When the Resurrection Speaks

When the Resurrection Speaks

       November 25th, 2024 is a day that will always be etched on my mind and heart.  That was the day when Tiffanie went home to be with Jesus.  I'm not sure how many rotations I have around the sun, but I know that each year that single day will always be heavier then others.  I vividly remember closing her hospital room door that day, the closing of the elevator door, the closure of the automatic door at the back of the hospital, the closing of my car door, and the closing of my house door.  Loss can feel like a door that has shut forever.  But the Easter season reminds me that the resurrection of Jesus Christ declares something radically different: death does not get the final word, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25)."

      I want you to think of the context of those spoken words.  They were not spoken at a church service, on a vacation, in a classroom, at a family reunion.  Instead Jesus spoke these words right in the midst of grief.  He said it to those whose hearts were shattered and seemingly beyond repair.  The pain was still fresh. The loss wasn't even fully realized yet.  Questions and doubts still rose in the hearts of Mary, Martha, the disciples, and the crowd at Lazarus' home.  Jesus said this to Martha after her brother Lazarus had died. Tears were still fresh, the house still overflowing with mourners.  The pain was real. And right there, in the middle of sorrow, Jesus pointed to hope.  Not a shallow hope.  Not a “things will get better” kind of hope.  But a living, eternal hope rooted in Himself.  That is the hope that each grieving person needs....that is the hope that all of humanity needs.

      I think one of my false assumptions about grief was that faith would erase my sorrow.  Basically, if I had more faith I would grieve less.  But that isn't spiritual math.  You won't find a single verse that says "those that are faithful will not mourn."  Instead Jesus says blessed are those who mourn.  Scripture breaks through what our culture has wrongly taught about grief and shows in through the eyes of God.  In John 11:35 we find these simple words, "Jesus wept."  First, the image is that the Son of God stood at a graveside.  I've led hundreds of funerals in my nearly 20 years of ministerial experience.  I have shared the hope of the Gospel, but I've never pictured my Savior at a graveside.  But why wouldn't He be there?  Why wouldn't Jesus be near to those who are hurting the most?  We find Jesus doing something so simple and yet so profound, He cried.  This matters deeply. It means your grief is not a failure of faith.  No one would indict Jesus for lacking faith in that moment.  It means your tears are not something to hide. The resurrection does not deny your pain, it meets you in it.  The resurrection meets your grief in a profound new way.

      And yet the resurrection does not leave you there.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)."  If you have your Bible handy underline or highlight that phrase living hope.  I love that Peter uses a word to describe our hope.  The word hope itself would have been more then sufficient, but instead he uses a powerful Greek term.  The word living means a breathing faith.  It's ALIVE because HE is alive.  One unique part of this phrase is that it's found in the present tense of the Greek language, meaning that there are ZERO circumstances in our life that will take away from our living hope...including grief.  A living hope is not fragile, not temporary, not dependent on circumstances. The resurrection guarantees that what feels like an ending is not truly the end.

      My beloved Tiffanie's favorite hymn was "Because He lives."  That hymn still makes my cry each time I hear it.  :Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.  Because He lives, all fear is gone, because I know who holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives."  AMEN!  Friend, because He lives, death is not the end.  For those who belong to Christ, death is not a wall, it is a doorway.  “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep (1 Thessalonians 4:14)."  Notice the tenderness in that phrase: fallen asleep. Scripture speaks this way because, for the believer, death is not permanent separation.  It is a reunion.  “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more (Revelation 21:4)."  Every tear you’ve cried.  Every ache you’ve carried.  Every moment of loneliness.  None of it is wasted. And none of it will last forever.  Because Jesus walked out of the grave, there is a day coming when grief itself will be undone, though the total promise will only be fulfilled on heaven's shore.

      Even with this hope, grief can feel overwhelming.  Some days, the promises feel distant, almost as if they are in a fog.  Some nights, the loneliness feels louder than truth.  Some moments the ache is felt a little deeper for no reason at all other then love that you had for the person.  In those moments, God does not ask you to be strong.  He doesn't ask you to fake it until you make it.  Instead He invites you to come close.  “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18)."  Stop and meditate on that word near.  Stop reading this post for a moment and just dwell on the beauty of that single word.  Those that are broken hearted aren't near the one that they love and miss.  They are far away, but the proximity that is felt in this passage isn't to the person we have lost, but instead to the constant who never leaves us.  Near. Not far. Not disappointed. Not impatient.  Near.  You don’t have to have the right words. You don’t have to have it all together. You can bring your questions, your anger, your confusion, your sorrow.  And in time, often slowly, gently, He will begin to steady your heart with the hope of the resurrection.

      If you’re reading this and you’re not sure what you believe or maybe you’ve never trusted Christ, grief can feel especially heavy.  I know how hard grief was for me as a man of faith, I can't imagine how difficult it would be for someone who hasn't trusted in Jesus.  Why?  Because without the resurrection, death really does seem final.  I imagine you are trying anything to fill the void, to make the emptiness go away, to numb those lonely nights, and escape from the emotional storm if only for a few moments.  But the message of Jesus is not reserved for the “already convinced.” It is an invitation.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)."  “Whoever” includes you.  You might say "Matt, you have no idea what I've done, thought, said, or feel.  You don't know my history."  And I don't, but I do know that Jesus loves you, and the hope of the resurrection isn't for the moral, ethical, religious, those whose life is all put together.  Instead it's for the broken, the sinner, the grieving, the confused, the doubting, the hurting....for you.  Jesus did not only die, He rose again. And because He lives, He offers something no one else can: forgiveness for your sin, peace with God, and eternal life that death cannot take away.

      This is not about becoming religious. It’s about entering into a relationship with the One who defeated death itself.  If your heart is open, even just a little, you can begin with something simple: “God, I don’t understand everything. But I need hope. If Jesus really rose from the dead, help me believe.”  That prayer isn't a magical formula that saves you, but instead it helps you get honest with God, letting Him know that you don't understand, but you want to.  Letting Him know that you need hope.  He hears you.  I would love to tell you more about how you can have your sins forgiven and trust in Jesus.

      Grief and hope are not enemies. In Christ, they can exist together.  You can miss them deeply and still believe you will see them again.  You can feel the weight of loss and still rest in the promise of resurrection.  “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven… and the dead in Christ will rise… and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18)."  Encourage one another.  Not with clichés.  Not with empty reassurances.  But with the unshakable truth, Jesus is alive. And because He lives, this is not the end of the story.