About 700 years ago, Agnolo di Tura wrote this, ‘Father abandoned child, wife husband, one brother another.’ ‘And, no one could be found to bury the dead for money or friendship.’ Agnolo was a chronicler of the Black Death, the bubonic plague that swept through Europe. (Australian newspaper. Page 18, Saturday 8th March).
We are not there yet, in Australia, but can you see how we’d get there. Already there have been brawls in supermarkets and knives pulled over toilet paper. Why this sense of desperation? Why this overreaction?
It’s very simple. The very real fear of death. The Bible says we live under a fear of death. But even more than that we are held in slavery by our fear of death.
The fear of death has mastery over us, and we are captive to it. It does more than influence us. It controls us. This is why we stockpile toilet paper, sanitiser and rice. It is the reason some of us might pull a knife and it is the reason many of us would abandon our very own children, husband or brother to rot in the street if they had the plague or perhaps a deadly virus. Our fear of death masters us such that we can break all bonds of affection and love, even for those we love most of all.
But there is an answer.
A couple of years ago I was talking with a man who had just started coming back to church. Let’s call him Jim. He’d been coming regularly over several months. And then death struck.
Jim’s best friend over many, many years was found dead in a flat in the suburbs of Brisbane. Jim was devastated. Jim & his friend saw movies together, played chess together and spoke often on the phone.
Jim had spoken with his friend just a few days earlier. But now his friend was dead. Death had struck and Jim was rightly devastated. His friend had been alive and was now dead.
All this I learned one Sunday evening over coffee. I hesitated. Was this the right time or was Jim’s grief too raw and too deep? Should I share what I knew or wait for another time? But the thought struck me – Jim is devastated by death and the news he needs to hear is of the one who devastated death.
I prayed. I asked Jim, ‘Do you know that there is an answer to death?’
Jim looked at me with astonishment, ‘Is there?’ I can still hear the surprise in his tone.
‘Yes. Can I show you?’
I turned to the Bible passage below. It is about the death and undeath of Lazarus.
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.”
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
So, they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
There was no mistake, Lazarus was dead. Opening the tomb would release an odour, the stench of death. The ancient Jews were not gullible nor naïve. They were far more familiar with the reality of death than most of us.
But then Jesus calls Lazarus to life. John (the writer) drives this home, by still referring to Lazarus as the dead man even as he exits the grave. ‘The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.’ He is still wearing his grave clothes.
Death had struck, but Jesus struck back and claimed Lazarus back from the grave.
Jim and I spoke for a long time about this. Devastated by death he needed the answer of Jesus.[1]
Jesus had raised a man from the dead. He is the answer to death. But not just Lazarus’ death. For, Jesus himself would shortly die. He would be struck down by death. But by his death, he would strike down death and undo death. Jesus’ planned to bring life.
Just one chapter after the events of Lazarus, Jesus spoke these words referring to himself as the Son of Man:
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’
Jesus’ glorification was his death on the cross. He planned his death. And then, he died, like a grain of wheat in the ground. But like the dead grain, he rose from the dead three days later to produce life, eternal life, in many.
Jesus’ death and resurrected life broke the power of death. Jesus devastated death for it could no longer conquer and claim all people. Jesus would give many eternal life.
So, how does one get this eternal life? The answer is a surprise. You get eternal life by dying! The last sentence from above, again.
‘Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’
A person must die to this life. They must no longer love and live for the life they have. Instead, the person who wants eternal life in Jesus must give their life to Jesus and live for him. Then they will have life beyond the grave. Death will be undone for them.
And so, we come back to the plague of death. It is this very dynamic, the one in which a follower of Jesus has lost their life, already, giving it to Jesus that enables them to give up their life for others. The follower of Jesus no longer fears death. Death has been conquered by Jesus’ death and resurrection. And since the power of death is undone, then the fear of death is also mastered.
The follower of Jesus can love and care for their child, husband, wife, neighbour, and stranger, for they have life already and can seek to save the lives of others.* Fear no longer rules. Fear no longer has mastery. Death has been devastated. Life in Jesus has already been won.
Do you fear death? Come to Jesus.
Do you fear being mastered by fear? Come to Jesus.
Do you wish to love your loved ones even when fear of death seems to master our society? Give up your life & come to Jesus.
[1] Jim and I continued to meet over the following months to talk about Jesus and what Christianity is and isn’t claiming as shown in the Bible. He also kept coming to church. In the following months, he gave his life to Jesus.
By this, I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t take wise precautions with hygiene, travel, isolation etc.