Happy Easter

Job 1:21
Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there.

How many dead people were ever stuffed back into their mother’s womb? This is what I thought when I read Job’s words. We’ve all been to a funeral. Was the body stuffed back into mom? No! The body was placed in a coffin! Was it naked? No! Even for a cremation, the body is usually clothed before it is burned. So what in the world was Job talking about?

First off, Job was making a literal statement. He was living the tragedy that had become his life, and he perceived that he came into the world with nothing. That being the case, he assumed that he was on his way to going out with nothing as well. His family, wealth, and health had all been robbed from him by the Devil in a clever scheme to get him to curse God. Job was down and out.

Fast forward to the end of the story and see what happened to Job. His life was restored to him by God. He was given back twice as much as was taken from him by the Devil. His health was restored, his wealth was restored, and his family was made new! This seems to be the part of Job that we never associate with. It seems that we always put ourselves into the sufferings of Job and never into the restorative blessings of Job. But let’s table that for another day. This is Easter and there is a greater message to be heard!

I want to talk about Job’s words from a spiritual standpoint. Naked we came into this world. From the fall in the Garden through now, every person is born “naked”, that is to say, they are born without righteousness. But, where Job was lacking in understanding (because Christ had not yet come), we are not.

You see, Job didn’t have the pleasure of a Savior. He did not have the peace of Jesus. Job only had what he knew: be good, work hard, and in the end, you may still lose it all! While this was true for Job, it’s not true for us.

Let me explain. Naked we came into this world, but because of Jesus Christ, we will leave fully clothed and rich according to His wealth! We’re all born without righteousness, but thanks to Jesus, by grace, we have been clothed with His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Easter is a time for us to celebrate what we have, the one thing Job didn’t have: salvation through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Remember today, as you spend time with friends and family, you’re not naked! You are clothed in the King’s righteousness. You are freely forgiven. You are greatly blessed. You are deeply loved. You are highly favored. Naked you came into this world; dressed in the righteousness of the King you will go from it!