The great Renaissance artist Michelangelo once challenged fellow artists about how they portrayed Christ. Galleries were filled with paintings of Jesus suffering on the cross or lying lifeless in the tomb. Michelangelo asked a powerful question: Why focus only on that brief moment of apparent defeat? The crucifixion lasted only a few hours, but Christ’s resurrection and reign will last forever. The stone was rolled away, the grave was conquered, and the Savior lives eternally.

The cross is central to the gospel because it is where Jesus paid the price for our sins. But the story does not end there. If Christ had remained in the grave, there would be no hope for humanity. The resurrection transformed what looked like defeat into the greatest victory the world has ever known. Jesus did not remain a victim of the cross—He rose as the victorious Lord over sin, death, and the grave.

Too often we dwell on the sorrow of the crucifixion without celebrating the triumph of the resurrection. The risen Christ is not a figure of the past; He is the living Savior of the present. He rules and reigns today. The empty tomb reminds us that death does not have the final word. Christ is alive, and because He lives, all who trust in Him share in His victory.