# 39 Childbirth and the Death and Resurrection of Jesus

The Book of Genesis Day 39 Ge 3:16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." Let’s keep talking about the pangs of childbirth today. Eve was told that she would have multiple conceptions and difficult labor in bringing forth children. Of course, not all women will be gifted with “multiplied conceptions,” but all women will travail in the process of giving birth. Jesus talked about this in Joh 16:21,22, "A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 "Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.” Imagine that! Jesus is speaking about His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. His disciples were going to experience great child-birthing like sorrow as He was taken away from them, arrested, beaten, humiliated, and crucified. This sorrow (anguish) would be intensely felt, and Jesus likened it to the pangs of childbirth. This anguish would be felt until they realized that He came forth from the tomb in resurrection glory, victorious over death! Then the joy would overwhelm them in the same way that a mother is overwhelmed with joy when her child is delivered! Anguish replaced with unspeakable joy! Do you see the picture of our Lord’s suffering and resurrection that is painted for us with the birth of every child? Do you see that only the woman is allowed to fully experience this in childbirth? Only a woman can fully grasp how it was for these early disciples! The death and resurrection of Jesus is like the physical occurrences at the birth of a child! The earth shook as the stone was rolled away bringing forth the new life of our resurrected Lord! The pangs and tremors of labor mirroring that earthquake as new life is brought forth from the womb. It was the sin of woman (Eve) that made it necessary for our Lord to suffer and die, yet even in the pain of childbirth, she will experience the sweet release of new life like no other, and in a way no man could ever dream of. No wonder 1Ti 2:15 says, “Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.” It’s not child-bearing that saves her, it is the picture of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it is the death and resurrection of Jesus that saves if she continues in the faith! Reflect What do you know about childbirth? What advantage does a woman have over a man in the lessons of childbirth? Jesus told His disciples that upon His emergence from the grave, His disciples would have joy that can never be taken away from them. How does that kind of joy relate to childbirth? Pray: Lord, thank You for this picture of the death and resurrection that is played out thousands of times every day. May we rejoice in the birth of children and remember that by faith in Your death and resurrection we have joy that can never be taken away!