Where, O Death, Is Your Victory?
Scripture
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:1–10).
Reflection
Picture yourself as one of the men guarding the tomb of Jesus: just after sunrise, you see two women walking toward the tomb, expecting to anoint his body. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord comes down from heaven; his appearance is like lightning and he is clothed in a robe white as snow. He rolls back the stone from the very tomb you are keeping under close watch and sits on it—and that is followed by a violent earthquake. Matthew tells us the guards shook and became as dead men. I think my response would be no different; I would be terrified, too.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary certainly did not expect to see an angel, let alone hear it speak to them. They, too, must have been terrified, since the angel told them not to be afraid. Then they were told that Jesus had risen—as he said…this, they should have expected.
The angel invited the women to look inside the tomb. The stone had been rolled away so they could see Jesus was no longer there. They had been among those who witnessed his body placed in the tomb, but now, it was gone.
These women would be the first of Jesus’ messengers as the angel instructed them to go quickly and tell his disciples that Jesus had risen and they would see him in Galilee. As they hurried away, afraid, but filled with joy, Jesus, the risen Christ, met them. We can only imagine how they felt. Just moments before, they had come to anoint his body; now they clasped his feet and worshipped him!
Death is something the world fears, even if few actually acknowledge it. Many try to suppress or avoid conversations about death, but avoidance is not the antidote for it. For the world, death is inevitable, and what comes after is unknown. But this could not be further from the truth. As believers, we know that Jesus laid down his life for us so we would not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16), be raised up on the last day (John 6:40), and join him at his banquet table (Luke 13:29).
As death has been swallowed up in victory, we, too, can echo the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” This Resurrection Sunday, we have reached the end of our Lenten journey together. But with this reflection, we are reminded that the end is just the beginning!
Prayer
Savior, we praise you for redeeming us from the wages of our sin. You rose victorious over sin and death. In you, the grave has no victory, and death has no sting. Our hearts our filled with gratitude on this Resurrection Sunday, and we await that glorious day when we see you face to face. Amen
2024 Lenten Journey
Adrian Brown