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Easter Bible Verses

Draw a random Easter verse and follow the story from Palm Sunday and the cross to the empty tomb and the hope of new life.

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Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Zechariah 9:9 KJV

What the Bible Says About Easter

The word Easter does not appear in most English Bibles, and the Gospels never describe an annual festival with eggs, sunrise services or lilies. What they do describe is the final week of Jesus' life in Jerusalem, his crucifixion, and the discovery on a Sunday morning that his tomb was empty. Christians have celebrated that discovery since the earliest centuries, and the verses on this page come from the accounts and teaching behind it. Specific customs and the exact calendar date of the original events are matters where scholars and traditions differ, so it helps to let the text speak first. Reading a verse beside the chapter around it often shows details that a single line cannot.

All four Gospels agree on the main outline: Jesus is arrested, tried, crucified and buried, and women who followed him find the tomb open. They differ in detail, such as which women went and what they saw first, which is why reading several passages side by side is worthwhile.

Where Easter Themes Appear

Holy Week begins with Jesus riding into Jerusalem, continues through the last supper and the prayer in Gethsemane, and moves to the trial and the cross. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each record these days, and many of their details echo Old Testament passages, especially Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. The resurrection narratives follow, including the meeting with Mary Magdalene, the walk to Emmaus and Thomas' doubt.

The letters explain why the event mattered. Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 15 that Christ's rising is the firstfruits of a coming resurrection, Peter writes of a living hope, and Hebrews describes Jesus freeing people from the fear of death. Prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel point toward life beyond the grave, and Revelation closes with the promise that death will be no more.

Ways to Use These Verses

Choose a verse for an Easter card, a text message or a caption for a family photo.
Read one passage each day through Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday and ending with the empty tomb.
Use verses as short readings at a sunrise service, a church meal or around the table at home.
Pair a Good Friday verse with a Sunday verse to see the contrast between sorrow and celebration.
Check the note under each verse to see who is speaking and why before you share it.

If you want a wider mix of passages, try the Bible verse randomizer or the random encouraging Bible verse page, and browse the Bible books to read the full chapter around any verse that catches your attention.

