The last shackle
Many of us can remember the Great Houdini, the great escape artist who would have himself handcuffed, wrapped up in chains, and then be immersed in a large tank of water all the while a large clock would be counting down the last seconds to his “imminent” death. He would have to struggle through the straightjacket and chains to the life that awaited the dismissal of his final binding. Invariably he would get to the last restraint, and just when everyone had thought it was “too late,” —he would escape.
It seems that there are some parallels here to our life on earth, only in reverse. What I mean is, most of us think we are moving towards that certain death each and every day, every day adding more and more bindings of restraint. When I hit 30, I began to put on weight. When I hit 40, my eyesight began to dim. When I hit 50... what was I going to say? Oh yeah, let’s just say my memory isn’t all it used to be. Anyway, some would say we add more and more shackles throughout our lives till we can endure no more and then it’s over; time’s up.
But I want to suggest that is not the case for those of us who have a restored relationship with God. In fact, it’s just the opposite. We continue to cast off the encumbrances of life and move toward the goal of eternity with God. We eventually get to the point where our earthly bodies are the only remaining encumbrance hindering us from that glorified eternal relationship with our Creator.
Though it may be hard to see, death is a blessing from God. It is the final step before glory. If we were to never taste of death, we would never receive our glorified bodies, free from all the ailments these present-day vessels hold. We should be thankful God doesn’t curse us, constrained to these broken bodies for all time.
Psalm 116:15 declares, “Precious in the sight of the LORD, Is the death of His godly ones.” It sounds strange to our human ears, but God knows that our ticket home to Him is through death, the end of pain and suffering. Paul says in 2
Corinthians 5:68, “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight, we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
Death is that last tether between two worlds. Now, you know I am not saying we should do anything to hasten our end; in fact, we are to care for ourselves so that as long as the Lord gives us breath, we may serve him in the here and now. But we should not fear when He calls us home to be with Him forever. But that time my friend is reserved for the Giver of Life to decide.
Savor life while it is being served, but know that our true “home” is being with the Lord!
(Kelly Larson is the pastor at Bishop Creek Community Church, an Evangelical Free Church. The church meets Sundays at 700 Hobson St. (corner of Hobson and Keough) at 11 a.m. (760) 872-7188. Larson’s blog is at TheShepherdsPen. com.)
A Lenten lesson today from the book of John. Our daily focus on an earthly, temporal kingdom is adjusted with this scripture and lesson. We look forward to eternal life with our Lord and Savior thanks to His truth.
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat
Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” 30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. 33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” 38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” 40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us
Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
What kind of King is Jesus? When the high priest accused Jesus through the night, the Sanhedrin convicted Him of blasphemy. When these Jewish authorities then bring Him before Pontius Pilate the next morning, the conversation shifts. Their best chance with Pilate can’t be religious charges. They must frame Jesus as a political rebel, someone trying to claim the throne. In Rome the only king and lord is Caesar and anyone claiming to be King is a threat to Caesar and thus an enemy of Rome. It’s hard to imagine that Pilate took these accusations seriously. His wife had warned him not to deal with Jesus from a dream she had. In verse 33 he asks “Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus answers the question with a question and asks if he heard this from others or is asking of his own accord. Pilate responds “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus’ answer explains to Pilate and to us that He is King like no other. He tells him what His kingdom is not and then what His kingdom is.