In her mind it had gone well. She had hit all the notes. She had expressed them with passion. And she felt certain that she had connected with her audience that night. But what did the critics think of her performance? She resolved not to buy the newspaper the next morning – ignorance is bliss.
Have you found ignorance to be blissful? Does the lack of knowledge really keep worries at bay? It can. If an airplane I’m flying in develops engine trouble, I just as well not know about it. Why worry about something I can’t fix? Of course one’s ignorance can be harmful. That’s the case regarding death, says the Apostle Paul in our text this morning. What you don’t know about death can lead to unnecessary grief, and even worse, it can lead to eternal torment.
Paul wrote about death in a letter to Christians living in the Greek city of Thessalonica. Like the bride-to-be who is devastated that Grandma died just days before the wedding, the Thessalonian Christians were concerned that believers who had already died were going to miss out on the glories of Christ’s triumphant return. Not so, explained Paul. “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14).
Christians who have died are not going to miss out on Christ’s triumphant return. On the contrary, they are going to have a front row seat for it. More than that. They are going to participate in the return for they will be at Jesus’ side. It’s no wonder Paul says that when a Christian dies we don’t need to grieve like those who have no hope. Death for a Christian means falling asleep in the arms of Jesus. Children aren’t afraid to fall asleep in the arms of their parents are they? No. They prefer it. And why shouldn’t they? In their parents’ arms they find warmth and protection. In the same way a Christian doesn’t need to be afraid of dying because it’s like falling asleep in Dad’s arms at Grandma’s and then waking up in your warm comfy bed at home.
But now what will happen to our bodies? At death our bodies will be cremated or buried. Either way they’ll turn back to dust. Does that mean we’ll never get to hold the hands of our children again? Will we never again enjoy the embrace of a mother? Listen to what Paul had to say about that. “According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:15, 16).
On Judgment Day Jesus will raise the dead. According to our Gospel lesson from John (5) this morning both believers and unbelievers will come back to life. The body of believers will be lifted up into the air to be reunited with their soul. In his letter to the Corinthians (15), Paul adds that God will change the body of believers so that they are forever free of sin and therefore will never get sick or die. You might think of the change a caterpillar undergoes. It starts out looking like a fat hairy worm but then transforms into a beautiful butterfly. In the same way we won’t be sorry to leave behind the bodies we now have.
That’s great for believers who will be raised from the dead, but what will happen to us if we manage to survive until Christ’s return? Listen again to Paul. “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). If you’re familiar with Christianity, you’ve probably heard of the rapture. “Rapture” means to be suddenly taken up into the air. You might think of a mouse suddenly being seized in the talons of an owl and finds itself soaring over trees. Of course the rapture for believers will not be a scary experience like that, for Jesus himself will draw us to him as he descends on the clouds. It’s important to note that the rapture will happen on Judgment Day not some time before as some believe. Not only will we float up to meet Jesus in the air and join the resurrected Christians, our bodies too will be changed so that we will be without sin, pain, or any disability.
How can we believe all this is true? That’s simple, says Paul. We believe it because Jesus died and rose again. Faith in Jesus links us to these experiences. In that sense faith is like holding on to a rope tied to a speedboat. Wherever the speedboat goes, you’ll go. If it zigs to the right, you’ll eventually zig to the right. If the boat goes in a circle, you’ll go in a circle. So just as Jesus died, we’ll die someday but that won’t be the end. We’ll be brought back to life - just as Jesus came back to life. And just as Jesus received a glorified body that will not be subject to death anymore, we too will receive such a body.
Those who don’t believe in Jesus as their savior from sin will find a much different experience on Judgment Day. Unbelievers will come back to life too but they will be brought back to life to answer for their rejection of Jesus as their savior. Therefore ignorance is NOT bliss when it comes to death. Rejecting Jesus is like pushing away the life preserver someone throws you when you’re drowning. While God won’t destroy those who reject Jesus, he will punish them forever in the fires of hell. How can a God of love do something like that? Think of a mother’s love for her baby. She loves her baby no matter how sticky and smelly he gets, and because she loves her baby she’ll give him a bath! In the same way, if we are going to live with God forever, we need to be cleansed from our sins. God cleansed us from sin when he bathed us in the blood of his own son Jesus; that’s how much he loves us. Everyone has been cleansed - even those who don’t believe in Jesus. But those who don’t care about this act of love or who don’t believe it are like the teenager who keeps doing drugs even after Mom and Dad have paid for rehab. Finally, that teenager will have to face the consequences of rejecting his parents’ love, and so will all those who reject the love and forgiveness given us by God in Jesus.
Thankfully that doesn’t describe you, Tammy, Gabrielle, and Jaidan. By being baptized this morning you have admitted that, like the rest of us, you are not perfect. Sure, outwardly it may seem that you have it all together but inwardly you know that you’re not always thinking about how you can help others. Instead you’re thinking of what they can do for you. Nor are you always thankful for the blessings God has given you in the way of a nice home, food, clothes, and a loving family. Instead you too grumble and complain as we often do. You also know that you can’t excuse these sins by saying: “Everyone else does them.” You’re right. Everyone else does commit these sins. That’s why everyone in this world will die some day (unless Jesus returns first). But you also believe that in baptism God washed you clean from all your sins. Therefore when you die you’re not going to be destroyed like scrap paper tossed in the garbage bin never to be seen again. Instead you’ll go to heaven. Why? Because in baptism God put his name on you and his stamp of approval. Death has become God’s postbox. He’ll drop you in the grave so that your soul will be delivered to him (illustration adapted from children’s sermon by Eldon Weisheit). And then one day your soul will return with Jesus to be reunited with your body that Jesus will raise from the grave and glorify. It’s no wonder this day, your baptism day, is worth celebrating!
Whoever said, “Ignorance is bliss” wasn’t standing at the grave of a loved one at the time. What you don’t know about death and dying will hurt you. It can cause unnecessary grief, and worse, unending pain. So take to heart what Paul said today. Those who die believing in Jesus as their savior fall asleep in his arms and will wake up to the glories of a forever sin-free, pain-free body. This is no pipe dream. It’s the truth. Jesus’ own resurrection guarantees it. Amen.
