Death’s Web ................ Parables 321

June 9, 1992

The sunlight catches the silken strands of a spider’s weaving. It was not there last week but sometime during the nights and days since I last looked in my garden, a small brown creature created a beautiful design — beautiful but a trap for the unwary. Once entangled in the web, other insects cannot escape the spider’s sting of death. Their lot is cast.

Spider’s webs are a wonderful metaphor. From the philosophy of Charlotte’s Web, to poems of conversations between spiders and flies, we have a greater perception of certain slices of life.

The Bible, rich in imagery and figures of speech, also uses this metaphor — but only part of it — the relationship to life found in the sting of death. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, Greece. He tells them how vital the truth of Christ’s resurrection is to living the Christian life. For one thing, it removes the threat of dying. Verse 55 of chapter 15 asks the rhetorical question: “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades (grave), where is your victory?”

With that, Paul triumphantly proclaims the grave can only claim its victims for a short while — Christ rose from the dead, proving there is life after death — so death has lost its sting.

Death’s sting, at least on this side of dying, is fear. Most of us, most of the time, do not want to die. Fear of death is expressed in many ways, from re-labeling it with euphemisms to spending millions of dollars in life-prolonging research. We fear partly because we like life and do not want it to end, partly because of the process of dying, and certainly because of the uncertainty of what will happen after death. Is there a judgment? Or nothing?

The good news is that God the Son participated in human life — and in death — that “... through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Death is like that spider’s web — - and it catches all of us. Paul explains that “... the sting of death is sin...” Put another way, death is the result of sin and since all sin (Romans 3:23), no one can avoid its web. So sin (falling short of the righteousness of God) strikes the killing blow.

The Bible does not liken Satan to the spider but he could fit that role because he held “the power of death” however, notice that Christ has “destroyed him who had the power of death... the devil.”

When Jesus came, He could have decreed death out of the picture but He did not choose to circumvent dying. Instead, He destroyed its control over us by robbing the spider, the web, and the sting of their power. This He did by surrendering to the web, just as we eventually must, but with one big difference: since death’s sting is sin, that sting could not touch Him — He was sinless so the only way He could die was by willingly allowing our sin to be put on Him (2 Cor.5:21). That was all the spider was waiting for.

But death could not hold Jesus; it had no power over Him personally. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He conquered the web and the sting, broke the dominion of Satan, and walked out of the tomb.

Because of what Jesus did, sin and death cannot hold those who trust Him. The pain of death is overcome — it is the Christian’s transition to heaven, not to be feared. Furthermore, the present pain and sorrow of sin is forgiven, even conquered in Christ — it’s domination is broken. Both still seek to frighten the unwary into bondage and fear of dying, but Christ has put both sin and death under His feet. Death is no longer our biggest enemy.

Perhaps the real enemy now is unwary unbelief.

Death – the conquered enemy ................. Parables 228

(August 1, 1990)

A coffin holds the attention of mourners. A mother sobs for her dead. A wife is now a widow, children fatherless. Entire families grieve. Death, the final enemy, wins again.

Even aside from the obituaries, death serves as a main ingredient in the news of the day. Violent death, accidental death, death as a result of a battle with disease -- the only joyful accounts are when someone “cheats death” and even then, it is a temporary victory.

Some refuse to think about it, as if neglect will make it go away; but the saddest grief is for those who pretend it will never happen and find themselves face to face with reality -- death has snatched someone they love. Others are so preoccupied with death they spend their entire lives trying to beat it -- with everything from anti-aging cream to youth elixirs, only to find themselves a victim of the prey they could not capture and cage.

We hear of heroes who “bravely face death” and cowards who run from it; but regardless of the attitude, death always wins; well, almost always...

The most exciting thing that ever happened to humanity involves the one person who met death on death’s terms, allowed death to win, and then turned the score and rose a winner, conquering the unconquerable enemy and changing forever the hopes of it’s victims. Jesus Christ defeated the last enemy.

