SCRIPTURE By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death. Hebrews 2:15 MSG
THOUGHT Matt Maher’s song Christ is Risen, is a rich lyric that had me from the first: Christ is risen from the dead / Trampling over death by death / Come awake, come awake / Come and rise up from the grave.
Drawing inspiration from a sermon preached by John Chrysostom in the 3rd century, Maher sings of the irony of Christ defeating death with death. Hell “swallowed a man, but encountered God; took in earth and encountered heaven,” he says in an interview. Picture that moment of shocking discovery for the enemy of our souls!
The image of Jesus trampling the thing hell thought would conquer him is pictured large in my imagination. In that joyful scene, death and hell and all the plans that surround the two are trampled. The power they have to bring down the sons and daughters of God is finished. I cannot begin to imagine the celebration in God’s heart as his sinless son finished that dance. I think it’s fitting for the Lenten season, to picture it, and do a little dance ourselves. We can live fully awake; don’t have to be scared to death of death.
Trampling death is an on-going mission, says Paul (1 Cor. 15:25-26), and Jesus won’t be finished until every enemy is under his feet and he presents a perfect kingdom to God. This battle with the enemy still rages, and I am grateful that Jesus, the victorious, resurrected one, leads the charge.
SONG Christ is Risen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKJyTHB_GnE
PRAYER Resurrected Savior, thank you for trampling sin and its consequences: death and hell. Help us grasp how immense our freedom is because of it!
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