JOB 19:25-27 “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES!
There are two sure things in this world – death and taxes. It seems strange to find ourselves wishing that we were gathered together to talk about taxes. But that is not the case. 73 years ago, the Lord gave life to Marvin Buysse; but now he has brought that life to an end. The Patriarch Job was a believer in the Lord whose life had taken a drastic turn. In a short period of time, Job went from a healthy and wealthy to poverty and misery. He was covered with sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Job was a mere shadow of his former self, even praying for death so that he might find relief from his misery.
Even though we constantly see evidence of death in our world, we do not have to fear it or to face it without hope. Job was barely alive, but he still confessed a faith which Marvin also confessed: “I know that my Redeemer lives.” He conquered death for us; and he guarantees life to us.
I. He Conquered Death For Us.
When we call our Lord “our Redeemer,” that is more than a sentimental title. To redeem means to buy back, to rescue or to save by paying a ransom. In other words, we had to be saved. From what? From sin, from death, and from hell. Everyone who is born into this world comes into it a sinner – totally corrupt. We are incapable of not sinning. We’ve all heard people say, “Nobody’s perfect;” and that’s true. Nobody is holy. But that is exactly what God demands of all of us. Our Lord proclaims to us the consequence of failing to be holy, of sinning: “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) In other words, by sinning we earn death. And when we die, we must give an answer to God why we have not obeyed him. Since we have not been holy as God demands, we earn his punishment. We earn a place in hell.
Like you and me and that Patriarch, Job, Marvin was a sinner. He confessed that every time I went to visit him, to share the Word of God with him and to give him the precious food of our Savior’s body and blood in the Sacrament. But like Job, Marvin also confessed, “I know that my Redeemer lives.” (Job 19:25) Like you and me and the Patriarch Job, Marvin had a Redeemer. He is the one who saves us from sin, death, and hell by paying a ransom price. God the Son became a man to offer himself as the ransom price for the sins of all the world. When we are referring to Jesus Christ, we can’t say, “Nobody’s perfect,” because Jesus was. By his holy life, Jesus fulfilled all the demands that God makes in his commandments. He earned God’s pleasure. Instead, he accepted our sin as his own and suffered and died under God’s curse in our place. That was the price of redemption – the life of the Son of God. He received our death for us, but then he conquered death for us.
Job confessed, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25) We don’t have a Redeemer who was conquered by death. We have a Redeemer who conquered death for us. The Bible reminds us, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25) His death was the ransom price for our sins. But how do we know the ransom was enough? Jesus Christ rose from the dead. If his payment were not enough to conquer death, Jesus would still be in a tomb somewhere in Israel. But that is not the case. “I know that my Redeemer lives!” Death does not have the last word. Jesus does! His resurrection declares that our sins are forgiven. The wages of sin have been paid by him. Therefore, we do not need to fear death or hell. Our Redeemer has saved us from those threats through his perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection.
II. He Guarantees Life To Us.
It was about 73 years ago that our Redeemer applied that ransom directly to Marvin when he was baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. All that Christ did was given to Marvin at his baptism – the forgiveness of sins and the righteous status he needed to enter heaven. The Bible reminds us, “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27) Throughout his life, God kept him in his grace through word and sacrament. In attending church to hear God’s word, in catechism instruction, in decades of being nourished by Holy Communion, Marvin was kept in God’s grace. Even when Marvin attended Bible classes, reading his Bible at home, reading Meditations for daily devotions, he was strengthened by the Savior’s promises. The living Redeemer was with Marvin throughout his 73 years, and now he has given him the eternal life that he promised him.
Perhaps something seems a little bit out of place. If we say that Jesus Christ has given Marvin eternal life, then why are we here? Why a funeral, a casket, a burial plot? The Bible gives us the answer: “I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:50) These sinful, corrupted bodies of ours are ineligible for heaven. God is holy, and only what is holy may dwell with him. While our Redeemer has ransomed Marvin and his soul is with his Savior, his body, like ours, has been corrupted by sin and is therefore ineligible for heaven.
But we have a Savior who not only has ransomed our souls, he has redeemed our bodies as well. Jesus Christ took on human flesh so that he could redeem the body as well as the soul. Jesus Christ’s body suffered death and was buried. Then he rose from the grave, guaranteeing eternal life to all who believe in him. In the same way, these bodies of ours will suffer death and be buried. And our Lord, Jesus Christ, will come again to raise up our bodies. I know that my Redeemer lives. He has risen and lives and reigns forever in heaven; and he guarantees life to us.
That’s what Job confessed. Even though Job knew he would someday face death, Job also knew that, thanks to his Redeemer, he could look forward to a resurrection. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27) Marvin had that same confession and that same yearning heart. Even though we commit his body to the ground today, we do so in the confidence that our Lord will return to raise up him and all believers to give the eternal life he has guaranteed them. On that day, he will also give Marvin and us the bodies that are eligible for heaven. The Bible promises that Jesus Christ, who by his resurrection has gained power over death itself, “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:21) I know that my Redeemer lives. He guarantees life to us – an eternal life in heaven, and a life of peace and comfort here now that we know that he has secured our place in heaven for us.
I guess we can’t say that there are two sure things in this life. Sorry, but I don’t have a remedy for taxes; but our Lord does give us a remedy for death. He conquered death for us; and he guarantees life to us. Our Redeemer paid for all of our sin, giving up his own life as the ransom price for us. Then, by his own resurrection from the dead, our Redeemer rendered death null and void. Our Redeemer will raise us up from our graves as simply as awaking us from a nap and give us, body and soul, a perfect, eternal dwelling. I know that my Redeemer lives. I know that Marvin lives with him. And I know that we, who have been redeemed, will live with him. Amen.