There are many people who don’t believe that. They say He didn’t really die, or He didn’t really rise; His disciples imagined or invented it. Scripture answers, “...if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen: And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain, and your faith is also vain. Yes, and we are false witnesses of God because we have testified that He raised up Christ... For if the dead rise not, then Christ is not raised and if Christ is not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins. Then they also which have died believing in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (I Corinthians 15:14-19).

Unthinking Christians sometimes say, “Well, if we are wrong, at least we have lived well...” Scripture says if we are wrong, we are fools. We have given our lives to follow a lie. The joys of belonging to Christ aside, we have turned our backs on the pleasures of sin, even given up all this world has to offer, and if there is nothing beyond this life, what do we have?

Jesus says this life is fleeting but what we do with it makes a difference – in it, and in the next life: “There is no man that hath left (all) for the kingdom of God’s sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting” (Luke 18:29,30).

Spending a life ignoring death ill prepares one for its eventuality. Preoccupation with it also ignores its power; we can’t win the battle. Looking at it as a foe, but a conquered foe gives us hope, yet that hope must be placed in the One who won the victory. We can’t conquer death because we can’t conquer the cause of death (sin); only Jesus did that. Only faith in Him gives us the same victory – over sin and over death.

The Bible triumphantly shouts to the enemy: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. But thanks to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jesus hated death. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus, He felt compassion for the widow of Nain who lost her only Son; He wouldn’t let death claim either one of them. Nor did He enter it joyfully Himself. In Gethsemane His sweat dropped as blood and He cried, “Father, let this pass from me... nevertheless, not as I will but Your will be done...”

And because God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Sin lures to death, but sin has been dealt a death-blow ............... Parables 176

(August 2, 1989)

A snake-loving man couldn’t resist buying a boa constrictor, just a little one. He enjoyed the reptile so much, he played with it constantly. Soon he had it trained to wrap itself around his body. The performance of man and snake was so intriguing that people paid to watch. Soon the snake act became the man’s livelihood. The snake grew, as well-fed reptiles do, and one day, during a performance, the snake coiled itself as usual around the man. A terrible scream ended the show as the boa crushed the life out of his trainer.

A lie-loving boy couldn’t resist fooling his mother just a little lie, he reasoned. He enjoyed the deception so much. He played his game constantly. Soon he had trained himself so well that he believed his own lies. He lived in a world of make-believe, losing touch with reality. His mother never understood why her son had to be institutionalized, why he eventually died there, unable to function in the real world.

A pleasure-loving girl couldn’t resist physical gratification. She enjoyed rich food, luxuries, and sensuous delights. She sought worldly pleasures constantly. Soon she found a need for increasing quantities, more thrills. Normal was old hat, bizarre became normal. She would pay any price for some sweet enjoyment. Her bloated body was found at the bottom of a ravine.

James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, wrote,”... each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away, and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin; when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.”

God says sin is the reason people die. While not every death may be the direct result of the victim’s own sin, all death is the result of sin in general. All moral, social, psychological, and even environmental pollution is caused by sin as well. In fact, rebellion to the laws of God makes newspapers fat and life lean.

It’s not unusual for sin to seem “little” or harmless in the beginning. One little lie won’t hurt anyone. Even the second lie to cover the first one seems reasonable. After playing with little lies for a time, their growth is hardly noticed—and lying becomes a lifestyle. And lies crush, if nothing else, the credibility of the person so entangled.

Lies and all other forms of iniquity begin in a small way—with a thought. It saunters into our minds like a stray cat or dog or snake. It ought to be put out, but if we pet it and invite it to stay, it becomes sin. “Even the thought of foolishness is sin.”

This pet, visible only to God, thwarts answers to prayer. The psalmist said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.”

But it does more than that. It begins a constricting coil, one that soon becomes as difficult to put down as a beloved pet. And this pet grows. Before long, it expresses itself in words and actions and becomes a lifestyle, one that leads to death, if not directly, indirectly, some day physically, right now spiritually.

Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. James says sin gives birth to death. Whatever metaphor is used, subtle deception and gradual changes occur before we know it, and when we do, we should tell ourselves to smarten up, but nobody does. Our “pet” has grown far too big. We can’t resist its big squeeze.

