Paul says plainly that if Christ wasn’t raised, faith is futile. This isn’t a side detail of the gospel story — it’s the hinge the whole thing turns on. This plan spends five days there.
Day 1 — If Christ Has Not Been Raised
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.
Paul doesn’t soften the stakes: without the resurrection, “your faith is futile,” “you are still in your sins,” and believers “are of all people most to be pitied.” He wants you to feel exactly how much rests on this being true.
Try this: Sit with why the resurrection isn’t optional decoration on your faith — it’s the foundation.
Day 2 — The Empty Tomb
Read Matthew 28:1-10.
The first witnesses at the tomb are women — in a culture where a woman’s testimony carried little legal weight. That detail is a strange thing to include if the story were invented; it only makes sense if it’s simply what happened.
Try this: Imagine the moment described here as the women actually experienced it — fear and great joy, together.
Day 3 — Doubt Meets the Risen Christ
Read John 20:24-29.
Thomas doesn’t get shamed for his doubt — he gets an invitation: “put your finger here, and see my hands.” Jesus meets doubt with evidence, not just a demand for blind belief.
Try this: Bring your own honest doubts to Jesus today instead of hiding them.
Day 4 — The Road to Emmaus
Read Luke 24:13-32.
Two disciples walk with the risen Jesus for miles without recognizing him — until he breaks bread, and “their eyes were opened.” Sometimes recognition comes not from new information, but from a familiar moment.
Try this: Where might Jesus be present with you today in something ordinary and familiar?
Day 5 — The Hope It Guarantees
Read 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 54-57.
Christ’s resurrection is called the “firstfruits” — the first of a harvest still coming. His resurrection isn’t just about him; it’s the guarantee of what’s promised for everyone in him.
Try this: What does it change today, practically, to know death doesn’t get the final word?
Closing thought: The resurrection isn’t a story about a happy ending tacked onto Good Friday. It’s the reason everything else in the faith holds together at all.