“It’s the circle of life,” goes the opening song from The Lion King. It’s common for people to think that just as the trees flower, grow leaves, bear fruit, lose their leaves, and repeat the cycle, our impending deaths are simply part of the natural cycle. You may have heard, “Death is a natural part of life,” as a response to losing a loved one, especially if old age is the cause. In fact, “he/she died of natural causes” is a normal part of our vocabulary when discussing death. Those who use phrases like these may assume that since death happens to every living thing, there’s no real reason to grieve because that’s just how life is. Is it?
Mary and Martha didn’t think so. At the death of their brother Lazarus, the first thing they said when Jesus arrived was “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” The grief in their words and in the words of mourners like them make the supposedly natural process of death different from others. No one mourns the loss of a hair strand or baby teeth (well, maybe there are a few exceptions for baby teeth). Grief about death indicates that it is an entirely separate category of loss. Try as we might, we can’t just get over death. God himself was touched by the display of grief around him, leading to the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). How far had creation fallen from its original perfection! How sad that sin and death cause so much pain, not just at Lazarus’ tomb, but around the whole world!
Compared to the rest of the mourners, the sisters’ first words to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here. . .” are strange. Their sad greeting conveys not only grief but also the sense that death is something that should be prevented, especially by God himself. Today, our society would say that Mary and Martha were in the denial stage of grieving, unable to face the reality that they would never see their brother again. Yet God’s Word reveals that Mary and Martha’s hope was in someone greater than death who can change reality with just a word. To their lament, Jesus replied, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25,26) By weeping and reminding them of who he is, Jesus demonstrated the proper response to death. When facing the death of a loved one, you don’t need to hold back the tears. Death is not natural; it is the ugly outcome of our sin. However, believers have hope that those who believe in Christ will be raised to life one day.
Another problem is that treating death as part of God’s original creation leads to unbiblical implications about God’s goodness and the gospel. If you’ve read past 10 Lies About God blog posts, you may have started to notice a pattern. By accepting lies about God, we end up calling God a liar. Here is a short list of what impact the lie “Death is a natural part of life” has on our understanding of Scripture if it were actually true:
- Since God called everything he created “good,” death would also be counted as good. Speaking against death or feeling negatively toward it would be sinful.
- If death were therefore good, then sin would have no real consequences, making God’s warning to Adam and Eve an empty threat.
- If God included death as part of his original design for creation, then any death-preventing laws God gave to Moses and the Israelites would be meaningless and contradictory.
- Jesus’ death on the cross would have no power because it wouldn’t be a real sacrifice or payment for sin.
- Jesus’ resurrection and ours would be meaningless if death were not a real issue.
In the book of Romans, Paul states that, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). Death is only natural in the sense that it’s a consequence of sin, neither of which were part of God’s perfect creation. Thankfully, Paul continues, “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b). Jesus’ visit at Lazarus’ tomb didn’t end in weeping. Even though Lazarus’ body was four days into the process of decay, Jesus called him out of death. Lazarus emerged from the tomb wrapped in burial cloths but fully alive. Christians have the same rescue to look forward to because Jesus faced his own death and paid the penalty for sin once and for all. So we rejoice, “‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Do you believe this?
Recommended Resources:
- Out of the Depths: Devotions for People Who Grieve set
- Man: From Glory to Ashes and Back from the People’s Bible Teachings series
- Genesis from The People’s Bible
- The Story of God’s Love: A Summary of the Holy Bible
Written by Erika Sims, edited by Ray Schumacher