Light of the World: Day Sixteen
The Light Bursts from the Grave
Read Luke 24:1-12
The old adage is true, only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. Death sucks. It does. There are no two ways about it. God did not create mankind to have to deal with the separation of physical death. Yet, when Adam and Eve sinned, death entered the world as a consequence for sin.
The wages of sin is death…
Romans 3:23a
When Jesus absorbed the wrath of God in our place on the cross, his eternal sacrifice accomplished redemption for, “whoever believes in him” (John 3:16). But there was another problem to deal with: death. Since sin entered the world, mankind has had to deal with the problem of death. Pause here for a moment and turn to Genesis 5. Skim through that chapter and not how many times it says, “and he died.” Over and over again the sad pattern continues, “and he died…and he died…and he died…and he died.”
When the women came to the tomb that Sunday morning, they expected to find nothing other than the same ending that all people from Adam onward had experienced (with the exception of Enoch and Elijah, of course). Yet what they found was something entirely new. Something entirely different. An empty grave.
Not only did Jesus bear our guilt on the cross, but he conquered death. Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope that the grave doesn’t have the final say. Death doesn’t win because in defeating sin, Jesus also defeated death.
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:54b-57
Jesus as the light of the world brought light even to and out of the grave. As sunlight dawned that first Easter morning, as the women walked to Jesus’ tomb, little did they know that their weeping would turn to rejoicing, their sorrow would turn to singing, and their grief would turn to inexpressible joy. This will be the reality for all those who are in Christ Jesus because death doesn’t win. Jesus does.
Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence, the roaring lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Jesus, yours is the victory
- Living Hope
Action Point: Take some time today to reflect on the hope of the resurrection. As everything at Christmas focuses on Jesus’ birth, don’t forget to see the cross from the manger. Praise God today for sending Jesus to conquer sin and death.