I had an early morning appointment, so I hurried out the front door and over to the car barn … where I stopped short and yelped in startled shock at the sight of a dead bird lying next to the front left tire of the car.
Poor little bird!
I paused and bent down to look at it. I felt keenly the loss of this little bird’s song in the forest melody. No more will this little bird sing morning praises.
It was a sad thought that this little bird’s song is forever fallen silent.
I am not around death. In fact, I am far removed from death. But as I stood and looked down at the little dead bird, it struck me just how permanent death is. The life & breath is gone from this little bird’s lungs. It’s not coming back. It is gone. For good.
As I drove to my early morning appointment, I pondered whether I should get a shovel to scoop the little bird up and deposit it in the forest … or should I just get a disposable plastic glove and pick the bird up in my hand and deposit it in the forest??
Later that afternoon I mentioned my ponderings to my daughter.
Her immediate “blink” reaction was that if I were to touch a dead animal, then according to Old Testament Law I would be “ceremonially unclean.” (she has been reading through the book of Leviticus recently)
What a fascinating concept!
It had never occurred to me that when Jesus died on the cross on Friday, and his followers took him down off the cross and placed him in the tomb … this meant they were ceremonially unclean! – because they had touched the dead body of Jesus.
Did this mean they could not observe the Passover??
I don’t really know.
According to Numbers 19:1-10, it describes in detail how a special water of purification (specifically for cleansing after touching a dead body) is to be made using the ashes of a burnt whole heifer, cedar wood, and scarlet wool.
(as an aside, I recently listened to a very fascinating lecture which explained the chemical component breakdown of ash, cedar, and scarlet wool and how they roughly translate to our modern-day cleaning chemicals which we would use to clean ourselves after touching a dead body today.)
According to Numbers 19:11-12 – “Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days. He must purify himself with the water of purification [which was just described prior] on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean.”
So … who touched the dead body of Jesus Christ after he had been crucified??
Who would have been ceremonially unclean during that Passover when Jesus was in the tomb?
John 19:38-42 lets us know at least 2 people by name:
“Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.
“Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”
Luke 23:55-56 lets us know that “The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how Jesus’ body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.”
Mark 15:47 lets us know the names of these women: “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.”
Matthew 27:59-61 informs us: “Joseph took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.”
Concerning the little dead bird in my car barn, I eventually decided to use the shovel to scoop it up and deposit it in the forest. The thought of picking the little dead bird up in my hand (even with a disposable plastic glove) was a little too much for me.
I am so distant and removed from death that I cannot even imagine waiting until after Passover (like the women did), as Jesus’ dead bloody mangled body had already been there in the tomb for a while … and then rolling away the stone and entering where death (and the smell of death) hung heavy … to touch that dead bloody body, as they were planning on doing.
“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?’” – Mark 16:1-3
These women were totally fine with the consequences of becoming unclean by their entering a place where death hung heavy and touching a dead body (in order to give Jesus a proper honorable burial).
Numbers 19:17-19 explains what each of these people who touched Jesus’ dead body would need to do to be made ceremonially clean:
“For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle … anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or someone who has been killed. The man who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days.”
The little dead bird in the car barn struck me with the finality of death. Death is final!
But Jesus’ death was not final.
Jesus overcame death!
Jesus was stronger than death!
Jesus came back to life again!
I can’t help but wonder if the risen resurrected Jesus appeared to Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus … and I wonder if just his touch made them clean again??
I wonder, were the women who came to the tomb made unclean because they entered the tomb to see that Jesus was gone??
I wonder if Peter and John (who ran to the tomb to see that Jesus had risen) … were they made ceremonially unclean because they entered a tomb?? Or had the tomb now become “clean” because Jesus had risen??
Jesus himself said: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” – John 11:25
The Forget-Me-Nots are blooming. We don’t forget the people whom we love who have died. We look forward to seeing them again.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 lets us know that because of Jesus, we will indeed see our loved ones again!
“Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [died]. Resurrection of the dead comes through Christ … in Christ all will be made alive.”
Hubby and I had a very dear friend who passed away this past October. He was a wonderful person! He was so full of joy & enthusiasm! He is dearly missed!
This spring his tulips popped up through the ground … a treasured gift to his sweet precious wife. She sent me photos of his tulips! It was such a blessing to me to see his tulips!
Our dear friend might not be with us anymore, but just like his tulips “came back to life” … so too our dear friend will one day be resurrected and his soul (which is currently in Heaven with Jesus) will once again be rejoined to his new perfect glorified body!
Thank you Jesus for Resurrection!
Here you can see a hedge in the background along the edge of the patio.
As I sat in the shade on the patio, sweet scents from this Bubby Bush hedge wafted over, reminding me of my grandmother.
Back when I was a small girl of 4 or 5 years old, my aging grandparents needed some extra care and help. So, they moved to be close to my family so my parents could help care for them. In fact, my parents built a room onto the back of our house where we were living, and my grandparents lived with us.
My grandmother brought with her a small start from her Bubby Bush. She planted her little Bubby Bush start at the back corner of her bedroom.
The Bubby Bush grew and grew! It grew quite large.
I too grew up … and over the years, both my grandparents passed away.
My parents sold that home and moved to a different home. My mom brought a small start of the Bubby Bush with her to their new home … and here it has grown to become a hedge along the edge of their back patio. (as seen in the photo above)
While I was spending time this Easter with my parents, my mom gave me a handful of seeds from my grandmother’s Bubby Bush. I brought these seeds back home and I’m excited to plant them! It is very special to have seeds from a plant which was once my grandmother’s.
My grandmother has been gone for many years now. Yet, her Bubby Bush continues to grow and spread its sweet fragrance year after year. Just as my grandmother’s Bubby Bush continues on with life, so too one day my grandmother herself will be resurrected back to life! My grandmother’s soul (which is currently in Heaven with Jesus) will once again be rejoined to her new perfect glorified body!
Thank you Jesus for Resurrection!
Death is a sad thing.
The little dead bird in the car barn was a sad thing.
It is heartbreaking to have to say goodbye to those we love when death comes to snatch their life & breath away.
But death is not final. Death is not the end.
Jesus has conquered death!
Because of Jesus there is Resurrection!
“Death has been swallowed up in victory. … Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 15:54-56
“In Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” – 1 Corinthians 15:21-26
“For the Lord Jesus Christ himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with our Lord Jesus Christ forever.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Thank you Jesus for Resurrection!
