Death and Easter
And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean
linen cloth. And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the
rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
Matthew 27:59, 60
There is no darkness like death, however it comes. One
instant the eyes are open, the next closed. They are closed forever. Silence
fills the darkness, and hope disappears. There are no expectations, praises, or
aspirations in the grave. Only death, the darkness of darkness.
When Jesus died Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body as
custom demanded it, took it to the cemetery, and laid it in the tomb. The
fearful thing for all humanity is if you are living, without a miracle you will
die, and they will lay you in the grave too.
To understand this you need a little basic theology. Death,
according to God’s word, is the result of sin. Everybody has sinned, and
without forgiveness of sin death is their future.
Somehow sin must be forgiven if death darkness is to be
defeated. When Jesus died for us he carried the penalty for our sin, and all
who trust in him as their forgiver of sins are forgiven, and ultimately death
cannot keep you in the grave. That is…
That is if it didn’t keep him in the grave! So here’s the
Easter story. The women who were followers of Jesus went to the tomb to finish
the burial process, and mourn. And they met an angel, who said, Fear not ye for
I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is
risen, as he said, Come and see the place where the Lord lay. Matthew 28:5, 6.
He had been laid in the tomb. A rock had been rolled in
front of the mouth of the tomb. Now the rock was rolled away, come and see
where he was laid. He’s not laying there anymore. He is risen from the dead.
Jesus put death in the darkness, and those who know him by believing in him, in
the light.
