Death. It’s a sobering word. No matter what age you are or where you are, the word itself often has the power to silence conversations and causes most of us to pause and to think. Individuals respond in unpredictable ways when confronted with the news that a friend or family member is close to death. Some withdraw and spend much of their energy in denial. Others have the capacity to enter the situation with presence and support. Some families want to talk about the reality of what will happen and are able to plan and prepare for the time that is coming, while other families cannot talk about it because the unknown and sorrow has already paralyzed them. How do you think it was for those who were following Jesus and for His family and His close disciples, when they realized that Jesus would soon be facing death?
Jesus made it very clear that the Kingdom of God would come and all that had been written about Him was true. How many times had He told them that He would have to suffer and die, but that on the third day He would rise again? They had a huge amount of evidence that proved His claims to be God were true and had even seen Him bring the dead back to life on several occasions. But dealing with the reality of the arrest, the interrogations, the sentence and finally His death and burial must have been enormously challenging. There were, no doubt, some who remembered His words, could focus on His promises and would choose to believe that this was not the end. For others, the comfort did not come until after the resurrection. For all, Jesus did accomplish exactly what the Father had sent Him to do.
It is a huge comfort to know that the promises of God are as true today as they were then. He will not leave us or forsake and He is coming again. The Kingdom of heaven will one day be a reality for all those who put their trust in the Savior.
