A father and his young son were driving down a quiet country road on a beautiful spring afternoon. Suddenly a bumblebee flew through the open car window. The little boy froze with fear because he was deathly allergic to bee stings. Seeing his son’s terror, the father quickly reached out, caught the bee in his hand, squeezed it, and then released it. When the bee began buzzing around again, the boy panicked once more.

The father calmly held up his hand. Embedded in his skin was the stinger. “You don’t need to be afraid anymore,” he told his son. “I’ve taken the sting for you.” The bee could still buzz, but it could no longer harm the child. The danger had already been absorbed by the father.

This simple moment beautifully illustrates the gospel. Death still buzzes around us in this fallen world. We see sickness, funerals, and grief, and it can make us fearful. But for the believer, the sting has already been removed. Jesus Christ stepped in and took the sting of death upon Himself at the cross. Through His death and resurrection, He defeated sin and the grave. Death may still come physically, but it no longer has the power to destroy the child of God.