Advance to Go

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:17-27 ESV). When Faith and Logan were staying with us last week, we were able to play Monopoly. I must confess I was soundly beaten. However, I did remember something that became of interest. While playing I drew from the Chance Cards an “Advance to Go (collect $200)” card. Of course I was delighted. It put me ahead of the board and gave me more capital to work with. I don't know about you, but I always like being first and getting a reward too! Imagine that you are standing in the hot Texas sun, waiting for Six Flags. You are far back in line, and it seems to be taking forever. Suddenly, a man comes to you and identifies himself as the owner of the park. He invites you to step ahead of the line and get in the park before everyone else. Would you be happy about that? Of course you would, though I'm sure the other people waiting might resent that a bit. That's how it is when a Christian dies, whether it is unexpected or not. They get to go ahead of the rest of us, not to Six Flags, but to heaven! Getting into heaven is a privilege, not a punishment. It's a promotion, not a termination. Death means a crown of victory. When those whom we love die, our deepest regret is we didn't get to go with them. We should not think of our loved ones in heaven as being “gone.” That word is taken from the vocabulary of death, and it implies that the loved one no longer exists, which could not be more false. This is certainly the hope that Jesus points Mary and Martha to as they grieved the death of their brother in our reading. Lazarus drew the greatest “card” of life. God told him to advance to heaven, collect eternity! This is the great hope of the Christian! Though we grieve, encourage one another by remembering the gift God gives His children in death.