Removing the Stinger

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting...But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Cor. 15:55-57

I read a story this morning about a little boy whose parents had taken him on a picnic. The little boy was severely allergic to bees and one sting could cause his death. As they were enjoying the day, a bee started buzzing around the little boy. His father jumped up and captured the bee in the palm of his hand until the bee had stung him. As he opened his hand which was beginning to swell, he showed his son the stinger. The father lovingly said to his child, ‘It’s okay. Now all he can do is buzz. This is what could have hurt you, but I took the sting away.’ Begin Again, Max Lucado, p. 150.

I used to read this passage with a little less confidence than I do today. I remember during the time my sister Beth was laboring to breathe near the end of her life, it was difficult to read this part of Scripture with resounding confidence. I did feel death won...I was feeling the sting and heartbreak of our reality...my thanks to God was more of a whisper than an exclamation point. But I realized many years later that this passage must be read in a broader view. This passage is the chant of the eternal redeemed. This is the heavenly boasting from the saints who have passed over in spite of sin and death.

With so much focus on our pain when our loved ones transition into heaven we can’t see beyond the grave. But God can see what lies ahead, and He provided a way for you, me and our loved ones to be ushered into the His divine presence. You see, ‘He tailored you for more than a grave, fitted you for a grander destiny than a casket. You are an eternal being equipped with an eternal soul...God sees you as a steward of his essence. You bear the stamp of God’ p.147-148.

Like the little boy’s dad, Christ also bears the stinger in the palm of His hand that left a scar. He took the sting for us so that our story doesn’t end in death. While on earth all sin and sickness can do is buzz around us but it cannot eternally kill us. ‘When Jesus vacated the tomb, he robbed it of its power. Death may touch us, but it cannot have us’ p. 150.