But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. (Acts 2:24, NIV)
I came across the above verse in my reading this week, and for some reason, I thought about the game show Ultimate Tag.
Ultimate Tag premiered last year and is essentially American Gladiators with only one event: Tag. (Hey, I'm not knocking it. The concept obviously drew me in!)
Ordinary contestants compete against "professional taggers." The professional taggers are in top-notch shape and go by intimidating monikers. (My favorite tagger is Geek. Imagine a guy who looks like Napoleon Dynamite but could eat you for breakfast!)
The taggers are usually able to chase down the contestants with relative ease. As they tag them out, they make a flourish of their skill and strength.
But every now and then, a contestant takes a professional tagger by surprise. They have been underestimated by the tagger and are able to break away and run to victory. The crowd goes wild. The tagger angrily stomps their feet, aware that the underdog has bested them. (And yes, I know their reactions are kind of fake and all part of the show to heighten the drama!)
In his very first sermon, Peter talks about the "ultimate" professional tagger. They call him Death. And he always wins. In the end, Death chases us all down.
But then Death went up against a contestant named Jesus. Death was overly confident, as he always is. And for a while, it looked like he'd win this match, too.
But then Jesus made some moves. Every time Death got close, Jesus pivoted. "It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."
Like a running back breaking free from the defensive line, Jesus COULD - GO - ALL - THE - WAY! (I realize I'm mixing sports metaphors here, but I really wanted to use that line.)
The Message version puts it like this: "Death was no match for him."
Everyone in the arena cheered as Jesus made it safely to home base. Death threw up his hands in frustration, knowing he'd lost.
But who cares? Who cares if one contestant defeats a professional tagger? What about the rest of us slowpokes?
That's where the good news comes into play.
Jesus invites us all to share in his ultimate victory with him.
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