But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. | 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
A few weeks ago, we looked at the story of Mary pouring oil on Jesus feet and the religious leaders discussing how to eliminate the threat of Jesus. We said that their responses flow from where they have placed their love. Loving Jesus allows us to see Him for who He is: the king of the universe worthy of all glory, praise, and adoration. Loving something else more than Him makes Him a challenge to what we love more. This is what led Augustine to say: the essence of sin is disordered love. All sin begins with not giving God the honor He deserves.
This week, Jesus introduced another influence on us: FEAR. When the Bible speaks of fear, it is more than just an issue of being scared. Fear is power. We give power to those things that we believe will be able to empower us, or give us what we believe we need. We end up in a co-dependent power struggle with earthly entities that we have both placed our hope in, but also given far too much power to.
In John 12, Jesus was speaking specifically of those who believed, who saw Him for who He was, but did not confess it for fear of losing their standing in the synagogue. We are the same. It may not be the synagogue, but we have people in our life who we look to for validation, prestige, compensation, and glory. These same people can deprive us of these things. We fear them because they can give and take away. They hold our hope.
Jesus’ death and resurrection is a reminder that we tend to hope in temporary terms. Our hope tends to be confined to earthly measures and temporal timelines. One of the things that the resurrection does is places this life in the perspective of God’s plan. No longer are we confined by what we can imagine in this life, instead, this life is just a small portion of the eternal. Death is not something to fear or avoid, but part of the journey. Putting our hope in Jesus allows us to see beyond the immediate, and to not give too much power to the present.
This does not mean that we do not care about this world, invest in relationships, or recognize the power structures that exist, but they are not ultimate. They can affect us, but never take away the source of our hope. This has not only proven to be stabilizer in times of extreme persecution, but is also a challenge for us who live in prosperity. For 21st century American Christians, the greatest challenge is that we have so much, we can become convinced that the things of this world can fulfill our longings. That we are simply the raise or vacation away from completion.
Jesus’ death and resurrection reveals that these things have a shelf life. Everything that we fear now and give power to will end. Placing our hope here is futile. The good news is that while all will die, Jesus will remake ALL things in glory. The death and resurrection of Jesus is sobering because it points to the limitedness of the flesh, but it is freeing because it also shows us the eternality of the Spirit. Everything that currently oppresses will meet its end; all that is done for the glory of God will live on. As Paul says:
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.| 1 Corinthians 15:54–58
Jesus’ death and resurrection allows us to live confidently, knowing that we are not justified by our work, but that God blesses the work that is done for His glory. We do not have to fear the futility of building something that will be destroyed, but we also don’t measure this life on how great our earthly kingdoms are. Instead, we can do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), knowing that we are investing in eternity.