When Matthew recorded "As it began to dawn toward the first day of the week," he was simply recording the time the devoted women came to the sepulcher hoping to anoint the body of their blessed lord. But, unwittingly he announced a whole new day was dawning for mankind. For the Eternal God had, through the death and resurrection of His only begotten son, atoned for man's sins, broken down their barriers between Himself and man, opened the way to reconciliation of man unto Himself and rendered death powerless to hold its victims.
Christ's resurrection substantiates He was the incarnate Word-the Word made flesh. John 1:14.
Jesus made this claim, and God attested to it at both His baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration when He declared "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:27; 17:5.
Christ's resurrection proves the veracity of His claim to Martha, saying, "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." John 11:25. He said "No man taketh it (life) from Me, but I lay it down Myself: I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. This command have I received of My Father." John 10:18. He said from the cross, "Father into Thy hand I commend My spirit." Luke 23:46. He did not die from the wounds of the nails in His hands, and He was already dead when the soldier pierced His side with a spear that His precious blood might flow forth as a fountain of cleansing for all mankind. John 19:34. Had He remained dead, then Satan would have scored another victory over mankind as he did in Eden. But he discovered the second Adam could not be deceived or conquered. He was now dealing with the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last-one who could say, "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forever more. Amen: and I have the keys of hell and of death." Revelations 1:18. Praise God! Our Lord and Savior holds the keys to both death and the place of our departed spirits-Hades, for that is the Greek word translated hill in that verse. Oh, how glad we should be that we have a daily relationship with the Lord of life and of death. One that lived in human experience and can feel with us in our weakness and fears and throws His loving arms around us to sustain us in times of temptation and need.
It was the impact of His resurrection on the early Christians that transformed Him from being merely Jesus of Nazareth into being the son of the living God and sent them out to tell a sinful, idolatrous world that the Eternal God had identified with mankind in the person of Jesus Christ, his son, and had died on Calvary's cross to offer salvation from sin to all who would accept Him as their Lord and Savior to love and to serve Him.
This is the significance of Christ's resurrection. We through Him can live triumphantly over sin, Satan and self, and, when life comes to a close, we can mock death, exclaiming with the Apostle Paul, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Corinthians 15:55.