We must start today with some heavy thoughts. We need to speak for a few moments about death. Death is not usually a pleasant topic of conversation. Death has been and remains humanity's most feared enemy. Death is an enemy to humanity because there is not one human being who is not, by bodily nature, predisposed to life. If we try to hold our breath, we can do so for a short while, but our natural bodily instinct is to breathe to sustain life. This is why I say that, bodily, we are predisposed to life and to avoid death as an enemy.
Surveys show that at least 1/3 of Americans are so uncomfortable with the topic of death and dying that they will not talk about it. People fear death and dying because of the finality of death and the separation it causes from loved ones. The fears of people today are not very different from the fears ancient people experienced. Our ancient ancestors feared death because they believed death led them to a place of eternal emptiness, a forever nothingness. The ancients believed that nothing in life was worse than death, and that they could not overcome death. Many people today believe and act as though this is still true.
But something remarkable, earth-shattering happened. A man named Jesus was executed in the most brutal of ways. He was crucified, nailed upon a cross of wood and left there until he died. To make sure he was dead, a spear was thrust into his side upward toward his heart. Once dead, he was buried in a tomb of rock so that eventually his body would become nothing but bones. And that is how everyone thought the story of Jesus would end. They thought he was destined to be just bones, with his spiritual being forever in a place of emptiness, nothingness, and darkness.
We see this story play out as women who loved Jesus went to his tomb to treat his body with spices. We see this as two of Jesus’ disciples walked along from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. As they walked, a stranger, who was Jesus, asked them why they were so sad. The disciples told the stranger they were sad that “Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him” (Luke 24:19-20). The worst thing that could happen was that Jesus died and was buried, and with him went their dreams and hopes of a better life on earth because life on earth was the only thing that mattered. But we know that was not the end of Jesus' story. What looked like the end of Jesus’ story was but a new beginning because, despite all the evidence of human history in which the dead stay dead, Jesus was alive again. Jesus defeated death. Jesus did not cheat death as though one who came close to death but did not die. Jesus defeated death because his perishable body died and then rose to an imperishable life. Death was defeated.
Jesus' resurrection to new life was the greatest reversal of expectations in human history, and it remains so even today. And that Jesus ascended into heaven and promised to return, not just as Savior but as King over all the nations, setting all things right, remains the greatest promise yet to be fulfilled.
But apparently the Christians of the early church in Thessalonica did not understand what was and would be. We see that in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonian church. Paul wrote that he desired to be with this church again so that he could “supply what is lacking in your faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:10b). Paul spent only about 3 weeks in Thessalonica before riots against his presence forced him to leave the city. And so, knowing there was more to share with this church, Paul wrote, “13We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). From Paul’s words, we get the sense that the early church wondered what happened to those who were baptized into belief in Jesus but then died before Jesus’ return. Paul referred to them as sleeping, but the physical reality was that these folks were dead. The questions that seemed to have been in the minds of the Thessalonians were, “Is the promise of joy and redemption upon Jesus’ return only for the living believers? Did the death of these believers leave them in an eternal state of disappointment, darkness, and eternal emptiness?”
Paul began to reply to these questions this way: “About those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:14b). There are two important truths. The first truth is found in what Paul did not say. Paul did not say to the Christians of Thessalonica, “About those who are asleep, that you may not grieve.” I have met too many Christians who have experienced the death of a loved one, and they feel guilty for grieving because they have been led to believe that grieving as a Christian shows a lack of faith. Grieving is a natural human response to the death of a loved one. Grief reflects how deeply we love someone. To grieve is not a lack of faith. It is a testimony of love.
The second truth rests in what Paul did say: “About those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:14b). There are two truths here. As to the first of those truths, we need to remember that Paul was writing this letter to those who were “in Christ,” believers in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Therefore, when Paul speaks of “others,” he was referring to nonbelievers. Paul made clear that nonbelievers grieve those whom they love who have died and do so believing that their loved ones have entered an eternal death that is a place of eternal emptiness, a forever nothingness. As such, in death everything is lost, unrecoverable, and deeply despairing. And Paul reveals the reason for the nonbeliever’s despair in the second truth—they despair because there is no hope. Upon the death of the nonbeliever, the door to salvation is closed shut.
Jesus explained this latter point in a parable. “22 He [Jesus] went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?’ And he said to them, 24 ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out’” (Luke 13:22-28). Paul was emphasizing to the Thessalonian church that once the door has been shut, and it closes upon one’s death or the return of Christ, then there is no salvation for the nonbeliever. If there is no salvation, then there is no hope. That is really a frightening thought.
