“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” – John 10:17-18

Earlier this month, we had just celebrated the most significant events in Christianity: The death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The prophecies and stories of the Old Testament had pointed towards these moments, for the blood of the Lamb to be poured out on the Cross, so that through Him, our sins are forgiven and we are redeemed from the bondage of sins.

Without the death and the resurrection of Christ, there will be no Gospel. They are two critical puzzle pieces in God’s redemption arc for mankind.

But have you ever stopped, and pondered: What does the death and the resurrection of Christ tell us about Christ Himself?

In the past, the picture that comes to my mind is that Jesus was simply following the Father’s order. Like a son obeying what his father commanded is how I imagined Jesus was doing in response to His mission in this world.

And that was certainly the case. As Paul said in Philippians 2:8, Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to God, enduring the Cross and died for us. But when Jesus came into the world to save us, He came with a commandment from the Father in heaven, and that commandment came with authority to do it.

He chose by His own authority when He would lay down His life for us. And after He had lain among the slain for three days, He alone had the authority to take back His life again.

What does this mean, then? It is clear that the battle against sin and death did not end in a draw: with sin and death and judgment just as triumphant as Jesus. But instead, if Jesus alone had the authority as the Son of God to take back His life, that meant that He alone was triumphant.

Sin and death and judgement could not rule over or hold back Jesus, even after He was slain. But Jesus displayed His authority, that He had the authority over life and death.

The implication is significant for believers, and one that should strengthen our faith in the life to come. Just as sin and death and judgment could not destroy or reign over Christ, they can never again destroy the sheep of Jesus. As Jesus Himself promised in John 10:27-28:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”

If you still wrestle with your faith, or if you still have doubt over your salvation, I pray that this can help you to see that His death and resurrection are a glimpse of what is to come for all of us. I pray that you may be able to see that in the same way Christ has the authority to defeat death and rise to life, the same will happen to those who believe in Him. And once He has spoken and promised, He will fulfill His promises.