The opening verses of John’s Gospel present a staggering concept: the infinite Creator God, boundless and unchanging, willingly entered our world in its brokenness, joining humanity in our state of corruption and mortality. This act, described as God “tabernacling” or dwelling among us (John 1:14), signifies a profound choice – a choice to experience human life, and consequently, human death. In essence, Jesus’s death is intrinsically linked to our own mortality.
The Garden, Death, and the Need for Reconciliation
The early chapters of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible lay the groundwork for understanding this concept. They reveal that returning to a state of unity with God and the eternal life symbolized by the Garden of Eden necessitates confronting death. The imagery of cherubim and a flaming sword guarding the Garden underscores the gravity of this barrier. Humanity’s expulsion from Eden was a result of choosing self-determination of good and evil over God’s way, a choice that led to death. The sacrificial system in the tabernacle and later the temple served as a symbolic representation of God’s plan to reconcile with humanity and offer life through death.
Jesus: Taking on Sin and Death for Humanity
When God became incarnate in Jesus, he entered into the fullness of human experience, including death. The Apostle Paul articulates this powerfully in 2 Corinthians 5:21, stating that God made Jesus “to be sin for us,” even though Jesus himself “knew no sin.” This verse highlights a pivotal aspect of Jesus’s death: he took upon himself the burden of sin and the consequence of death that is shared by all humanity, despite his own sinless nature. This act of divine substitution is at the heart of the meaning of the cross. It is God, in Christ, willingly laying down his human life out of love for us, acting on our behalf and for our ultimate good.
Restoring Access to God: Tearing the Veil
Through his death, Jesus effectively crossed the boundary guarded by the “lethal cherubim-sword” that separated humanity from the Garden and God’s presence. The Gospels record that at the very moment of Jesus’s death on the cross in Jerusalem, the veil in the temple, richly embroidered with cherubim and separating the Holy of Holies (the dwelling place of God) from the rest of the temple, was torn in two from top to bottom. This dramatic event is deeply symbolic. It signifies that Jesus’s sacrifice has removed the barrier between humanity and God. Access to God’s presence, once restricted, is now restored and freely available to all who come through faith in Jesus (see John 10:9-10, 17:20-23). In this sense, Jesus died to reopen the way for humanity to return to God.
Resurrection: Defeating Death and Fear
Jesus’s story doesn’t end with death. His resurrection from the dead as the same human being reveals a profound truth about death itself. While death appears to be the ultimate end, Jesus’s resurrection demonstrates otherwise. It reveals death as a temporary passage, not a final destination for those united with him. The resurrection of Jesus signifies that believers are now his brothers and sisters, sharing in his resurrected life and holding the promise of future resurrection. His death and resurrection together declare: “The finality of death you fear is an illusion! Replace your fear of death with faith in God’s way of life!”
Fear of death is a pervasive and destructive force, driving us to self-preservation, hoarding, and conflict. It fuels a scarcity mindset, leading to competition and violence. We are born into a world “outside the garden,” where this fear-driven instinct to protect ourselves dominates. Jesus’s death and resurrection challenge this fear at its root. By demonstrating that death is not the ultimate end, he liberates us to live lives of love and generosity, overcoming the fear that constricts us.
Living in the Light of Resurrection
Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we are empowered to live differently. We can begin to choose forgiveness over hatred, love over judgment, and blessing over cursing. We can, as the prophet Isaiah envisioned (Isaiah 2:1-4), transform instruments of violence into tools for flourishing. Jesus shows us that while death is undeniably tragic, it does not have the final word. Our lives gain true strength and purpose when we dedicate them to learning and practicing his way of love, living in community with others. His sacrifice opens the door for us to step out of the fear of death and into the abundant life he offers, a life defined by love, reconciliation, and eternal hope.