Verses in This Collection

Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Zechariah pictures a king arriving humbly on a donkey; the Gospels connect this prophecy to Jesus entering Jerusalem at the start of Holy Week.
Matthew 21:8-9 – And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Crowds spread cloaks and branches on the road as Jesus enters Jerusalem, shouting praise that draws on Psalm 118, a scene remembered as Palm Sunday.
John 12:12-13 – On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
John says a large crowd who had come for Passover took palm branches and went out to meet Jesus, hailing him as Israel's king.
John 12:24 – Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Days before his death, Jesus uses the picture of a grain of wheat falling into the soil to explain why his death will bear much fruit.
John 13:34-35 – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Gathered in the upper room, Jesus gives his friends a new command to love one another as he has loved them, marking them as his followers.
Matthew 26:26-28 – And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it , and brake it , and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
At the Passover meal Jesus breaks bread and shares a cup, linking them to his body and blood given for the forgiveness of sins.
John 14:1-3 – Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so , I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
On the night before his arrest Jesus comforts troubled disciples, promising a place prepared for them and his return to bring them home.
Matthew 26:36-39 – Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt .
In Gethsemane Jesus, deeply distressed, asks the Father if the cup of suffering might pass, yet submits to God's will.
Luke 22:41-44 – And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Luke records Jesus praying in agony on the Mount of Olives, with an angel strengthening him, so intense that his sweat fell like drops of blood.
Matthew 26:47-50 – And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
Judas arrives with an armed crowd and betrays Jesus with a kiss; Jesus still addresses him as friend and does not resist the arrest.
John 18:36 – Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Standing before Pilate, Jesus explains that his kingdom does not belong to this world and does not advance by the sword.
Luke 22:61-62 – And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
After Peter's third denial, Jesus turns and looks at him; Peter remembers what he was told and goes out weeping bitterly.
Isaiah 53:3-5 – He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah describes a suffering servant despised and pierced for others' sins; the early church saw Jesus' passion in these words.
Isaiah 53:7 – He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
The servant stays silent like a lamb led to slaughter, a detail many Christians connect with Jesus' silence before his accusers.
Psalm 22:1 – My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
David opens a psalm of anguish with a cry of abandonment; Jesus speaks these same words from the cross according to Matthew and Mark.
Psalm 22:16-18 – For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
This psalm of David describes pierced hands and feet and lots cast for clothing, details the Gospel writers echo in the crucifixion accounts.
Zechariah 12:10 – And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son , and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
God promises a spirit of grace and supplication, so that people look on one they have pierced and mourn; John applies this verse to the crucifixion.
John 19:17-18 – And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
Jesus carries his own cross to a place called Golgotha, where he is crucified between two others, as John tersely reports.
Luke 23:34 – Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
From the cross Jesus asks the Father to forgive those who are crucifying him, saying they do not understand what they are doing.
Luke 23:42-43 – And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
A criminal crucified beside Jesus asks to be remembered in his kingdom, and Jesus promises him a place in paradise that very day.
John 19:25-27 – Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
Near the cross stand Mary his mother and other women; Jesus entrusts her to the beloved disciple, caring for family even in dying.
Matthew 27:45-46 – Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Darkness covers the land for three hours until Jesus cries out in a loud voice, quoting David's psalm of abandonment.
John 19:30 – When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
John records Jesus' final word before he dies, a single Greek word usually translated as finished, often read as the completion of his mission.
Matthew 27:50-51 – Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
When Jesus dies, the temple curtain is torn from top to bottom and the earth shakes, signs of a decisive change in how people approach God.
Mark 15:39 – And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
A Roman centurion who watched Jesus die declares that this man was truly the Son of God, a surprising confession from an executioner.
John 19:34-35 – But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
A soldier pierces Jesus' side and blood and water flow out; John stresses that he is an eyewitness reporting what he saw.
John 19:38-41 – And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight . Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take Jesus' body, wrap it with spices and lay it in a new garden tomb before the Sabbath begins.
Matthew 27:65-66 – Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
Fearing that disciples might steal the body, the chief priests have a guard posted and the stone sealed, which later underlines how unexpected the empty tomb was.
Isaiah 53:10-11 – Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isaiah says the servant's life becomes an offering for sin, yet he will see his offspring and prolong his days; Christians read hope of resurrection here.
Psalm 16:9-10 – Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
David expresses confidence that God will not abandon him to the grave; Peter and Paul later cite this psalm as pointing to Jesus' resurrection.
Psalm 118:22-24 – The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. …: Heb. from the LORD This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
The stone the builders rejected becomes the cornerstone, a psalm Jesus applies to himself and the early church links to Easter morning.
Job 19:25-27 – For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body , yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Suffering Job declares that his redeemer lives and that he will see God, one of the Old Testament's boldest statements of hope beyond death.
