Death
Dan Kunz
As many of you by now know, our family experienced a death recently. Our 40-year-old son-in-law passed away unexpectedly. He was an amazing man in many ways - revered teacher, elite-class marathoner, excellent woodworker, husband, father, and devoted Christian. Our whole family, as well as others who knew him, are reeling. Death hurts. It hurts a lot. It feels as if life will never be the same, and for some of us, it won’t. Why is death such an awful thing? Two reasons come to mind.
First of all, death is not natural. Oh, for sure it’s part of life, but it’s not natural. God didn’t create the world with death in mind. He intended for Adam and Eve to live with him in paradise forever. Unfortunately, because of their sin, Adam and Eve introduced death into a world in which that concept was unknown. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. The result for you and I is that we, too, sin and therefore, must die. The good news is that, as the previous passage announces, because of Jesus, our death is not permanent. The other salve for our wounded souls is that Jesus himself had first-hand knowledge of death. We know that numerous times during his life, Jesus encountered death. Perhaps the most memorable was the death of his friend, Lazarus. Please make the time to read John 11:1-44. Among the many lessons to be learned from this episode in Jesus’ life, is his reaction to the death of his close friend and the effect it had on Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters. The story tells us not only that Jesus wept, it also tells us he was deeply moved and troubled. Jesus was angry. Jesus was enraged. Jesus thundered. Why? Because death is not the way it’s supposed to be. Sin causes death and death causes deep and bitter pain. Jesus knew full well he was going to bring Lazarus back from the dead in a few moments, but it angered him that any of his brothers and sisters, that anyone, has to die or grieve over the death of a loved one. It’s just not the way God meant things to be!
Another reason death is so painful is that it’s the closest thing we, as Christians, experience of hell. A lot of descriptions of hell include pain, suffering, and eternal torment. We can conjure up all kinds of terrible physical, mental, and spiritual anguish, but the truth is that the real pain and torment of hell is separation – separation from God, but also separation from our friends and loved ones who have passed from this veil of tears into the presence of God, because of their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. When someone we love dies, we know we will be separated from them for a time. Such separation, even though we may know our loved one died as a believer and is, right this moment, enjoying the joys of God’s eternal presence, we’ll still be separated from them for a time. That hurts. It hurts a lot! As human beings we live in a world bound by the constraints of time. We have calendars and watches. God doesn’t. This means we may be separated from our loved ones for years, even decades.
Death hurts. It’s not natural and it separates us from those we love. Death, however, does not have the final word. God’s Word reminds us of this. Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb at the center of throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.