Paul prefaces his teachings and instructions to the disciples at Thessalonica concerning the return of Jesus with these words in 1 4:13:
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
And with that, he’s said a mouthful. I want to focus on the phrase, “so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind.”
I hear him saying a couple of things about death and grieving. He’s obviously concerned about them maintaining their hope concerning fellow disciples who have already passed on. Apparently, the Thessalonians were unsure as to what their status was relative to the return of Jesus (i.e., did it matter that they were no longer alive?). They seemed to understand that Jesus was returning for the living but did not have the same clarity regarding the dead in Christ. This led to concern about their fate—perhaps even turmoil over it.
Paul didn’t want that.
Of course, it was natural for disciples to grieve over the loss of a brother or sister just as we do today. But he doesn’t want their grief to be excessive—like those who “have no hope”—because they do! On a personal level then, he wants to spare them that kind of pain and grief.
But perhaps there’s something more underneath these words. Maybe Paul is also thinking about the situation from the vantage point of the disciples’ witness to the world (as he does in 1 4:11-12). He doesn’t want them to grieve like the world because they do have hope and the world needs to see that! How else will they learn of Christ and the life He offers if they don’t see a difference in the way believers live?
Imagine a neighbor visiting the home of a disciple of who recently passed on disciple. They offer their condolences to the members of the family, talk about the tragedy of it all, and then one of the family says, “Yes, it is sad and we’re going to miss them terribly—but we’ll get to see them again one day.” What if they let them know that the death of their loved one was not the death of hope? And they also acted as if they totally believed it? You don’t think that would send a few ripples through the neighborhood!
No one’s minimizing death or the importance of the grieving process (certainly Paul wasn’t). Israel mourned over Moses’ passing for thirty days (Deuteronomy 34). Acting as though you’re immune to the loss of someone in death is not spiritual (it’s just sad). Nonetheless, it’s also an opportunity to say something about where our hope lies. And if disciples act like this life is all there is we’re proclaiming a false gospel. In a world that forgoes funerals for celebrations of life or proclaims their loved are now stars in the sky watching over them, the message of the resurrection and return of Jesus is needed more than ever!
Let’s live (and die) as witnesses of the hope we have through Jesus!
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:20).
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 