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Today's meditation
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When it's over
John 11:1-16: Jesus…had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." Thomas…said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
In reading about the Cuban Missile Crisis, I was struck by the differing opinions considered before JFK decided on a course of action. Military advisors recommended attacking, which would probably provoke nuclear war. Robert Kennedy said of that counsel, “If we do what [the generals] want us to do, none of us will be alive later to tell them that they were wrong.”
But physical death does not give the final verdict on our lives. I believe in a merciful God who does not need to punish us or suffer with us when we err. Thomas said of Jesus’ decision to go into dangerous situations, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” His statement does not seem fatalistic, but courageous: his confidence in Jesus’ overcoming death rather than a resignation to the end of life.
We all face danger, personal and societal, throughout our lives. So when I think of Thomas’ words, I want the courage to utter them myself. If we “also go, that we may die with him,” we will live without fear and in eternity.
And we won’t worry about who will tell us we were wrong when it’s all over.
Psalm 119:49-72; Job 29:1;30:1-2, 16-31; Acts 14:19-28
Copyright 2024 by Carol Mead. For noncommercial use and sharing only. For more information on this ministry, and on a free subscription to these meditations, please contact the author by email (thenewmead@yahoo.com).
In reading about the Cuban Missile Crisis, I was struck by the differing opinions considered before JFK decided on a course of action. Military advisors recommended attacking, which would probably provoke nuclear war. Robert Kennedy said of that counsel, “If we do what [the generals] want us to do, none of us will be alive later to tell them that they were wrong.”
But physical death does not give the final verdict on our lives. I believe in a merciful God who does not need to punish us or suffer with us when we err. Thomas said of Jesus’ decision to go into dangerous situations, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” His statement does not seem fatalistic, but courageous: his confidence in Jesus’ overcoming death rather than a resignation to the end of life.
We all face danger, personal and societal, throughout our lives. So when I think of Thomas’ words, I want the courage to utter them myself. If we “also go, that we may die with him,” we will live without fear and in eternity.
And we won’t worry about who will tell us we were wrong when it’s all over.
Psalm 119:49-72; Job 29:1;30:1-2, 16-31; Acts 14:19-28
Copyright 2024 by Carol Mead. For noncommercial use and sharing only. For more information on this ministry, and on a free subscription to these meditations, please contact the author by email (thenewmead@yahoo.com).