Whether by illness or accident, death suddenly robs from you the life of your dearly loved spouse, child, friend, or parent. Your world seems to have come to a standstill. You feel separated from reality. Nothing makes any sense. Everything seems out of control, even your feelings. What is happening?
You have been plunged into bereavement grief. A most precious relationship has been cut off from you. And so, begins a painful journey through bereavement grief. A journey through three difficult wildernesses or seasons of Shock, Suffering, and Recovery.
But does not the apostle Paul say in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 that we Christians “do not grieve like the rest of mankind”? Unfortunately, this incorrect partial reading of the text has caused many Christians to suffer an inadequate grief experience that in turn leads to unhealed emotional, physical, and spiritual disturbances. Read and listen to the whole of Paul’s statement. “Brothers and sister, 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.”
Yes, the Christian believer does and must grieve the death of loved ones, but their bereavement grief is comforted, protected, and healed by the hope of life beyond death, assured to us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.
This hope is the resource of our Christian faith that steadies and reassure us through the raging rapids of painful, tumultuous emotions; that pours healing balm of Gilead into our wounded soul; that provides enabling energy for the day. This hope is not available to the non-Christian. That is the sharp contrast that Paul wants his readers to know and experience.
The death of a loved one, whether sudden or after extended illness, is a soul-shattering experience for both Christians and non-Christians. Bereavement grief is a deep and serious wound to one’s body, mind, and spirit, that needs lot of careful attention and assistance if recovery and healing is to be accomplished. Bereavement grief that is denied, buried, or rushed through, becomes infected and causes various debilitating physical and emotional illnesses. It also undermines our relationship with God.
Lazarus is a dear friend of Jesus, and when he died, Jesus travels to the home of Lazarus’ sisters and shares deeply in their grief. He wept tears of empathy with them, but Jesus’ weeping was different than the wailing of their friends and neighbors.
The Scriptures read that Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled” by the ability of death to defeat life and cause such deep sorrow to his friends. So, he determined to conquer and destroy the hopelessness of death. His calling Lazarus back to life on this earth was a public display of his mission.
We believe the resurrection of Jesus from the dark, lifeless tomb, to be the bedrock of our Christian faith. We believe Jesus’ resurrection offers us supreme evidence that his mission to conquer death was accomplished, giving us hope of life beyond the grave. As Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 15:25-26).
The resurrection of Jesus gives us an endless resource of comfort, strength, hope, and assurance, BUT it does not prevent the pain of death’s separation, nor does it shield us from the disabling grief of loss, BECAUSE it is only after “the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, that “then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54).
Only when God’s eternal life is transfused into our resurrected bodies, do we become invulnerable to death’s separations, sorrows, and pains. It is only after, in the new world of God’s Kingdom is the grief of death forever abolished. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of thins has passed away.” Rev. 21:4).
Meanwhile, it is important for every Christian to know that after the death of a loved one, they must journey through grief, acknowledging and expressing their painful feelings appropriately and adequately to fully realize the blessings of spiritual and emotional growth that God offers all who mourn. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4).
Jesus knows the way through the dark, threatening valley of darkness and fears because he has been there before. Jesus invites every bereaved person to take his hand and let him lead you through the journey of death’s grief and bring you to a new plateau of spiritual and emotional growth and ministry.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4). AMEN!
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – March 10, 2021
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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