Jesus’ tomb was empty. But why? How? Who? So many questions filled the mind of Cleopas and his friend as they slowly walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. In the aftermath of their Savior’s crucifixion, they could not fathom the inevitability of the resurrection.
Encounter with a Stranger
Just that morning, a normally reliable group women—dedicated followers of Jesus—had reported seeing a vision of angels at the empty tomb (Luke 24:23). They said that the angels asked them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” (Luke 24:5–7).
Neither Cleopas nor his friend knew what to make of the women’s report until they met a stranger on the road to Emmaus. That stranger—Jesus Himself—gently chided them for their unbelief: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25–26). Jesus answered their questions by taking them through the Old Testament Scriptures. Then, He revealed that He was their risen Savior.
Revelation in the Upper Room
Later that evening, after Cleopas and his friend had raced back to Jerusalem, Jesus appeared in the upper room where His followers had gathered. Once again, Jesus emphasized what He had already told them and what the Old Testament had previously revealed: “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44–45).
The Necessity of the Resurrection
Then Jesus spoke these amazing words: “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead” (Luke 24:46–48). Not only did Jesus say He would rise from the dead, but He also echoed the unbreakable words of the Old Testament Scriptures. “Thus it is written.” and so, He must rise. “It was necessary for the Christ . . . to rise,” and so, His resurrection was inevitable.
But what Old Testament passages did Jesus quote foretelling His resurrection? Luke 24 does not reveal those details, but here are four passages Jesus may have referenced as He convinced His disciples of the inevitability of the resurrection.
~2000 B.C.: Job’s Hope
In arguably the first book of the Bible ever written, the prophet Job finds hope in a future resurrection. He writes, “I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25–26). The foundation for Job’s hope of resurrection lies in his Redeemer’s resurrection. His words resemble Jesus’ own promise in John 14:19: “Because I live, you will live also.” Job’s hope is our hope today.
From God’s earliest revelation, the resurrection was inevitable.
~1000 B.C.: David’s Joy
One thousand years after Job, the prophet-king David repeats Job’s hope in a hymn of joy: “My heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:9–11). David rejoiced in the resurrection, but His own hope was wrapped up in Another’s rise—God’s Holy One.
In the apostle Peter’s Pentecost sermon, he quotes Psalm 16:10. He explains that this Holy One was not David, but Jesus Himself: “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:29–32; Luke 24:48).
Based on God’s promise, the resurrection was inevitable.
~700 B.C.: Isaiah’s Description
Seven hundred years after David, God once again revealed the necessity of the resurrection. In Isaiah 53, God unmistakably describes the death of Christ for the salvation of humankind. The prophet declared, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). God “laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6)” as He was “brought as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7).
Yet, God’s revelation did not stop with the Savior’s death: He continues to the resurrection. “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin [crucifixion]. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days [resurrection], And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand” (Isaiah 53:10). The Savior must die, but afterward, God would prolong His days so that He would see those who came after Him (John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 15:23). The Savior can only fulfill this prophecy through resurrection.
Christ’s days would be prolonged after His sacrifice. Therefore, the resurrection was inevitable.
~700 B.C.: Micah’s Ruler
Around the same time God moved Isaiah to speak of the coming Christ, the prophet Micah revealed details usually associated with the first advent of Christ. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting” (Micah 5:2). According to Matthew 2:5–6, the prophecy came to pass literally just as Micah had foretold—except in one aspect. The One born in Bethlehem has not yet become a ruler in Israel. Jesus was the One born in Bethlehem. He died before becoming a ruler. Therefore, He must rise to fulfill this prophecy.
Since the first half of the prophecy came to pass just as foretold, the second must also occur. Therefore, the resurrection was inevitable.
Conclusion: The Inevitability of the Resurrection
We do not know the exact Old Testament passages that Jesus referenced in Luke 24 to prove the inevitability of the resurrection. However, passages like the above examples show that the resurrection had to occur. As Jesus declared to his disciples, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ . . . to rise from the dead” (Luke 24:46). God wrote it, so it must happen. The resurrection was inevitable.
Another inevitable resurrection lies in the future. Because Jesus rose, those who believe on Him will also rise. Believers today experience the hope of Job and the joy of David because of the promise of God repeated throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus Himself guaranteed: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25). The believer’s future resurrection is inevitable.
Only one question remains: Are you a believer in Jesus Christ, trusting His grace alone rather than your own merit, and so destined to escape eternal death and enjoy inevitable resurrection?1 (Ephesians 2:8–9)
- For a more thorough explanation of the gospel, read page 19–26 of my book, Daring Dependence. That section of the book can be read for free here. ↩︎ ↩︎
