RSS FeedThe Sting Of Death
Written by Peter Karl Youngren on June 22nd 2007There is no better time to reflect on the joy of being a Christian than at a funeral. This past week Toronto experienced a tragic loss (if you want to you can google the young man’s name Jordan Manners) a wonderful 15 year old boy who died under mysterious circumstances at his school in the North West end of the city. While the circumstances surrounding his death may be mysterious the cause was not - he died of gun violence. At the funeral there was a tremendous amount of grief, anger and resentment (emotion in general) expressed. Why did this happen? Who’s to blame? What will be done about it?
I couldn’t help but wonder what Jesus would have said had he been at the funeral of Jordan Manners? Would Jesus have been sad? Would Jesus have been angry? I think that John chapter 11 answers these questions sufficiently. Jesus attends the funeral of Lazarus (His friend) and He shows the two emotions that I witness at every funeral - sadness and anger. The Bible is clear that Jesus wept and that Jesus “groaned” within Himself. That word groan literally means to be angry inside at what was happening around Him. Just as a mother or a father would be saddened or angered or both at losing a son or daughter, so too was Jesus sad and angry when losing a “son”. The Bible is very clear that we (humans) are God’s offspring, His children. We were created by God to have and enjoy a fellowship of love with Him.
God our Father, the fullness of represented in Jesus Christ, came to the earth because His children were being destroyed by mankind’s greatest enemy, death (and sin). Jesus reacted in the same way that any parent would react when losing a beloved child. However, the joy of being a Christian is that Jesus did not stay in His sadness or in His anger, but rather He raised Lazarus from the dead. And later Jesus went on to conquer once and for all our enemy death. It was this accomplished work on the cross of Calvary that allowed Paul to write “O Death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory?“
I love being a Christian not because life is always a “high” or a “low” but because of the way that Jesus speaks to every situation. Don’t you love Him?
Julie K.
I am finding when I hear of deaths of loved ones, or even people I have never met (in this case) it causes me to give a groan inside as well. It urkes me. Thoughts of whether or not they knew Jesus and had Him living on the inside plague my mind. Did they hear the Gospel?
What is our place in all of this?
To be a shoulder to cry on, a ‘there-there’ type of friend, someone who gets angry to the point of frustration, or are we called to be something more?
I beleive there is a zealous anger within every believer of Jesus, knowing that there is so much more for today’s youth and children. The deception and twisted ‘me against you’ war is a battle meant only for the history books. Allow yourself to be saddened and angry about this tragedy, and then allow the Holy Spirit to move on you, and channel that into something far greater. Christ’s love for the lost. Thank you Peter Karl for your blog. The Celebration Churches are revealing more of Christ’s love and life on the inside of you and I truly am blessed in being a part! The finished work of the cross is SO GOOD!
Wendy Eburne
What I love about Jesus is that He was always moved with compassion. Whenever Jesus comes on the scene hearts WILL be changed. The GOOD SHEPHERD carries His lambs in His big strong arms.
Anonymous
~ quebec
i really believe what you had said wendy eburne… Im a firm believer that whenever jesus did walk into others live things were changed. For there is a time for everything in life remember god always has a plan !!!!
Anonymous
~ Quebec
Im a firm believer in what you had said Wendy Eburne 
When jesus walked into the many lives that he touched things did change. For there is a time for everything remeber god has a plan
Grace
In you our fathers put their trust. they trusted you and you deliverd them Psalm 22 4/5
THANK YOU JESUS!