Eric Reece
The 1847 Battle of Buena Vista was a victory for an American force that was outnumbered, 3-to-1.
In 1850 – recounting the battle in Congress – Rep. William Bissell of Illinois claimed it was the men from his state who “Snatched victory from the jaws of defeat,” as opposed to volunteers from another state as it had been recorded.
Who cares who won the day, as long as we can all share the victory?
How many times have you witnessed or heard the report of a game that one side seemed to be in command of and then the other team won? One team could have been way behind or outplayed from the start – but at the end, they won. It was unbelievable. Often, the announcer will say of the winning team, they “snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.”
As we approach the coming day of Easter, Christians will arise and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The Holy Bible recounts how surprised Mary and the women, Peter and John, and the other disciples were to witness and hear the wondrous words, “He Is Risen!”
Do you know the one who was most surprised? Satan. Satan thought he had won. With the betrayal, trial, each slash of the whip and hammer of the nail, drop of blood, Satan looked in control and was celebrating the death of Jesus. It seemed sin and death had won, but as I always was told, you don’t count your chickens till the eggs hatch.
The Christian Church Fathers like Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine and John Chrysostom wrote of how the resurrection of Jesus from the dead – and the Easter miracle – was just like God playing a practical joke on Satan. They called it “God’s supreme joke played on death.”
For many years in Orthodox and Catholic communities, the church celebrated the week following Easter as “Bright Week.” It was a time to celebrate and experience the joy of Jesus’ resurrection and victory, over sin and death.
As part of Bright Week, some priests would start their sermon the Sunday after Easter with a humorous story that would have the congregation laughing. Then, he would use the story to make a point about faith. It got out of hand and was prohibited by Pope Clement X.
I wonder if this was the real reason for the Protestant Reformation.
God “snatched victory from the jaws of defeat” with the resurrection of Jesus. We all share the victory and with confidence Christians can say, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church and can be reached via email, ereece@wnccumc.net.