Jesus's Triumph Over Death

Over 10 years ago, my wife attended a Bible school in Dallas, Texas. We lived on the campus, but only she was enrolled as a student. As her spouse, I was permitted—and even encouraged—to attend classes on occasion. Picture this: The campus served as a training ground for the next generation, mostly populated by eager high school graduates exuding youthful enthusiasm. Some of these young people were elevated to the esteemed status of "Hall Monitors," complete with clipboards and all. Their divine mission? To enforce the dress code, ensure everyone swiped their IDs at the door, and prevent aimless wandering in the hallowed halls.

Here's where it gets interesting: I have a rebellious streak—I like to think it’s me channeling my inner Martin Luther. So every now and then, I'd stroll into class alongside my wife, wearing a T-shirt in a sea of button-ups. Cue the drama: Some 18-year-old hall monitor, puffed up with newfound authority, would try to pull me aside, ready to "write me up." Ah, but plot twist! They'd soon realize they had no jurisdiction over this free-spirited spouse. It was the perfect moment to channel my inner King Théoden from "Lord of the Rings," looking that young enforcer in the eye and declaring, "You have no power here!" Cue the laugh track. Ah, good times, good times.

You see, this isn't just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. This "silly" story perfectly frames the cosmic truth about Jesus's triumph over death. It's not my hope or aim to trivialize Jesus's death and resurrection with this story, but I do want to trivialize death itself. As believers, we should not fear death; for us, death has lost its sting. In Christ, we too have been loosed from the authority of this cosmic, power-hungry hall monitor. Our Jesus became truly human and, unlike me, He followed all the rules. When He died on the cross, He descended into the lower regions of the earth to be met by hell's hall monitor: Death himself. Death looked Jesus in the face and commanded Him to rest and stay in the depths of the earth. But Jesus, like a divine King Théoden, looked back into the eyes of death and said, "You have no power here."

While hanging on the cross, Jesus bore the sins of humanity. The consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and it seemed as if Death had claimed Him. Yet, Acts 2:24 proclaims, "But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." Here lies the ultimate plot twist: Death, the cosmic hall monitor, had no jurisdiction over Jesus. Just as those young hall monitors had no power over me, so too was death rendered powerless over the Savior. Jesus rose from the grave, not merely as a resuscitated corpse but as the conqueror of death itself, inaugurating a new kind of existence—a glorified, immortal life. His resurrection confirms that He is indeed who He claimed to be—the Son of God, capable of granting eternal life to anyone who believes in Him. Praise be to the Lamb that was slain and conquered death itself.