The role of “hope” in our lives is critical to our current mental health and outlook. Hope is, by its nature, what we believe about our future.
There is a story of two men sent to prison for the same duration of sentence – 10 years. One man learned not long into his term that his wife and children were tragically killed in a car wreck. He had no one waiting for him when he would leave prison. The second man had a loving wife who visited him while in prison and assured him she would be there upon his release. The first man died, perhaps of a broken heart while the other man thrived and turned his life around.
In another account, two men were given a tedious task for one year. Every day they were to work diligently on their task – repetitive assembly of some sort of thing-u-ma-jig – for one solid year. The first man was promised $20,000 at the end of the year, while the other would receive $20,000,000. Naturally, the first quit not long into the assignment and the other continued on and completed the year joyfully.
The stories – fictitious – illustrate a believable point.
Having a positive outlook on our future helps us to endure a challenging present.
Early Christians endured hardship suffering and torture because they had a living hope in a new heavens and new earth. None of us will likely endure the difficulties as they, but we have our own problems and must hold onto this, same, hope they knew.
How do we get it? A hope that could see us through the most difficult, and even dangerous and life-threating circumstances? We must believe in both the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus, while traveling in Samaria which is an area not frequented by Jews of his day as there were enemies to each other, met a woman at a well in the middle of the day when most women would draw their water earlier when the day was cooler. In the discussion, Jesus offered her “living water” the kind in which one would never thirst again – of course this is a symbol for salvation and a relationship with God. As she was a woman outcast from her community, living with yet another man to which she placed (misplaced) her hope, this offer was so fresh and amazing that she left the well and headed to town to tell everyone she encountered about the living water offered by the Messiah, Jesus. Her present circumstances, mostly unchanged, however the hope offered for her future changed her disposition of her present.
In the garden prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus temporarily may have experienced a loss of hope. He famously asks the Father to come up with a different plan to which they both knew and were committed. And in an instant, Jesus changes course and submits to his Father’s will, with his hope restored, as he has confidence in and knows the outcome even when the upcoming circumstances would be excruciating.
Jesus experienced the cosmic hopelessness that we deserved, then provided the hope we need. We escape certain death because he overcame it. Death is only a shadow to those who follow Jesus.
Standing on a curb with busy traffic whizzing by, if the sun is on the opposite side of the street, we will be in the passing shadows of the traffic. If we were to step into the street, we’d be hit and probably killed by the first vehicle that comes by us. But the shadows of the cars do us no harm. The shadows represent the cars, they even approximate the shape of each car, yet being hit by a shadow is of no consequence. It’s only a shadow, not the real thing.
Death hit Jesus. He took it on fully. He stepped off the curb on our behalf. We only experience the shadow of death and not its full impact. Praise be to God for his sacrifice for us so that as we encounter the shadow of death, no harm comes to us. We live in glory in the presence of the Father for eternity.
We place our hope in this truth, which we see from history many before us have held to it to provide hope in their present. And we can as well.
Inspired by a sermon by Tim Keller
Richard Bahr 