ONE has said, speaking of the manner of Stephen’s death in Acts 7, he was alive in death. A fine commentary upon that happy moment in the history of the church, and a true commentary, too. Jesus, I may say, died in death that we might live in death; He met death in all its horrors made sin for us, suffering death as judgment, and the pouring out of the righteous wrath on sin. But we speak of life in death, and though under the hand of murderers, the region of life and glory is seen beyond and above it, and is seen as the home of our spirit.
This is indeed to live in death;
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
It is victorious life we receive from the risen Lord. “By death He destroyed him that had the power of death,” and the life He imparts to us is life in victory, not life to be tested as it was in Adam (Genesis 2:1717But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17)), but life that has been already in the battle and has won the day (as we speak). The display of this in Himself was sweet to Christ, the acknowledgment of it as in Him by the faith of others was sweet also. In John 11. we see the first, that He delighted in the opportunity of displaying victorious life; He waited therefore till the sickness of Lazarus had ended in death, that He might then shine as the resurrection and the life. And in Matthew 16:17,17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 16:17) He lets us know with what delight He had listened to Peter’s confession, which owned Him as the one who was about to break the gates of brass in pieces, to give His saints power over hell and the power of death.