Dealing with Death From the Bible and a personal experiance I believe that the most famos passage in scripture dealing with death is in John 11:1-43. We read of a man named Lazarus the brother of Mary and martha and the friend of Jesus. We wont look at the condition of his sisters at his death but at the condition of Jesus. Who is our example. There are a lot of people that will look to others for leadership in time of distress instead of looking to Jesus.Mary and Martha had sent a servant to Jesus ,hopeing that when Jesus heard that his frend was ill, that he would come and heal him.But it didnt happen, didnt Jesus love Lazarus as He had stated? Yes, but so that the will of His Father, to glorify the Son be fulfilled, Jesus delayed.So what was Jesus doing these few days that Lazarus was dead? Jesus was in reality, teaching us how to deal with death, even thou He Himself had never experienced it with someone that He loved as a brother ,a family, member so to speek.As Jesus tarried, I suspect, that He was thinking about all the good times that He and Lazarus had together. The walks they took in the hill sides, looking about seeing all the beautiful things that God had created, talking about family and frends and the events of the day. Maby religion and politicts, maby not even speeking at all, just enjoying each others company. Remember that Jesus was also human, with human emotions, He had to be so that He could relate to the Father how we were. Maby these were the things that He was thinking on, prepareing Himself for the confrontation between Him and Death and not only Death, but Death of a frend that He considered a brother. Weve all concidered death at one time or another, not really knowing the finallity of it or entering the great unknown.I had prayed for family before that were dieing, my mother in law especially comes into mind. At her death she asked me to, Pray Her Home. My wife and I knew that her time was approching and had prepaired ourselfs for the final moment. I took her hand, ever so softly and began to pray with her, we prayed the Lords prayer, after we had finished, she smilled and went to be with the Lord. Yes that was a sad time, yes there were tears and morning but the end was easier than any one had expected. In 1999, I was working and prepareing to preach that night after my shift was over. I started to feel odd, not just right, after a little while, great pains hit my chest and I knew that I was haveing a heart attack, my supervisor called an ambulence and I began to rebuke Satan for this spirit of infermity, the pain became worse and I fell to the floor, praying the 23 Psalm, I never finished it. John 11:14-15.....Lazarus is Dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe.... The Bible tells us in many places that the death of saints is compaired to a restfull sleep and its true. It wasnt that Jesus wasnt there with Lazarus or that He wasnt there with me, but to glorify His Father in Heavan, these things were allowed to happen. By the statements of Cardiac Specialist, from John Hopkins University Hospitol, I was pronounced dead.When the doctors told my wife that I was gone,dead, she began to pray, Father that you may be glorified ,give my husband a nother chance, you know that he is doing your work, let him live. In Jesus name. Amen. After three unsucessful attemps at electro shock, the attending doctor decided, to try one more time. With shock and amazement I rose from the bed, and they shouted ,hes alive, get a helocopter here, well get him to the regional trama center. The shortest scripture in the Bible, has one of the greatest meanings, JESUS WEPT. Dealing with death is a combined process of rememberence and greif . Jesus has taught us how to deal with death, from a personal insight.Some people want to shut out the memories of dead loved ones, saying that it would make it easier to forget. But ,we dont want them to be forgotten, for all the good times that we have spent together, and the work that theyve done for God. Remember it all with joy in your heart and maby throu your example they wont forget you. And second, yes, greve, cry, let it out, this shows your love for them, cry untill you cant cry any more, release the greife, the hurt , the lonelyness of separation. Jesus was the best example that we could ever have at dealing with death, He was mine and my wifes. Oh, and me? Six mounths of reabilitation and thearpy and I was preaching again, 1 year and a hafe later, I had a nother massave heart attack, this time thanks to God I was only laid up for 1 week and a hafe. Weve look at ,dealing with disappointment and death, in the next installment we will, by the Grace of God, talk about dealing with Life. ars.
