4 February 2014 - family reunion

4 February 2014 - family reunion

What could be more painful than the loss of a child?  David's son Absalom is killed.  It is due entirely to his own sinful rebellion but the hurt is not thereby lessened. 

He said as he wept,
“My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!
If only I had died instead of you,
Absalom, my son, my son!”

Yet this is the story not just of Absalom but also of all of humanity.  We rebel against the King of kings and LORD of lords collectively and in our own hearts.  Because of this, sin death enter the world.  We opt out of God's protection and his just rule. Because of this, there are no fathers and sons who will not one day be separated in death. 

Jesus comes to show us that, in spite of all this suffering, God is "good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call".  David's son "hung between heaven and earth" from a tree as the due punishment for his own rebellion.  Jesus chooses to hang on the tree of the cross as the punishment due to all of humanity for our rebellion.  He lays it down of his own accord for our sake (cf. Joh. 10:18).  Absalom does deserve death but does not, indeed cannot, accept it freely.  Only Jesus, free from all sin, has the obedience necessary to fully accept the cross.  He brings in his humanity all of our sin, including the sin of Absalom, to the cross.  Normally this death would destroy the sinner.  Sin has no claim on Jesus.  In Jesus the death of the righteous one destroys the power of sin. 

Because Jesus does this, death is no longer the end.  All the deceased of the ages are "not dead but asleep."  And the world tends to ridicule this idea.  But on the last day he will say to us, "arise" and all of the graves of the earth will be opened.  The little girl is renewed to life only to experience death again, eventually.  Lazarus too experiences a temporary resurrection, as do "many of God's people" that rise from their graves when Jesus dies (cf. Mat. 27:51). But when we hear the Jesus speak the word of command, when we hear the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God (cf. 1 Thes 4:16) on the last day we will rise to meet our eternal destiny.  "Thus we shall always be with the Lord" (cf. 1 Thes 4:17).  After all unlike the aforementioned resurrections, which are but preludes and foreshadowing, we feed on "the bread that came down from heaven" and "whoever eats this bread will live forever"

Jesus has profound compassion when he sees parents parted from their children.  "God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living" (cf. Wis 1:13).  Perhaps in his final moments Absalom's heart is penitent.  If so, on the last day Jesus will even be able to say to David, "The child is not dead but asleep."  He pays the cost that we cannot because he loves us too much to let death have the last word.  Wouldn't the worlds of our modern TV shows be quite different if this reality was understood?

We need to trust in the healing power of Jesus as does the hemorrhaging woman.  We need to reach out to him confident that healing flows from his presence.  We do this by giving him priority of attention, of mind, and of action.  We do this with prayer, Scripture, and the Sacraments.  Choosing to pray even amidst business and crowds is one example of reaching out beyond ourselves to the healing power of Jesus.

She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”

We touch Jesus more intimately than the woman does here.  Even Simeon's great privilege is only to hold the baby Jesus.  We receive all that he is into ourselves.  Let our trust in his healing power fill our minds and hearts when we do so.

Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.