Disaster, Demons, and Death

Luke 8:24-25

And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?"

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Just in case there was any question as to Jesus' infinite power, Luke here provides a triumvirate of evidences to illustrate that Jesus is nothing less than omnipotent.

Disaster. When Jesus calmed the stormy sea, the appropriate reaction seems to be utter amazement. The disciples marveled that this man who walked among them could control nature merely with his words. This was no magic trick. The Maker of the sea and wind was standing here in the flesh, as if he had stepped right out of the Genesis creation story. Jesus was and is completely sovereign over nature.

Demons. But he is also sovereign over an unseen spiritual world. Verses 26-39 describe one of the most bizarre conversations ever recorded. Jesus approaches what we would consider a raving lunatic and proceeds to speak with a Legion of demons that are oppressing him. And it is not Jesus who shudders, but the demons who plead for mercy and try to bargain for a less horrible fate. Jesus was and is completely sovereign over the spiritual realm.

Death. Not impressed yet? Well, take a moment right now and visualize your last few moments alive. You know they will one day come, and you will eventually have to face the point of no return - a dark veil over which lies some unknown void. Will there be something on the other side of that last breath? Is there anything else in all the world that we have LESS control over? Death is completely unavoidable... Or is it? This passage concludes with an event even more remarkable than Jesus' clash with disaster or demons. Here, Jesus encounters the hopelessness of a young child's death and almost casually decides to rewind it.

And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping."  And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise."

Child, arise. Two words. Two words to undo death. What remains the most troubling, terrifying, uncontrollable enemy that mankind has ever known, he undoes with two simple words. This is the gospel. Death is overcome, the grave is emptied of power, the wages of sin are being paid for by this humble and powerful Savior.

Now, will we believe and find our strength in Him?

Ultimate Destruction

Matthew 27:20

Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.

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Up to this point, the story of Jesus has been barreling toward tragedy, yet without a certain doom. There was still a chance that Jesus could be rescued, could come out of this conflict at the last minute and achieve some kind of physical victory. But, in this verse I think, there is a point of no return. The people have made their judgment. The Son of God was to be destroyed.

Two things strike me about this passage.

(1) The most pivotal moment in all of history, the most important choice any crowd has ever made, all hinged upon the persuasion of a few envious old men who happened to be positions of religious authority. This highlights the incredible power that is held by those in official positions of authority. People look to them for guidance and often follow their lead, no matter how counterintuitive. And, this is especially so for religious leaders. What an awesome responsibility that can be so easily used for evil. It is only fitting that teachers would be judged by God with greater scrutiny (James 3:1). Of course, let us be clear, that the decision of the crowd to destroy Jesus was not just the result of chaos and chance and human will. Mysteriously, but truly, the plan of God Almighty was unfolding through the persuasion and choices of these envious and cowardly men (Acts 2:23, 4:27-28).

(2) There was a greater destruction taking place here than any of these people realized. It was greater than the unjust murder of a righteous man.

The real destruction that took place here was the destruction of Death and the wall of separation between God and man.

The Pharisees themselves bring up this truth as they are mocking the dying Jesus. "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!" (27:40). Did the Pharisees really not understand that Jesus had made this earlier claim in reference to his own body? No, the Pharisees knew deep down what Jesus had meant; they prove it themselves in verse 63, when they explain Jesus' claim to rise from the dead as a reason to guard the tomb! Amazing. And sad.

No, the real destruction that took place here was the end of Death and the wall of separation. The curtain was torn in two. Men long dead began to rise from their tombs and walk the earth again. All that stood in the way between God and man, generations of sin and rebellion, centuries of attempts to bridge the gap through animal blood sacrifice, all of this was done away with in one stormy night on a hill outside Jerusalem. What the Jewish priests had failed to do for years (cleanse the people of their guilt) Jesus here accomplished, "by the power of an indestructible life" (Heb 7:16). His body was destroyed, but truly it was indestructible. What was really obliterated was something far more astounding. And, as we will see, the morning of the resurrection will bring a picture of what is offered to us as well: new life, a new earth, and an eternity in the presence of our Maker.

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?

(1 Cor 15:54-55)

The Last Breath

Psalm 6:4-5

Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?

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There are some realities that are too full of emotion to put into words. That may sound trite, but consider how much poetry has been written through the centuries concerning the two great mysteries: love and death. Perhaps that is why so many believers have turned to the Psalms in their desperate hours, when life is hanging on by a thread because of some unspeakable injustice, or some stomach-turning grief.

David found himself at a loss for words. We don't know what the context of this Psalm was, what caused David's eye to waste away because of grief. But we do know that it shut his mouth.

Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;
heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O LORD---how long?

That last line resonates in my mind as I consider the pain I have witnessed this year in the hearts and in the eyes of some of my closest friends. When the sorrows come there can be only few words. And, even those few words may be truncated by tears or loss of breath. David can only get out that last line with trembling and quivering lips. Don't gloss over the words here; the sentence structure says it all. The pain is too great for exposition. Only emotion remains.

I notice the repetition of "O LORD" and wonder at the focus and direction of this prayer. He is fixated on the source of Life, his only hope in the midst of this disaster that threatens him. O LORD! O LORD! O LORD! Where else can I turn? And then he reasons with God, the best that he can in the midst of this.

For your sake, O LORD; for the sake of your reputation, deliver me. Who will praise you in death? Who will remember you by dying? Reach out and deliver me and let it be to your praise.

And he did. This time. God heard David's weeping and accepted his prayer. David's confidence grew and he began to trust that his enemies would be turned away and defeated. But, this is not always the case with sorrow.

But, before you despair of the pain and grief that God may choose to leave with you, consider also the Man of Sorrows. Turn to Isaiah 53. Consider His grief and wonder at the cross. It is a balm to the weary, and comfort to know that someone is with you, someone who cares is with you to hear your truncated prayers, to hear those last breaths, those wordless breaths, and he will never leave you nor forsake you.