When you and I breathe our last, your spirit entered eternity, northing physical is left but a body destined to decay. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Easter celebrates God’s creating Word. On Easter the Triune God spoke to the nothingness of Jesus’ corpse. Just as it was at creation, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…. And God said, ‘Let there be’ and it was so” (Genesis 1 passim)… Just as Hebrews teaches creation out of nothing, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Hebrews 11:3)…. Just as God at the beginning of time created everything out of nothing, just so, God spoke His creative word and restored Jesus to life on Easter.
So it will be for you and me. On the day of the resurrection of all flesh, God will speak to the nothingness of your dead body. On that day you will not be able to hear Him physically because your body is dead. You can’t hear when you’re dead! Lazarus was dead and couldn’t hear Jesus say, “Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:43-44). The young man at Nain was dead and couldn’t hear Jesus say, “Young man, I say to you, ‘Arise’” (Luke 7:14-15). And Jairus’ daughter was dead and couldn’t hear Jesus say, “The child is not dead but only sleeping” and “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mark 5:39, 41). The Word works what it promises. As Jesus’ word raised them temporally, His creating word will raise your body eternally. “If we have been united with him in a death like his (and you have been united with Jesus by faith and baptism), we shall certainly be united with him a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5). “The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52). Out of nothing, life!
“Awake, my heart, with gladness, / See what today is done;
Now, after gloom and sadness, / Comes forth the glorious sun.
My Savior there was laid / Where our bed must be made
When to the realms of light / Our spirit wings its flight.”
(LSB 467, 1)
Comments