Death is Powerless

Ezekiel 37:1-14.   Psalm 130.    Romans 8:6-11.   John 11:1-45.   

Death is Powerless

I find it interesting that our readings for this Sunday (the first Sunday in Lockdown in South Africa as we can call it in liturgical language) zeroes in on the powerlessness of death. The great enemy of humankind since the Fall is still subject to the one who rules and reigns supreme over all things, seen and unseen. 

The English Anglican minister and poet, John Donne, wrote a sonnet best known by its opening line: Death Be Not Proud. Apparently, he suffered from a major illness during his eighth year as an Anglican minister that brought him face to face with death. This may have been the background to the writing of the poem that was composed somewhere between February and August 1609 and interestingly enough, only published posthumously in 1633. 

It is an interesting poem as in it the poet addressed death as if it were a person. Donne warned death against pride in the mere illusion of power…while death may think it brings an end to life, in reality it opens a door to eternity for its alleged victims. While death parades as a fearsome force it is actually slave to other powers that are the real takers of life on earth (and we can think of a few – war, disease, famine, and the like). Even in the rest it brings, Donne says, it is inferior to sleep aids and other drugs. 

But to me the most interesting part of the poem is the final line: “And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.”

The first part of this final line alludes to 1 Corinthians 15:26 in which the Apostle Paul tells us that the last enemy to be destroyed is death itself. But then Donne uses a simple punctuation mark to drive his point home. Death – comma – thou shalt die. Do you see it? Death is but a brief pause in a sentence…it is not a full stop…it is but a moment. When the last breath is taken on earth the first breath is taken in eternity. There is nothing more than a brief pause…life does not cease…it continues beyond death and therefore death is nothing more than a comma. 

Addressing the dying, penitent thief on the cross Jesus emphatically stated, “Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Not tomorrow, but today. Paul said: absent from the body, present with the Lord. A comma…a brief interlude…and then life eternally.

The Scriptures tell us and we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life…just as death came into the world through the disobedience of our forebears…it has been conquered and annulled through Christ’s resurrection from the dead. All who are in Christ will live even though they die. So, why fear death when we have life? Death is nothing but a brief break in a sentence…a comma…nothing more than a momentary pause before being defeated by life.

Our Old Testament and New Testament passages remind us that nothing is hopeless as far as our God is concerned. A valley filled with bones which the prophet described as very dry was transformed when the breath of God blew over it. A tomb serving as the final resting place of a decomposing corpse had to surrender when the voice of Jesus demanded the release of its captive. 

True, the Apostle Paul reminds us in our Epistle reading from the book of Romans that allowing our sinful nature to control us will lead to a death beyond death as the sinful nature is hostile to God, the only true source of life. If one rejects God, one rejects life. But then Paul hastened to add that those who have the Spirit of God living in them are no longer controlled by the old sinful nature but by the new nature that is ours in Christ. This is the hope of all followers of Jesus. Just as the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead, He will give life to our mortal bodies by the same Spirit who lives in those of us who are in Him.

Dearest beloved brethren, it is our participation in the life of Christ that defeats death. That is why I love the Eucharist so much…it is such a perfect illustration of the reality of our union with the one who has conquered death and overcome the world…the one who has defeated sin and Satan. Just as the elements of bread and wine are ingested and digested to become part of us, so too the fullness of the Godhead lives and reigns in those who abide in Him. Jesus said that nothing can snatch us from His hand. Paul said that overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loves us…nothing…nothing can ever separate us from the love of God…neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the heavens above or on the earth below – nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus.

So do not fear dear frightened fledgling flock of God. Put your trust and your hope in the Lord because with Him is unfailing love. The unknown is best left in the hands of the one from whom nothing is hidden. While it may seem like the dark clouds of doom are gathering to unleash on us a storm of hideous proportions, we are as safe in Him as was Noah, his family, and the animals in the Ark. Come what may, life or death, we know that in Jesus death hold no sway…in Jesus death is rendered powerless…in Jesus, death is nothing more than a brief pause…nothing more than a comma…

© Johannes W H van der Bijl Lent 2020