Hosea 6:2 – After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Hosea speaks of God restoring his people after two days and raising them on the third, wording Christians often connect with the third-day resurrection.
Matthew 12:40 – For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus compares his coming burial to Jonah's three days inside the great fish, offering it as the sign that will be given to that generation.
Matthew 28:1-4 – In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men .
At dawn on the first day of the week the women come to the tomb and witness an earthquake and an angel rolling the stone away.
Matthew 28:5-6 – And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
The angel tells the frightened women not to fear, announcing that Jesus is not here because he has risen as he said.
Mark 16:1-4 – And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
Early Sunday, the women bring spices for burial and wonder who will move the stone, only to find it already rolled back.
Mark 16:6 – And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
A young man in white tells the astonished women that the crucified Jesus has risen and invites them to see the place where he lay.
Luke 24:1-3 – Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
The women find the stone rolled away, enter the tomb and discover the body of the Lord Jesus is gone.
Luke 24:5-7 – And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet 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.
Two men in shining clothes ask why the women look for the living among the dead, reminding them what Jesus told them in Galilee.
John 20:1-2 – The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb while it is still dark, sees the stone moved and runs to tell Peter and the other disciple.
John 20:6-8 – Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
Peter enters the tomb and sees the burial cloths lying there; the other disciple follows, sees, and believes.
John 20:11-13 – But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
Mary stays outside the tomb weeping; two angels ask why she cries, and she answers that someone has taken her Lord away.
John 20:15-16 – Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener until he says her name, and she recognizes her teacher in an instant.
Matthew 28:9-10 – And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
Jesus meets the women on the road, they hold his feet and worship, and he sends them to tell his brothers to go to Galilee.
Luke 24:30-32 – And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it , and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
When Jesus breaks bread at the table in Emmaus, the two disciples recognize him, then recall how their hearts burned as he explained the Scriptures.
Luke 24:36-39 – And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Jesus appears among the frightened disciples and invites them to touch his hands and feet to prove that he is no ghost.
John 20:19-20 – Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
On the evening of that first Sunday Jesus enters the locked room, greets his friends with peace and shows them his wounds, and they rejoice.
John 20:24-25 – But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
Thomas was absent when Jesus appeared and says he will not believe unless he can see and touch the marks of the nails.
John 20:26-28 – And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
A week later Jesus returns, invites Thomas to touch his wounds, and Thomas responds with a worshipful confession of Jesus as Lord and God.
John 20:29 – Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Jesus tells Thomas that those who believe without having seen are blessed, a line often read as encouragement to later generations.
John 21:15-17 – So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
By a charcoal fire Jesus asks Peter three times whether he loves him, restoring the disciple who denied him three times.
Luke 24:44-47 – And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
The risen Jesus explains that the Law, Prophets and Psalms foretold his suffering and rising, and that repentance would be preached to all nations.
Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
On a mountain in Galilee the risen Jesus gives his disciples the commission to teach all nations and promises to be with them always.
Acts 1:3 – To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
Luke says that over forty days Jesus appeared to the apostles with many convincing proofs and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:9-11 – And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Jesus is taken up into a cloud before his disciples' eyes, and two angels promise that he will return in the same way.
Acts 2:24 – Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
In his Pentecost sermon Peter says God raised Jesus up, because death could not keep its hold on him.
Acts 2:32 – This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Peter tells the crowd in Jerusalem that God raised this Jesus and that the apostles are witnesses of it.
Acts 4:10-12 – Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Standing before the council, Peter credits the healing of a lame man to Jesus, whom they crucified and God raised from the dead.
Acts 17:30-31 – And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men , in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Paul tells the Athenians that God has set a day of judgment and given proof by raising Jesus from the dead.
Romans 1:4 – And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Paul opens his letter to Rome by saying Jesus was declared Son of God with power through the resurrection from the dead.
Romans 4:24-25 – But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Paul says Jesus was handed over for our offenses and raised for our justification, tying Easter to being made right with God.
Romans 5:8 – But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul argues that God showed his love by sending Christ to die for people while they were still sinners, not after they improved.
Romans 6:4 – Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Paul uses baptism as a picture of dying and rising with Christ, so that believers walk in a new kind of life.
Romans 6:9-10 – Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Writing to the church in Rome, Paul says that Christ, once raised, cannot die again and death no longer rules over him.
Romans 8:11 – But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Paul promises that the Spirit who raised Jesus lives in believers and will give life to their mortal bodies too.
