Grieving, or Glad?

We are approaching the time of year when we give specialattention to the events that took place 1,970 years ago. This attention isgiven by Christians at this time because by these events we have receivedforgiveness of sins and an inheritance among the sanctified.

The three events were Jesus’ crucifixion, His burial, andHis resurrection.

“From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciplesthat he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders,chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on thethird day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’” (Matthew 16:21-22).

“When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, ‘TheSon of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him,and on the third day he will be raised to life.’ And the disciples were filledwith grief” (Matthew 17:22-23).

Peter rebuked Him, then later the disciples were filled withgrief. Jesus had just told them twice that He would rise from the dead.Why would anyone grieve over someone who is going to rise from the dead? Theywouldn’t, unless they had not heard it. They had only heard Him say that Hewould be killed. They had quit listening.    

Some years ago, I was driving to a conference near SunValley, Idaho. A half an hour from home, I realized I had not had enoughbreakfast. I stopped for gasoline. I also bought a pint of chocolate milk. Iput the milk in the cup holder and drove off. About a mile down the road, therewas a little man hitchhiking. I pulled over to pick him up. When he got intothe car, he was very grateful. He was going to Grangeville (a few hours away)to find a mobile home cheap enough for his mother to live in. Mobile homes weretoo expensive in Portland where he was from.

When I asked about his family, he said that his father lefthim when he was a few months old. If he ever found his father, he would sit himdown, buy him a beer, and ask him why he had left him. If the father came upwith an adequate answer, the son would forgive him. By his manner, I could tellthat he did not anticipate finding his father or forgiving him.

“Any family”? Yes, he had had a wife but she had left himfor his best friend and had taken their 8-month-old daughter with her.

Soon he opened his backpack to get a bottle of eye drops andbegan putting drops in his eyes. When queried, he explained that he hadglaucoma.

This short history had me aching for him: 21 years old withglaucoma, no wife, no daughter, no father, and a poverty-stricken mother. Iasked him if he had ever been to church. Yes, once. He was impressed; they hadtalked about the Bible and did not ask for money. I told him that was the kindof church I was in. He pulled out a dollar bill and said, “When we stop for apop, you can have the change.” I realized these things: 1) He wanted a pop verymuch. 2) The dollar was the only money he had. And 3) he had been hitchhikingall night and had not had any breakfast.

I said, “If you are hungry, you may have that chocolatemilk.” He drank it down very fast and then said, “You can have the wholedollar.”

Then the conversation went something like this:

“Do you read the Bible?” He reached into his backpack andpulled out a little red paper Gospel of John published by Moody Press.

“Do you read that?”

“Sometimes.”

“Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?” Some sort ofaffirmative.

“Do you believe that He died for your sins?” Affirmativeagain.

“Do you believe that He arose from the dead?” He looked atme hard and said, “No! No! I never heard that one!”

“Please read the last three chapters of your little redbook.”

He laboriously read those chapters. When he had finished, helooked up and said, “That’s amazing, that’s amazing!” He had never heard of theresurrection.

“After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. Thedisciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20).

Have you listened, heard, and seen?

Are you grieving, or are you glad?

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships