When sin entered the world, death entered with it. With sin, death marches forward from one generation to the next, so that the story of every human life ends the same way: “and then he died” (Genesis 5:5ff).

Death separates body and soul. It separates loved ones from each other. The shadow of death can make it hard to enjoy life. Picture any joyful activity. How joyful would that activity be if you knew that fifteen minutes into that activity, you would die? Well, it is simply a matter of timing. It might take a little longer than fifteen minutes, but in the end, death spares no one.

Today, we see what happens when death’s unstoppable march reaches the feet of Jesus. In the face of death, Jesus does not retreat. He is not moved. He demonstrates that his words have power even over this enemy of death. Christ’s love for us means death’s power over us has been drained. For the Christian, death is a shell of its former self.