Romans 8:34 – Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Paul asks who can condemn those in Christ, since Jesus died, was raised, and now intercedes at God's right hand.
Romans 10:9 – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Paul sums up the core of the early Christian message as confessing Jesus as Lord and believing that God raised him from the dead.
1 Corinthians 5:7 – Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Paul calls Christ our Passover lamb and urges the Corinthians to live as people freed from the old leaven of malice.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Paul passes on what he received as of first importance: Christ died for sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 – But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Paul calls the risen Christ the firstfruits of those who have died, as death entered through one man and life through another.
1 Corinthians 15:54-57 – So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the end of his chapter on resurrection Paul celebrates death swallowed up in victory, and thanks God for the victory given through Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
After his long argument for resurrection, Paul concludes that because it is true, work done for the Lord is never wasted.
2 Corinthians 5:15 – And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
Paul explains that Christ died and rose for all so that those who live would no longer live merely for themselves.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Paul says anyone united with Christ is a new creation, with the old way of life passing and something new having come.
Galatians 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Paul says he has been crucified with Christ and that the life he now lives is lived by faith in the Son who loved him.
Ephesians 1:19-20 – And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places ,
Paul prays that readers would grasp the greatness of the power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in heaven.
Ephesians 2:4-6 – But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Paul says God, rich in mercy, made believers alive with Christ when they were dead in sins, and raised them up with him.
Philippians 3:10-11 – That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Paul longs to know Christ, the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, hoping to attain the resurrection from the dead.
Colossians 3:1-2 – If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Because they have been raised with Christ, Paul tells the Colossians to set their minds on things above rather than earthly things.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 – For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Paul comforts grieving Christians by reasoning that since Jesus died and rose, God will also bring back those who have fallen asleep in him.
2 Timothy 1:10 – But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
Paul writes that the appearing of Jesus has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Hebrews 2:14-15 – Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
The writer says Jesus shared our flesh and blood so that through his death he could free those held in lifelong fear of death.
Hebrews 12:2 – Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The writer urges readers to keep their eyes on Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy set before him and now sits at God's right hand.
1 Peter 1:3-4 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Peter praises God for new birth into a living hope through Jesus' resurrection, with an inheritance kept safe in heaven.
1 Peter 2:24 – Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Peter says Jesus bore our sins in his body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness.
Revelation 1:17-18 – And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
John falls at the feet of the risen Christ, who lays a hand on him and says he holds the keys of death and the grave.
Isaiah 25:8 – He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it .
Isaiah foresees a day when God will swallow up death forever and wipe away tears, a promise Paul and John later pick up.
Hosea 13:14 – I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
God speaks of ransoming his people from the power of the grave; Paul echoes this verse when he taunts death in 1 Corinthians 15.
Ezekiel 37:12-14 – Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD , when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it , and performed it , saith the LORD .
In Ezekiel's vision of dry bones, God promises to open graves and put his Spirit in his people, a picture of restoration and renewed life.
Daniel 12:2 – And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Daniel speaks of many who sleep in the dust awaking, one of the clearest Old Testament statements about resurrection of the dead.
John 11:25-26 – Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Before raising Lazarus, Jesus tells Martha that he is the resurrection and the life, and asks if she believes it.
John 10:17-18 – Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Jesus says no one takes his life from him; he lays it down freely and has authority to take it up again.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
In conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus explains that God's love moved him to give his Son so that believers might have eternal life.
Mark 10:45 – For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus tells his disciples that even the Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Lamentations 3:22-23 – It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
In the middle of grief over Jerusalem's fall, the writer remembers that God's mercies are new every morning, a fitting thought for Easter dawn.
Genesis 22:8 – And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
On the way up the mountain, Abraham tells Isaac that God will provide the lamb, a line Christians often connect with Jesus the Lamb of God.
Exodus 12:13 – And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you , when I smite the land of Egypt.
The blood on Israelite doorposts becomes a sign for God to pass over their homes, the Passover event that shapes the timing of Holy Week.
John 1:29 – The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John the Baptist sees Jesus coming and calls him the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Revelation 21:4 – And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
In John's closing vision God wipes away every tear and says death, mourning and pain will be no more, completing the hope Easter begins.

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