither a reproach nor an explanation, but peace offered. Read all of Luke 24.
14. John 20:19-20
"When therefore it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle, and said to them, “Peace be to you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord."
With the doors locked out of fear, the disciples see Jesus appear among them and show them his hands and his side. The text notes their reaction: "The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord." Fear gives way to joy. Read all of John 20.
15. John 20:27-28
"Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!"
Thomas, who doubted, is invited to touch the Risen One's hands and side, with these words: "Don't be unbelieving, but believing." His reply becomes one of the greatest confessions of faith in the New Testament: "My Lord and my God!" Read all of John 20.
16. 1 Corinthians 15:5-6
"and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep."
Paul reminds the Corinthians of a list of witnesses to the Risen One: "he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now." The resurrection rests on verifiable testimonies, not on a private feeling. Read all of 1 Corinthians 15.
What the resurrection changes for you
17. Romans 6:4
"We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life."
Paul links your baptism to Jesus' resurrection: just as he was raised, "so we also might walk in newness of life." Easter, then, is not only an event to believe, but a new life to live starting now. Read all of Romans 6.
18. Romans 8:11
"But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."
The power that raised Jesus from the tomb did not stay in the past: God "will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Jesus' resurrection also guarantees yours. Read all of Romans 8.
19. 1 Corinthians 15:20
"But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep."
Paul uses a farming image to describe the resurrection: "Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep." Just as the first sheaf guarantees the whole harvest, his resurrection opens the way to yours. Read all of 1 Corinthians 15.
20. 1 Peter 1:3
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"
Peter praises God for what the resurrection produces: he "caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." This hope does not depend on your circumstances, but on an empty tomb that nothing can close again. Read all of 1 Peter 1.
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important verse about the resurrection of Jesus?
1 Corinthians 15:20 sums up the essential point: "Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep." John 20:1 and Matthew 28:5-6 tell the story of the empty tomb, but this verse explains why the event changes everything: your own resurrection depends on it.
What does Easter really mean in the Bible?
Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross, on the third day just as he had announced. It is not a symbol of springtime renewal, but a historical event: an empty tomb, eyewitnesses, and a victory over death offered to all.
Which verses should I read on Easter Day?
Start with Matthew 28:5-6 or Luke 24:5-6, which tell of the discovery of the empty tomb, then John 20:19-20 for the appearance to the disciples. Finish with Romans 6:4, which ties this victory to your own life: walking from now on in newness of life.
to take notes and ask questions.