Easter - Defeating Death By Death

 

Homily for Easter Sunday

April 9, 2023

Defeating Death By Death

 

            Once there was an ancient city that had a dragon problem. The dragon lived in a cave outside the city walls but would frequently sneak into the town at night (as much a dragon can “sneak”) and capture a sleeping inhabitant for its meals. The townspeople, naturally, were terrified of the dragon, and they sent out messengers far and wide to see if any brave knight could come and defeat it.

            Several knights came, in full battle array with swords and shield and gleaming armor. But each knight, when approaching the dragon’s lair, would be hit with a blast of fire from its mouth and inevitably be roasted to a crisp. Time after time, a knight would try to slay the dragon, declaring, “This time I shall be victorious!” But time after time, the knight would be defeated. The townspeople started to despair and wonder if anyone could defeat this dragon.

            Then, one day, a surprising man arrived. He offered to try to kill the dragon, but the people noticed that he carried no sword, no shield, and no armor. In fact, he didn’t look like a knight at all – just a regular old poor man, dressed simply and humbly. The townspeople told him, “You can’t try! You’re too weak, you have no armor!” The man simply responded, “Exactly – the dragon will never suspect who I am and what I can do.”

            The townspeople were so amazed at this man’s courage that they all followed him, at a distance, as the man approached the dragon’s cave. The dragon, smelling his next meal, came out and saw that the man was unarmed. Without hesitation, the dragon gulped him down in one bite.

            The people were once again disappointed, and they trudged back to town, having lost all hope that this dragon would be destroyed.

            But a little while later, whispers and news began to spread throughout the town. “The mysterious man is back! He didn’t die!” Much to everyone’s surprise, the man was walking through the town square, completely unharmed. Everyone approached and said, “How did you do it? How did you slay the dragon?”

            The man smiled and explained, “It was easy. The dragon could only be defeated from within. It saw me as an ordinary man, but I held a secret weapon beneath my simple exterior. Once I was within him, I could easily pierce his heart and slay him.” And he showed everyone the diamond dagger that was beneath his ordinary robes. The dragon, in its greed and hunger, swallowed the only one who could destroy him from within!

            And this parable is exactly what happened at Easter. Death and the grave have an insatiable appetite – always lurking on the fringes of our everyday lives. Throughout human history, various sages and philosophies tried to escape death or find meaning in it. The ancient philosopher Epicurius said that death was inevitable, so just enjoy life as much as we can. Humanists say that death is annihilation – we cease to exist. The Stoics said that since death is a part of life, we ought to embrace it with gratitude. Eastern religions believe that death will lead to reincarnation, until we reach the point of Nirvana where their consciousness would be dissolved into the universe. But no one, anywhere, has claimed to defeat death or triumph through it.

            Until a Man walked among us, a Man who was more than a Man. He appeared humble, simple, unassuming – merely one of us – but hidden beneath the simple exterior was the power that created the universe from nothing. As a Man, He was subject to death, but as God, He was immortal. When death, with its insatiable appetite, swallowed Jesus Christ, the grave did not know that it would be to its own defeat. The grave had consumed the Immortal One; death had claimed the Unconquered One.

            And so, death was defeated by death – the grave was conquered by a dead Man. When Jesus Christ walked out of the grave on Easter morning, He showed the world that there is One stronger than death – the power of God.

            Which has a profound impact on us. Death is among the most feared realities in the world (actually it’s second only to public speaking, which means that people would rather die than give a speech!). But for those who are in Christ – who believe in Him, who are united to Him through Confession and the Eucharist and prayer, who life for Him in their daily lives – we have nothing to fear. Because, through grace, Christ lives in me. The One Who conquered death, Who triumphed over the grave, is actually, substantially living in the souls of believers. And if death couldn’t claim Christ for its prize, then it can’t claim Christ-filled souls either.

            What good news it is that death was defeated by the death of Christ; that the seemingly-final grave has finally been overcome! And those who live in union with Christ will also trample on death when the time comes, and live forever in Him.