During the past few months, my husband’s mother has passed away in her 90s and a dear friend of ours who had been a part of family for more than 35 years (we called him a “fruncle” or friend/uncle) passed away from debilitating strokes at the age of 72. It’s been tough for our whole family, but especially for four-and-a-half year old Caleb.
Caleb has lost someone he depended on when David died. He attended David’s funeral as well as his great-grandmother’s. He’s become somewhat obsessed with the idea of dying and going to heaven, and he’s constantly asking questions about what life in heaven will be like. He recently gave me a truck he got from a McDonald’s Happy Meal to take with me when I go to heaven so I’ll have something to play with. I’m almost 70 so I’m not really ready to make the journey yet, but I do appreciate the sentiment.
Because of his constant questions about what happens when someone dies, the door has been opened for questions about Jesus, about His death and His resurrection, and about what He has done for us. Especially with Easter approaching, the conversations have been more focused on Jesus.
Last week, in a conversation with his mom and me, Caleb tried to figure out the whole idea of the resurrection –– of coming back alive from the dead. “Is it like a zombie coming back alive,” he asked. I answered, “No. Zombie’s aren’t real. Only Jesus was able to come back from the dead.”
“Hmmph,” Caleb answered.
Then, I asked Caleb why he thought Jesus had been willing to die on the cross for him. Caleb thought a few seconds and then said, “Because He wants me to be a part of His family.”
Wow! His answer took my breath away.
We adults talk about Jesus’ death on the cross with deep theological concepts and big, multi-syllable words. We say that we are justified by Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross. That means we are made righteous (becoming like God the Father) because Jesus took on our transgressions (our sins) when He sacrificed His life for ours.
All that is true. We are made right through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are reconciled to God through that action because Jesus became the bridge that allows us into the very presence of God.
And the result of all that is we become a part of the very family of God.
Caleb got that very right! And when all the big theological words are put aside, Jesus wants us to be a part of the eternal family of God.
I pray that you celebrate Easter as a part of the family of God. If you’ve not yet made that decision, today could be your day to do so. May you today encounter the Risen Lord!
If you want to read the story of Jesus’ resurrection for yourself, click here to read the story in Luke 24:1-8.
