Sometimes the darkness feels so scary and bleak. The unknown staring at us makes us feel as if we will never get through, and even if we do, we might hate what’s on the other side. Sometimes the pain seems too much, the loss too great. We feel alone, discouraged and filled with anxiety. My kids and I were watching The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe the other night and I was struck by how daunting the horde of evil was that surrounded Aslan the lion on the stone table as he offered himself in place of a human boy who had betrayed his family. The villains mocked him, tortured him and finally celebrated in his death.
Sometimes the evil feels too much. But there is a Light in the darkness. There is a piercing beam of hope which the darkness cannot withstand or hold back. Jesus rising from the dead, walking forward from that darkest of betrayals of humankind. We did not recognize Him. But that didn’t stop Him.
He pursues us in the kindest ways, even in the midst of pain, grief and sadness. He understands and is deeply acquainted with grief. He has compassion, understanding and enters into our sorrow. And He brings with Him hope and peace.
The evil cannot stand before Him. He has conquered, and brings us with Him as more than a conqueror. In Him, there is nothing too strong, nothing too difficult and nothing that can snatch us from the palm of His hand.
We don’t have to live in fear. We can stand in His glorious light and hold our heads high as we walk in the confidence of being His beloved. We have been pursued and fought for, and now we can assume the rightful identity He holds for us. His Beloved.
I don’t know about you, but that blows me away. I haven’t earned it, I don’t deserve it and I don’t have to work for the rest of my life to try to do either of these. Instead, I get to learn to walk in it. I am already perfectly accepted and loved. I get to learn how to live as one who is loved rather than one who is trying to earn love.
In times of loneliness, He is a companion who never tires of us. In times of discouragement, He is the lifter of our heads and the One who pulls us out of the miry clay. In times of anxiety and fear, He is the mighty Lion of Judah who reminds us that perfect love casts out fear and that He is able to be trusted. In grief and pain, He holds us close with tenderness, allowing us to feel all the emotions and still move forward in relationship with Him. He reminds us of the hope we have, provides the strength for today and brings the wisdom for the situation at hand.
This is the message of the cross. I have Life, Light, Freedom and Hope in Christ Jesus because He has sacrificed to move me into His incredible Love, and then has given me in Him all that I need to live this life. It’s not a message of trying to get it right and doing more for Him, but of understanding our state of being in His Life and allowing Him to do all through me. I get to live as a branch on the Vine. The Vine’s life flows through me and there isn’t anything too dark, too evil or too much for me to get through because of that Life within.
A teacher of mine many years ago used to paraphrase Colossians 2:9-10 by saying, “All of God is in Christ and all of Christ is in you. And you have been made complete in Him!” This is such good news!! My Father has come for me, has pursued me even to death. And in His resurrection, I am raised to new Life also. A Life which surpasses all the junk in the world around me. We no longer have to be found within the tombs, but it’s true of us just as of Jesus in Matthew 28—He is no longer here, He is risen!
My favorite translation of Matthew 28:10 is the Passion Translation where Jesus tells the women who have come to the tomb to see His body, “Throw off all your fears.” We don’t have to live in fear of anything anymore! Throw off your fears, and walk forward in the incredible Life He has given.
Then Jesus said, “I am light to the world, and those who embrace me will experience life-giving light, and they will never walk in darkness.” John 8:12