But Paul said to the church, for those who are “in Christ,” upon their death, they die “in hope” of salvation in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We read the equating of Jesus as hope in several places in the New Testament.
- 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope (1 Timothy 1:1).
- 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
- 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).
- 13 Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).
Jesus is Hope. Why? Because Jesus defeated death. Again, He did not cheat death as though He had had a close call with death. Jesus defeated death. And what is more than that, Jesus, having defeated death, did not do so just for himself but defeated death for all who would believe in Him. We know that to be true because following the burial of his dear friend Lazarus, Jesus said to Lazarus’ sisters, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). To prove the power of these words, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and then later Jesus was raised from the dead. Therefore, Paul confidently said to the Thessalonians that those who die in Christ die in hope.
So profound is this hope, Paul said, that when Jesus returns, the dead will be the first to experience a bodily resurrection and gathering with Jesus even before the living are united with Christ. Paul said, “15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Why should it be that way? Why should the dead experience bodily resurrection and gathering with the Lord even before those who are alive? I believe it is that way because those who have died, those who are absent from their bodies, are already present with the Lord. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). To the church in Philippi, Paul wrote, “21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:21-22). Those who die before Christ’s return are now in spirit with Jesus. When Jesus returns to earth, Paul said, “14 God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:14b). Paul concluded, “18 Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
What then can we take away from these words of Scripture? Let's consider two things: grief and hope. First, let’s consider grief.
There are many ways to think about grief, but I have found the simplest and easiest to understand is that grief is composed of two experiences: pain and suffering. When someone we love dies, there is an immediate sense of pain in their death. The person we loved is no longer with us, and their absence hurts. Their absence also causes us to suffer. We have lost part of our everyday existence. We lost a companion, the love of our life, perhaps a future, perhaps a cook, a handyman, a financial expert, and the list of who that person was to us goes on. We suffer because our lives have gotten harder. Now with time and support from others, our suffering tends to diminish. We will establish new routines of life, and we will, as they say, “move forward,” or “move on.” This is true for all people, whether they are believers or nonbelievers. While our suffering may ebb, we are still left with the pain. Others cannot touch our pain because they cannot replace the person who died. Here is where hope comes in, but only for the believer. The pain of our loss cannot be relieved by others, but it can be shared. With whom can it be shared? It can be shared with Jesus. Why? Because our loved ones are with Him. When we share our pain with Christ, He shares hope in return.
Hope comes first as an understanding that our loved ones who lived in Christ have faced death, a death defeated by Christ, and now live in Christ an imperishable life. We must consider that thought for a moment. Our loved ones, as Paul said, are absent from the body, but are present with the Lord. Our pain eases because we now are assured that our loved ones are not “lost”; we know where they are. They are with the Lord.
Hope comes second as an understanding that we will again be with our loved ones either when we become absent from our bodies and join the Lord, or upon the return of the Lord. We have hope in the promise of reunion. As believers, our pain at the death of a loved one is shared with Christ, who shares hope to sustain us. So Paul said that, as believers, we can and should grieve our pain and suffering. Other believers should help relieve our suffering, and we should share our pain with Christ, knowing that Christ has received our loved ones, and someday Jesus will receive us and reunite us with them. For whenever we find ourselves in the presence of Christ, then all pain will be gone, and we will rejoice. The Apostle John confirms Paul’s words through a vision in heaven where John was commanded to write, “4 He [God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
For the nonbeliever, there is only pain now followed by emptiness, nothingness, and darkness forever and ever. Believers still feel the real pain of separation, but it is reshaped by confident expectation of reunion and resurrection.
The second thing we gather from Paul’s words is the joy of Advent. By Advent I do not mean our annual Christmas celebration. By Advent, I mean the joy of Jesus’ second coming. We will talk a bit more about that next week, but for now, we should live in hope of that day. Every day since Jesus’ resurrection, his return has grown closer to reality. Jesus return, Paul said, will be unmistakable. “16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Now here is the thing. When Jesus returns, hope as we understand it will end. We will no longer be living in a time of anticipating Jesus' return, hoping in all that means. When he returns, hope is ended because all righteousness and all justice are restored, and the greatest promise of all, Christ’s return, is fulfilled.
Paul did not want the believers in Thessalonica to grieve without hope as nonbelievers do. And so Paul used this letter as the vehicle to give them an understanding of the hope, the joy, that can still be held by believers even when a loved one has died. And this hope and joy are given to the believer as a forever gift because Jesus has defeated death for the believer. We now are recipients of these same gifts from a God who loves us now and forever. Let us move forward in hope. Amen and Amen.