'But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. '
Hebrews 2:9 ESV
When I was younger, before my little brother gave his life to Christ, he asked me, “Why did Jesus rise from the dead?” At a glance, this might seem like a complicated question, requiring deep theological rumination or philosophical conjecture, but it is not so. The Bible is clear on why Christ rose from the dead, and it begins with how the Bible describes what sin is. There are many descriptions of sin in the Bible, most of which are strange words like “transgression” and “iniquity,” but these are all terms pointing to one thing: we have crossed the line. We have broken the Laws of God and therefore desecrated the moral vision for His universe. Because of this, sin leads to death, for, as the Bible so forthrightly teaches, that is the payment for sin. Then there is the resurrection. Why does Jesus come back from the dead?
Because the wages of sin is death, yet He had no sin, so death could not keep him.
I think Christians ultimately forget who the true enemy is in the Bible: death, which is borne of sin. It is illustrated in many ways, particularly in the New Testament, with a subverted and morose terminology, such as “dead to the world,” and “pick up your cross,” as well as more vivacious terms such as “eternal life.”
But the resurrection of Christ is the eulogy of Death, and it is in His grave that our deaths were placed. Today, keep in your heart and mind that it was He who died so that you don’t have to.
To Him be the power, the glory, and the kingdom forever.
So be it and let it be.
Amen.