But thanks be
to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the
sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. II Corinthians 3:15
Travel back in
time with me as we watch Joseph and Nicodemus take the body of Jesus from
the cross that fateful Friday and prepare it for burial. It must have taken
valuable time to convince Pilate to let them have Him, but they managed.
Nicodemus carried seventy five pounds of myrrh and spices to prepare the body.
It was an offering worthy of a king—a dead king.
Imagine the
tears they shed as they silently and gently lowered his broken body to the
ground. See the abuse He suffered at the hands of his accusers. The beatings rendered
Him almost unrecognizable as the blood and filth poured from His body. Still
they loved Him so much.
Time was
running out before the Sabbath began. They didn’t have time to prepare His body
like they wanted, like He deserved. But at least there was an unused tomb in
the garden close by. They took Him there and lovingly prepared His body. They
tried to cover the stench of death with herbs and linen, but can you imagine
the odor inside that dark, cramped tomb. The sickly sweet smell of myrrh combining
with the overwhelming smell of blood and torture. As they worked, the smell
must have seeped into their noses, hair and clothing, and when they left they
took with them the odor of despair as they gathered with the others to
celebrate an empty Sabbath.
Move ahead to Sunday morning, that very
first Easter. Mary Magdalene has returned with the news that someone has stolen
Jesus’ body. As the disciples race to the tomb a part of them must dread what
they’ll find. But as John enters that resting place of the dead something
besides Jesus’ body is missing.
In a place once
redolent with the stink of death, there lies only the empty grave clothes and
spices. Imagine the odor now—this place of death now carries the aroma of life.
Jesus led the
way—He replaced the odor of death with the aroma of life. Now it’s up to us to
let Him lead others down the same path through us.
The question to ask is this. Does my
life carry the stink of death or the fragrance of life everlasting?
Edie:
ReplyDeletePowerful post! Happy Easter to you and your family!
Blessings,
Sarah Meece
Wonderful post and significant question for each of us to think on daily. Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Edie. From such deep sorrow to unbelievable joy. What an amazing weekend the early believers had! That joy's available to us continuously. How different our days would be if we started each one with such joy!
ReplyDelete