Week 17—Tuesday Revelation 1:17-18
Week 17—TUESDAY
“I HEAR JESUS IS A DEAD JEW”
This whole matter of the Resurrection and its sweeping Victory is summed up in this story: A Muslim was converted. It upset, of course, his relatives and friends. They said, “Why have you become a Christian?” And the convert answered, “It is this way: If I were going down a road and came to a fork in the road and didn’t know which way to take, and if there were two persons there—one alive and the other dead—from which do you think I would ask the way?” That story is sweeping in its implications. We cannot ask the way from those who are dead—their philosophy broke down at the place of their victory over death—death reaped them all. All, except One. Only One has gone down through death and has come out the other side alive for evermore. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Rev. 1:17). Only he who has the keys of Death and Hades has the keys of life.
A young philosopher went to perhaps the leading Hindu philosopher of India and said to him, “Please become my guru [guide], let me become your thela” [disciple]. “No,” said the philosopher, “I am not worthy to become your guru.” “Then who is?” asked the young philosopher: “There is only One who is worthy to be your guru—Jesus.” “But,” said the young man, “I hear Jesus is a dead Jew.” “No,” said the philosopher, “His followers believe him to be alive.” “Where can I get in touch with him?” “Read the New Testament.” He did and out of the pages came this Person, alive, redemptive. He opened his heart to Jesus, was transformed, and is now a flaming evangelist of the Good News.
Catherine of Sienna at thirty-three lay dying, and she said, “This hour for which I have been living has now come. And you are with me.” Living or dying he is with us, so life is Life and death is Life.
O Jesus, Lord of life and Lord of death, we thank you for your aliveness. In your presence death, seems unbelievably unreal. For in you we stand possessed of Life, therefore death has no hold upon us. We are freed in life; we will be free in death—I thank you. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Life and death are the same to me, for they are both life.