California is projecting that 56 percent of its population could become infected with coronavirus over the next eight weeks. Governor Gavin Newsom made this statement as a warning that we must take drastic steps now to slow the spread of the virus.
As a result, the governor issued a statewide order today mandating that all Californians must stay at home except for essential things such as food, prescriptions, health care, and commuting to jobs considered crucial. These restrictions will remain in place until further notice.
As we deal with a crisis unprecedented in my lifetime, we
face a future none of us can see. In this context, something I noticed just now
in reading John 12 may be encouraging.
Why you don’t need to fear the future
Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, which understandably caught the attention of many.
Then our Lord came to Bethany, “where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead” (John 12:1). John tells us that “when the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead” (v. 9).
This was a problem for the religious authorities, who were
terrified that Jesus and his followers would stage an uprising that would cost
them their jobs and perhaps their lives at the hand of Rome. As a result,
“the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on
account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus”
(vv. 10–11).
Here was my thought: I doubt that this threat worried
Lazarus very much.
Think about it: he had already been through death and had seen
God’s glory on the other side. Then Jesus brought him back to his earthly body,
though he would die again one day. Now that he had seen what happens when we
die, he knew that death is only a promotion from this fallen world to God’s
perfect paradise. He knew that when we take our last breath here, we take…
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