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Resurrection Connection

by Brandon Jubar

For the living know that they are to die, but the dead no longer know anything. There is no further recompense for them, because all memory of them is lost. (Ecclesiastes 9:5)

Obviously, Christians have a great deal in common with people of the Jewish faith. But one significant difference is that, up until the last couple hundred years before Christ, they did not believe in an afterlife. You lived out your time on earth, hopefully in a way that pleased God, and then you died.

Jesus showed us something different. He taught us about the Kingdom of God, about heaven, and about the wonderful afterlife that awaits those who follow him. Of course, sometimes it feels like we're never going to get there. For some people, it may even feel as though it would be better if death were really the end. Have you ever felt like that? Do you know what despair feels like?

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

"I just wish I could go to sleep and never wake up," she said with tears in her eyes. If someone had walked up at that moment, not having heard any of her story, the anguish in her voice would have made them understand the depth of her pain. She was a young high school student who had suffered more than anyone should have to suffer, and she felt trapped there.

Through the course of many conversations, that young lady came to realize that one of the lessons Jesus had taught us is that "suffering" is not the end -- because "death" brings about the end of suffering. And "death" is not the end, because it is followed by resurrection! Death always leads to new life!

And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. Then the angel said to the women in reply, "Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said..." (Matthew 28:2-3, 5-6)

God can do whatever God wants to do. He can move boulders, make lightning, and send angels to do his bidding. He can bring floods and plagues or manna for His people to eat. And God can bring resurrection to you and me.

Especially when things seem the darkest in our lives, it is important to remember that our pain is part of a cycle known as the Paschal Mystery -- suffering, death, and resurrection. Being a Christian doesn't mean we get to live pain-free. It means we live lives of hope. The suffering will end. We'll let our hurts die and we'll bury them. And we know that the stone will be rolled away for us, too. Christ will bring us new life.

We are not a people of suffering and death. We are a people with a connection to the resurrection. We are a people of life!

Life Applications:

What comes to mind when you think about heaven?
How do you deal with your own pain and suffering?
When was a time that something in your life "died", only to make way for new life?

Copyright 2005-2009 by Brandon Jubar
All rights reserved.