But there is good news. Because He loves us, our Creator sent His sinless Son to deal a mortal blow to sin and to that old serpent, Satan, the father of lies and the encourager of evil thoughts. Sin and Satan may be powerful but Jesus is far greater. He conquered both. He poured out His blood on the cross that sinners might be cleansed from the pollution in their souls. He died that our sins might be buried with Him. He rose from the dead to give victory over the coils of death. In defeating sin and death, He robbed both them and the serpent of their power.

Sudden Death ........................ Parables 133

Michel De Montaigne once said, “It is not death that alarms me, but dying.”

My uncle Bob talked like that. He didn’t want to be old, sick, helpless or dependent on nursing care. He got his wish. He died at a wedding dance 30 seconds after sitting down because he felt dizzy.

While the process of dying may have been alarming to Montaigne, it does give others some advance warning. Uncle Bob’s family had none. While he died the way he wanted, they had to cope with the sudden shock of him being alive and well one minute and gone the next.

Now, a few weeks after his funeral, I still feel somewhat helpless to really comfort others who grieve. Feeling compassion doesn’t fix broken hearts; nor does wanting to bring peace make peace come. I ask myself . . . What would Jesus do? How would He comfort others?

As far as Scripture tells, Jesus attended only three funerals. The first was the only son of a widow. The coffin was on its way to the graveyard when He came by. He saw the grief on the face of the mother. With deep compassion for her, He said, “Weep not” and touched the side of the coffin. “Young man, I say unto thee, arise.” The young man sat up and spoke. Jesus delivered him to his mother.

The second funeral was that of Lazarus. He had been sick for a time. His sisters, Mary and Martha, hoped for a healing miracle and sent for Jesus. But He did not come right away. When He finally arrived, Lazarus was already buried. Mary and Martha, upset and mourning, asked Him why He did not come sooner. Jesus replied, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

As the despairing sisters struggled with His response, Jesus went to the tomb. He wept too. Death, the great enemy, was holding the people He loved in bondage to its fear.

Jesus cried, “Take away the stone.” As they rolled away the stone, Jesus prayed then shouted, “Lazarus, come forth.”

He who had been dead four days walked out of his tomb.

The third funeral Jesus went to was His own. He did not resist the soldiers who took Him to a hasty, illegal trial carried out in the night. He did not resist the mockery and spitting. He did not resist the nails that fastened Him to the cross. And when the time came, He did not resist death but entrusted His spirit to His Father.

As He was placed in a tomb, it looked as if the mockers were right; He could not save Himself. But on the mourning of the third day, when mourners came to anoint His body with spices, the tomb was empty. Jesus had risen.

Jesus never attended any real funerals. Instead, He demonstrated His overcoming power and robbed every grave of its so-called victim.

Our comfort when physical death comes is just that. Death is not the end. Jesus gave life right out of death and He still gives new life to dead people: those dead in trespasses and sin, those dead to the things of God and the hope of eternity, and those who physically die trusting Him.

We may weep at grave sides because of our loss, yet Paul said that for him, “to die is gain, to go to be with Christ is far better.” That is the Christian hope, not a “pie-in-the-sky” speculation but a certainty based on the powerful testimony of Christ’s own resurrection power.

He comforts the grieving with His message. Faith in Him guarantees life beyond the grave. When those we love go on ahead, we need not fear or even grieve as others who have no hope. Instead we can rejoice that Jesus has won the victory over death.

Easter and new life ...........................Parables 107

This is Easter, an occasion to celebrate spring with new clothes and stories about rabbits that lay colored eggs, baskets full of the same, plus chocolate bunnies and jelly beans. The reality of the message of Easter is gradually being lost to the candy industry. Unbelievable! If I did not know that someone rose from the dead nearly 2000 years ago, I would not find any clues in today's baskets full of cellophane grass and oval‑shaped sweets.

Maybe no one believes that story anymore. After all, we are a sophisticated society. People do not walk out of tombs after being dead three days. (Is it easier to believe in a rabbit that lays eggs?) The resurrection is not like spring ‑ which happens year after year. The backyard grass and delphiniums look dead, but no matter how cold the winter or how deep the snow, up they come. We are used to that kind of new life, even though it is a bit of a miracle how those things survive.

