Death
becomes you.
As has been
well-said, “The statistics are in – and ten out of ten people die.” (Yet one
more reason to pray for the rapture of the church!)
You ARE
going to die. So am I.
Strange as
it may seem, though this is a really well-known fact, it is denied and imagined
to be untrue as much as possible. It never quite seems really true until we are
faced with death in some way. Perhaps a loved one or a friend dies. It is a
present reminder of death, its impact, and our own facing of it.
Then a
little time goes by and we find ourselves putting it out of our mind again. Is
this a form of self-protection because we don’t like to think about it – or is
it really self-preservation because it helps protect our sanity?
All the
religions of the world have a plan for dealing with death. (Perhaps we could even
say death above all else is the REASON all the religions of the world exist.)
It is certainly one of the best ways to compare the religions of the world,
because they each deal with the subject of death in vastly different ways.
Given that
eternity is vastly LONGER than the time spent on earth in this life, perhaps it
might be worth some investment of the time you have left on earth to consider
the eternal ramifications of your life. This is the point Jesus is making to
the Pharisees.
Since this IS God-in-Flesh speaking about eternal
life, it behooves us to pay close attention to what He says. What He says goes
all the way back to the beginning of His teaching about unjust stewards. (Those
who misuse the resources God has provided.) The Pharisees were the classic
example of this, in that the focus of their religious practice had become accumulation
of wealth – in the name of God. Since, in their time, it was assumed the
wealthy were the blessed of God, and the poor were the cursed of God, it would likewise
seem these wealthy Jewish religious leaders were a lock for eternal life in
heaven, in their own minds, and in the minds of the people.
But Jesus
says they are not a “lock” for heaven. In fact, they are locked out.
-Pastor Bill
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