Why is Death Such an Enemy? (Lent 29-2018)

Death is no friend. To anyone. Even with terminal illness, death is still an enemy in the eternal scope. It comes for the young and the old. It can even disguise itself, cloaked with compassion. Our loved one “is out of pain now,” we say. Love and life will somehow live on in memories. But a generation or two down the line, that made-for-TV afterlife ends and all we’re left with is what seductive Death says in the movie, The Book Thief,

“Here is a small fact: You are going to die. I am in all truthfulness attempting to be cheerful about this whole topic, though most people find themselves hindered in believing me, no matter my protestations. Please trust me. I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that’s only the A’s. Just don’t ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me.”

At this point on our Lenten calendar, Jesus knows what’s going on. He’ll be entering Jerusalem and going to His death. A painful crucifixion. Undeserved. The Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday will set the events in motion. Jesus knows it. He’s heading into mortal combat against the enemy to beat all enemies: Death.

Why is Death Such an Enemy? Because God is the Giver of life and death hates God.

Food for thought:

We’re told in Scripture 1 Corinthians 15:26 “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Why is it the last enemy?
We can have hope because someday death will meet its end and bully us no more. Revelation 20:14 “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.” How is death presently a bully?
God never wanted death. We brought it on ourselves and God alone can make it right. How did Jesus do it?
Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” How does tweaking the old order not change death in the same way that defeating it through born-again Christianity, and the New Heaven and New Earth can?
In the movie Life of Pi that we’ve been using to launch Why questions in our Lent 2018 devotional series, the Bengal tiger “Richard Parker lies in the stern of the boat, severely emaciated, his coat dull, his eyes clouded. Shivering, Pi uses the last of his strength to drag himself over to the tiger. The animal’s body is curled, his tail flat. Some of his fur has fallen away from his shoulders and haunches. He’s a skeleton in an oversized bag of fur. Pi reaches out to place a hand on the tiger. He gently touches him on one spot. PI: “We’re dying, Richard Parker. I’m sorry.” Pi sits and places the tiger’s head on his lap. “Amma, Appa, Ravi – I’m happy I’m going to see you soon. (Pause) Can you feel the rain? (Richard Parker raises his head slightly; his tail twitches.) God, thank you for giving me my life. I’m ready now.” How does only Christianity offer hope in death?

Join me tomorrow for Why Not a King Now?

For Lent 2018, we’ll explore the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We’ll ask and answer the question “Why?” as we discover the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. Join me for the 40 days of Lent which began February 14, 2018 by liking Seminary Gal on Facebook or having these devotionals sent to your email box which you can do via the sign-up on my Home page. Thank you for blessing me with this opportunity to study together the Word of God.

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Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular:

Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations. We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.