Death is swallowed up in victory—consumed, broken down, and transformed (Paraphrase of 1Cor.15:54). God will wipe every tear out of our eyes—not just off our cheeks, and he will redeem the pain behind our tears. Death will cease to exist in every form. (Paraphrase of Rev.21:4)
Dear Jesus, I can’t claim origination of the insight, but I can’t shake its power, encouragement, and hope—and I don’t want to. My “resurrection day” started at a sunrise service, where a dear friend spoke of your cross not just as you “drinking the cup of God’s judgment” for us; but also of you “consuming death”—swallowing and transforming it as only you could and would.
This is 10,000 times better than the hope of death’s cessation—for which we deeply long. It offers a greater hope—surely what C.S. Lewis meant by “death working backwards.” Jesus, only you can bring beauty out of our betrayals, adoration from our anguish, the aroma of grace from the stench of death. Death and evil have sought to steal from us, kill in us, and bring destruction all around us. Their success is real but brief; but your victory is glorious and forever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! HALLELUJAH!
Jesus, thank you for drinking the bitter cup and swallowing the fatal meal. Thank you for being the grave-robber and grace-giver. Thank you for a better story than calling us simply to get over “hard stuff.” The devil, our fallen world—and even people are often conduits of great darkness and deep harm. As a mystery, not as a cliché—none of it is beyond your knowing, sovereignty, purposes, and redemption. We don’t know how it works, but we do know you are always at work for your glory and our good (Rm.8:28). Thank. You. Jesus. So Very Amen.