Really, Don?

 

His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:29-33 ESV).

 

There have been many times when my “story-telling” has been accused of “ministerial exaggeration.” Perhaps that is a justifiable act if I am describing the size of the fish I have caught… after all, aren’t they always bigger in our memory than in actuality? I suppose I should expect some incredulity as I write about the resurrection of Jesus. People have been questioning that for over 2,000 years. However, it is a question that demands an answer. Without an answer can I have a concrete hope for my future? What do I have to look forward to? At times, don’t we all discover that our hearts are sagging and a sense of heaviness intrudes on us? This is why Jesus spoke so plainly to his disciples in our reading today. So, let’s answer the question… “Really, Don?”

 

Biblical eschatology gives us solid reasons for expecting a personal continuity of life. Eternal life for the individual is not an empty human aspiration built on myth, but an assurance promised us by Christ Himself. His own triumph over the grave is the church’s hope for our participation in His life. However, we have heard so much ridicule and mocking about pie-in-the-sky theology that I’m afraid we’ve lost our appetite for it.

 

The promise of heaven is indeed glorious—a promise that not only anchors the soul but fires the soul with hope. Life is not an outrageous horror, though we witness outrages daily. The outrage is not the bottom line. The sting of death has been overcome. The victory of Christ is not established by platitudes or conjured-up positive mental attitudes. Jesus is not Santa Claus. His call to joy is rooted in reality: “Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Therein resides our future hope. He stared directly into the face of death and death blinked. In the coming days I will give you some of the extracanonical (non-Biblical) proof that has been amassed through the centuries since the resurrection. Today renew your heart with your personal experience of the reality of Jesus. Find hope in the knowledge of what you KNOW of Him in your life. No one knows better than you of that reality! He has indeed overcome the world… and we along with Him!