For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. (Acts 13:36-37)

Corruption

The death of Jesus was not a chance happening. Before time began, God planned for His Son to die for the sins of the world. The coming of Jesus to the earth was in the fullness of time. There was no other time in history that would complete the work and mission of Jesus than the time of the Roman Empire. Jesus began His ministry at the age of thirty and would be killed nearly three years later. During His ministry, Jesus often spoke of His “hour” and when that time would come. There was a prescribed time for Jesus to die and the Lord worked everything according to the time plan.

Old Testament prophecies spoke about the death of Jesus. The story of Jonah became a metaphorical foretelling of the death of Jesus. During His ministry, Jesus referred to His death as the time Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. The sign of the prophet Jonah became the story of Jesus. Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, and Jesus would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. There was a divine plan (and promise) that Jesus would not remain in the tomb longer than three days.

The prophecy about the death of Jesus established that when Jesus was buried, He would not see corruption. This refers to the corruption of the body. According to Jewish culture, when someone died, they were buried the same day. After the burial, the family would spend three days with the deceased, mourning and grieving. Before the close of the third day, the tomb would be sealed because, near the fourth day, the body began to show visible signs of decay. There was great concern when Jesus decided to raise Lazarus from the dead on the fourth day. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, warned Jesus about the stench of anyone who had been dead for four days. The power of the miracle was not only that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead but that when Lazarus came forth, he was whole again without the decay of death.

When Paul arrived in Antioch in Pisidia, he and his party went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. After reading the Law and the Prophets, Paul was allowed to speak. He told the story of Jesus of Nazareth based on the events of the Old Testament. Paul tells the audience how the Jews killed Jesus in fulfillment of the word of God. But God raised Him from the dead and was seen by many people after He rose. The apostle then compares David and Jesus as an illustration of the plan of God. David died and was buried, and his body decayed and corrupted until it was nothing but dust. Jesus died and was buried, but His body did not experience the decay of death. Before the decay of death (sin) took hold of the body of Jesus, God raised Him.

The resurrection of Jesus is powerful because of the resurrection, but the third-day resurrection confirmed the power of God over death. Jesus did not suffer corruption, paving the way for His followers to believe in the final resurrection when all corruption will be removed. God will take away all pain, suffering, and tears. There is no corruption for the child of God. Death is certain, but without the corruption of sin to face the wrath of God. There is joy in knowing Jesus did not suffer corruption so that I can look forward to death with no corruption – eternal glory.