Thinking about Easter…. Hmmm… Did you know that a honey bee can usually only sting you one time?
Well, before I explain the connection between Easter and honey bee stings, let’s first focus on what Easter is really all about and how vitally important Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are. Jesus’ death on the Cross seemed like a total defeat and a big disaster. His disciples were devastated and took to hiding inside locked rooms! Yes, Jesus took the fatal blow of Satan on the Cross, but ONLY so that He could take the full punishment of sin that all mankind deserves. He took the fatal attack of Satan for us! BUT then God victoriously raised Jesus Christ up from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:11), declared Jesus as the Son of God (Rom 1:4), and as Lord and Savior for all who believe (Phil 2:7-11; Rom 10:9-10). As far back as man’s first act of disobedience right in the Garden of Eden, the Scriptures foretold this amazing victory. Listen to what the Lord God told the serpent:
So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise [or “crush”] your head, and you shall bruise [or “crush”] His heel.”
Genesis 3:15
God declared the ultimate triumph of Christ right from the the very moment of man’s first sin! How beautifully the Cross is portrayed in this very first proclamation of the Gospel. The woman’s Seed (Jesus – see Gal 4:4-5) would have His “heel” bruised – which refers to Jesus’ death on the Cross; BUT then Jesus would crush the head of the serpent! Hallelujah! Paul declares that, in Christ, we, too, will crush Satan under our feet (Rom 16:20). Amen!
I have often wondered if on Jesus’ face there might have been a small gleam of a smile when Satan used Psalm 91:11-12 to tempt Jesus to jump off of a tall building (see Mat 4:6-7; and Luke 4:9-12). Surely Jesus must have thought Satan’s choice of Scripture was quite ironic since the very next two verses in that passage speak of God’s promise of complete victory over the enemy of our souls: “You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot” (Psalm 91:13-14). Surely Satan purposely left those verses out (he is good at doing that, right?)!
On the Cross, Jesus took our sins and the punishment for our sins completely upon Himself. The Bible says that everything contrary to us was nailed to the Cross and taken out of the way. Jesus is the CHAMPION – He completely triumphed over the enemy!
“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.”
Colossians 2:13-15
Rejoicing in Jesus’ resurrection victory, Paul makes this proclamation:
“Death is swallowed up in victory! O Death, where is your sting? O Grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:54-57
The Apostle Paul explains that the “Sting of Death” is SIN and Jesus took the “sting” of sin and death for us! Once we are born again and have surrendered our lives to Christ, we no longer need to fear death, or the grave, or hell!!! No matter how much the devil “buzzes” around us, he can no longer do us any harm! His “stinger” has been removed! Hallelujah!
Now let me give you a bit of science about the honey bee sting. (Isn’t it amazing how much in science reveals about our God! Do you think He created these things like this on purpose? But of course!! Just read Psalm 19:1 and Rom 1:20.)
A honey bee can usually only sting once and that sting costs the bee its life. The honey bee worker’s stinger is barbed and sticks in human skin. When the bee tries to escape after stinging, it leaves behind not only the stinger, but also part of its abdomen and digestive tract which is pulled out with the stinger.
The stinger is actually just a hollow needle, but attached to it is a venom sack. When a bee stings, it injects venom through the needle. This venom is a nasty cocktail of poisons (a perfect example of the poison of sin, right?):
- Special chemicals to break down the cell membranes and cause pain.
- Histamines that cause allergic reactions.
- Anti-inflammatories which stop blood flow that would normally wash away the poisons.
- Pheromones that signal to any bees in the vicinity, “We are in a war over here! Come join me and sting this enemy, too!”
The venom sack is attached to the stinger, so when a bee dies after stinging, its venom sack is often left behind, still pumping poison into its victim causing even more pain. OUCH!!
Now here is a short video I created a few years ago that illustrates how Jesus took the “sting” for us:
When temptation is near, and the devil is “buzzing” all around you, just close your eyes and remember Jesus’ nail-scarred hands and feet, the 39 stripes upon His back, His thorn-pierced brow, and his sword-pierced side — YES! Jesus took that “sting” for us— all of it! Amen.
I hope this inspires you to love Jesus and appreciate what He did for you! And I pray that these thoughts fire you up to put even more of your effort, heart, and mind into sharing the power of the Gospel with everyone around you!
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
