Acts 13:37 “But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.”

Death stinks.

Literally and figuratively.

Literally, death stinks, because when we die, and when anything dies, the body corrupts and begins to smell… bad, and that happens quickly.

It’s why we remove dead things through burial or burning.

But figuratively speaking, death stinks even more than it literally stinks.

Death is the worst part of life. It’s something we all live in fear of, and maybe you’re a hero who doesn’t for now… but that’s because death seems so distant and is not real to you yet.

There are many horrible things about death, but the worst part of it is the sudden new reality, coldness, finality and separation that it brings.

Death has always stunk. Every person or creature that has lived before us has died and stunk.

… But there was one death that never stunk, and that was the death of Jesus Christ. His death stunk neither literally or figuratively.

When the Bible says Jesus Christ’s body “saw no corruption”, it means his body never started decomposing and breaking down in the slightest, so it never stunk.

Yet after Jesus Christ’s death and burial, on the third day, we read in Luke 24:1 “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.”

Why did Jesus Christ’s disciples come to his tomb with spices?

They were bringing spices because they were expecting to find a dead body that had begun to stink bad, and the spices were to artificially mask and sweeten the smell of death.

Because even though Jesus Christ had told them, none of his disciples had really believed in the resurrection… and honestly, who could blame them?

Because if there’s one thing in life that’s sure… it’s that people die, and people stay dead after they die.

But as they found out, Jesus Christ’s death really was a death like no other. His body needed no anointing in death, because he had already been anointed for burial in his life.

And instead of finding a stinking dead body, Jesus Christ’s disciples found a victory not even conceived, considered or thought possible in the victory of Christ over death through his life.

And so the disciples found no stink of death in need of sweetening, because Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross was a sweet smell to God, and sweet to all that ever have believed on him.

Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection didn’t hide, or mask, or “spice up” death… he took away death completely. And because he lives and that forever, if you believe on him, you never need to fear death again.

Because if you trust in Jesus Christ to save you, “death is swallowed up in victory” and you will never experience death other than departure from your mortal body, which is gain “to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord”.

And all this is not based on making up a story to feel better about death in some sort of vain comfort and hope, but it is based on the fact and truth of the empty tomb and risen Saviour, whose victory over death we are all invited to freely share in.

It’s just a shame that the sweet smell of salvation is instead such a foul offensive stench to the nostrils of so many who love the dead things of this world… who’s sense of smell has become so attuned to death’s foul odor that it’s stink really doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

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