John 12:20-33
"Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. 'Sir,' they said, 'we would like to see Jesus.' Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, 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. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also may be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. Now my heart is troubled and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour?' No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!' Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.' The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, 'This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.' He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die."THOUGHTS:
I have been in a season of death. No, I haven't died, but many people around me have - friends, children, family - and many are currently walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Death sucks. It hurts. People are taken from this world too soon. We are left to grieve the loss. And I'm not one to believe it was the "plan" or that G-d needed another angel. We aren't angels. Angels are angels. We are humans created in the image of G-d. We remain human. Death was never intended to be in G-d's plan. Humanity's brokenness has brought death and I believe that it grieves G-d. That is very reason G-d intervened in the person of Jesus Christ.
Resurrection - both physical and spiritual - only happens when something dies. That's the promise. G-d's answer to death is resurrection. His fix for our brokenness is resurrection. There is pain in the midst of the waiting, but there is hope in the knowing that those who have passed out of this world, have passed into the hope of resurrection, into the presence of eternal peace! The work of the cross was judgment against death. Death has no sting. It has no victory. The evil one and his death have been driven out. Christ is risen breaking the bonds of death and sin. Christ is drawing all, yes I said ALL, to himself regardless of what the evil one can dish out.
Death is for just a season and it is just a valley. There is a greater mountaintop and we have been given access to it. The pain of those who remain is real. It is not to be lessened. It is to be held sacred and we are to sit with those grieving, holding them, allowing them to mourn the loss. There is hope in death. There is promise in death. But there is never excuse in death. There's never an adequate answer for why. Death was never intended. It grieves G-d and it grieves us. G-d is our great comforter and will never leave us in the pain. In the midst of death, we look to the resurrection and trust it's promise.
ACTION:
Come AWAKE! That's my heart's cry. In the midst of grief, I want to come awake! I want to taste the resurrection. I want to come alive in hope.
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