Anyone who has seen a body finds it obvious that the person who used to live there is gone. It is not like a tulip bulb that is warmed by the sun and nourished by the rain. Bodies don't sprout and put down roots and send up shoots. Human life is much more fragile.

But there was one... fully human, yes, but not like us. We die because of sin. He didn't sin. But He died just the same. He was put on a cross for claiming to be the Son of God. His crucifiers called Him a blasphemer, scarcely considering that He may have been telling the truth.

Jesus knew their ignorance. He said, "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they are doing." More evidence that He was not like us!

Not only were they ignorant of what they were doing, the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman soldiers didn't really kill Him. He gave up His own life. That is, when He died, He yielded up His Spirit to His Father. No one took it from Him. A unique death? Yes, very much so.

Jesus Christ did not stay in the grave. How do I know that? First there is the external, objective evidence of an empty tomb. No bones, no body. Then there is the recorded statements of eyewitnesses in the Word of God (over 500 saw Him alive). Many of those eyewitnesses were martyred because they refused to deny what they saw. Add to that the changed lives of thousands who believed in Him since then. That is powerful evidence. I believe it.

Secondly, there is the internal, subjective evidence. (Since experience is a personal verification and very subject to personal desires, it is not always reliable. However, because my "experience" is backed up by the objective evidence already stated, it is worth mentioning.) Before Jesus died, He said that He was going to die, rise again, and then ascend to heaven. When that was accomplished, He would send the Holy Spirit whose task would be to "convince the world of sin (because they believe not in me), of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16).

That happened to me ‑ just as it has happened to countless other people. I became convinced that because I did not believe in Jesus Christ, and because I was going my own way and not God's way, I was a sinner, without the righteousness of Christ, and headed towards judgment.

It isn't that I wanted to think this way. Who would? My tendency is to think much more highly of myself. Rather, the Spirit of God made it abundantly clear by confronting me with the reality of the Man who rose from the dead. What was I going to do about Him?

Easter is a celebration of new life. Eggs, tulips, and bright colors may say something, but they do not say it all. The empty cross, the empty tomb are the real celebration. They joyfully declare that the grave could not hold Jesus. There is hope for the rest of us. We do not have to face the winter of our life as its end. There is a resurrection on the other side and, for those who place their faith in the Man of Easter, it will be a resurrection to an eternal spring.

Fatalism ................................. Parables 050

This morning there was a letter to the editor of an Edmonton daily paper that expressed the opinion that the current no smoking campaign was just a passing fad, and that all of us are “terminal” anyway. The attitude was fatalistic: “why fight anything that will kill you — death is unavoidable, so don’t bother to do anything about it.” 

My first response was a rather caustic “He probably smokes two packs a day and doesn’t want anyone telling him to stop.” 

Then I wondered if he really had thought through his argument. If it was applied to all aspects of living, then scientists should not look for cures for disease, we should allow our children to play in traffic, wars are not important to avoid, and don’t bother with warm clothing or heating our homes and cars. After all, we are all going to die sometime. It compares to tossing your pay cheque to the wind with an “oh well, it will all be gone by the end of the month anyway!” 

A fatalist does have a certain sense of reality. It is true, every life is terminal. God says “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) Hebrews 2:14-15 says that the fear of death brings people into bondage and certainly fear of death could motivate an anti-smoking campaign.

Neither have the complete answer. The frantic efforts of people under pressure against a fear of dying, or a fatalistic resignation to its inevitability do nothing to help us understand it, or prepare for it. 

Whatever we may think about death, God says that it was the power possessed by the enemy, the devil. (Also in Hebrews 2) 

The good news is that little word “was.” The power of death is no longer in enemy hands. It has been broken by One who submitted to it, then conquered it. When Jesus rose from the dead He conquered the ultimate weapon of Satan. Jesus offers the same conquering power to those who believe in Him.

No one need fear death. Neither do any of us need to resign ourselves to its inevitability. The Word of God was written so we “can be certain that we have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13) That does not give us license to throw away this life, but we can enjoy it, deeply enjoy it, if we know that is not all there is.