The fear of death

"Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." - Hebrews 2:14, 15

The poet William Cullen Bryant once wrote of the person who lived his life in fear of death. This person’s fear was as strong as the chains of a quarry slave who was shackled and could never walk away from his captor.

A lot of people are like that today. That’s why they buy health insurance. That’s why the health care industry is one of our most thriving businesses. We also have attempted to soften the language of death to camouflage the reality of dying. Morticians are now called "bereavement counselors" and cemeteries are referred to as "memorial gardens," and so forth.

Though times have changed, the fears that haunt people have changed very little. Long ago the writer of Hebrews in the New Testament spoke of those "who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:15).

For those fearful of dying, surviving becomes the number one goal. Gripped by a selfishness that goes far beyond the natural survival instinct, they become addicted to the cult of youthfulness. Women will spend fortunes trying to smooth away the wrinkles, and men will do almost anything to forestall the effects of age.

The fear of death also enslaves people with a false view of the importance of life. Their limited vision doesn’t let them see beyond the grave. Only by looking beyond can we understand that life is merely the prologue to eternal life for God’s children.

I can understand why, before Jesus came, people were afraid of death. I believe I would have been. Read Genesis 6, the obituary page of the Old Testament. There you find a roster of the descendants of Adam who lived and died, followed by their sons and grandsons, who also lived and died.

But the Resurrection of Jesus Christ broke the cycle. He died and rose again, and in this one event–when an angel rolled back the millstone that covered the entrance to the tomb and Jesus walked out a whole person–He broke the cycle forever. Hebrews 2:14-15 says, "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death."

A young man searching to find meaning in life visited the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem and heard the story of the Resurrection. Going forward to talk to the warden who had presented the Gospel, he said, "Mister, if what you said is true, there should be singing and dancing at this spot every day of the year."

The finality of what Jesus did takes away the sting of death and drives away the sadness so that there can be singing and dancing in your heart, not just today, but always. - Resource Reading: 1 Corinthians 15