“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’”
Matthew 28:18
The Risen One has all authority.
In the gospels, Jesus called Himself the Son of man. This expression emphasized His humanity—He was a true man. But it also referred to His godly nature and mission. For the Jews, the Son of man was a Savior sent by God with all authority.
Jesus wanted the Jews to understand that He was this Saviour, to whom God had given all authority:
- Over creation — He walked on water, commanded the elements, healed the sick and raised the dead;
- Over humankind and spirits — He passed through the crowd that wanted to kill Him in Nazareth (Lk 4:29-30) and cast out the spirits;
- To proclaim God’s will in a true way — “You have learned, but I tell you”;
- To forgive sins;
- To fulfill God’s will and grant humankind eternal life (Jn 17:2).
For the Jews, His death on the cross was proof of His deception. He had not been able to help Himself. The Pharisees had triumphed in their interpretation of the law. He who claimed to be able to forgive sins had died as the worst of criminals. His failure showed that God was not with Him. And now that He was dead, He could give nothing at all.
His resurrection definitively proved that He was the Son of God, with all authority. Let us trust in the authority of the Risen One!
He has all authority over creation. The Risen One is not bound by the laws of nature. Christ is with each of us, at all times and everywhere. He knows everyone’s thoughts, He shares their joys and sorrows. God entrusted humankind with the responsibility and mission to preserve the earth. Clearly, they do not always do what God expects of them. But we can trust that Christ will watch over the creation and keep it going until His plan of redemption is fulfilled.
The Risen One has all authority over humankind and spirits. He can always come to our aid. He does not necessarily do everything we ask of Him, but He always gives us more than we expect. He does not allow us to be tempted beyond our strength. No one can separate us from Him against our will.
Christ’s resurrection confirmed the truth of His teaching: God’s law is the law of love. God’s love is infinitely more powerful than evil.
Christ has the authority to forgive our sins. The grace He offers us makes them disappear and erases all guilt before God. The believer who shows sincere repentance no longer has to fear for their salvation: once forgiven, their sins no longer affect their relationship with God.
Christ has all authority to fulfill His work. He gives us all that is necessary for salvation. He does not depend on the help of humankind to carry out His plan and no one can prevent Him from it.
Christ has all authority. Let us trust Him!
Jesus Christ’s resurrection proves that He is the Saviour sent by God. He has all authority over creation, humankind and spirits. His teaching is the truth. He gives us perfect grace and will fulfill His work. We trust Him.
The women found the tomb empty. The disappearance of Jesus’ body is important for understanding His resurrection. The Lord did not return to the disciples as a spirit or ghost (Mt 14:26). The Risen One is a man in His own right, an entity made up of spirit, soul and body.
God is faithful: He gives us back a hundredfold what we have renounced for Him (Mt 19:29). Obeying His Father, Jesus agreed to leave His body. God gave Him the resurrection body, infinitely more glorious than the earthly body.
God does everything perfectly. He plans to restore the original fellowship between Him and humankind. He does not want to just save the soul of humankind, but their whole being, as He created it—an entity made up of spirit, soul and body.