Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this last day of February,
Do you remember a time when you anticipated an event in your life with a great sense of hope and even excitement? Have you spent much time with older people nearing the end of their life who speak of heaven and their soon arrival there with a longing, an anticipation that seems as though they’ve already been there and are anxious to return? I have and it’s quite remarkable. Where does that type of heavenly anticipation come from?
These days we’re spending time with the apostle Peter as he writes his second letter to Christians about the year 67ad. In his first chapter he’s been challenging his Christian friends, who are enduring great persecution, to stand firm in the confidence of their identity in Christ; their relationship with Almighty God; the forgiveness of their sins; the empowerment of the Holy Spirit; and finally, their great anticipation of their soon arrival in heaven!
Peter is picking up his stylus again and writing: “I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.” (2 Peter 1:13-15)
Do you hear several words which sound like the apostle Paul’s letters? What was Peter talking about when he said: “as long as I live in the tent of this body“? Peter had undoubtedly read both of Paul’s letters, written about 10 years earlier, to the Christians in the big city of Corinth. Undoubtedly Paul and Peter had discussed, perhaps many times, the radical views of Jesus regarding our human bodies and the inescapable reality, yet not the finale, of death. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul spent the entire chapter writing about the certainty of our resurrection and our newly resurrected, immortal bodies, which will be reunited with our immortal souls & spirits.In 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 Paul had written these words which sound so much like Peter: “We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling….so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by eternal life. Now the One who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore, we are confident and know that as long as we are at home in this body, we are away from the Lord…”
These human bodies God has designed for us are truly amazing. Research continues to amaze us as the intricate details of how our bodies function are discovered by medical science. Yet as amazing as your body is, no matter your age right now, you are decaying! This body is not designed to live anywhere else other than planet earth and the survival of your body depends upon an ecosystem of our planet and atmosphere which is stable and fairly narrow in fluctuation.
Both Peter and Paul refer to our bodies as ‘tents in which we live’. What are they referring to when they say ‘we‘? What is that part of us that lives in our bodies? That is our soul which is our intellect, our emotions, our personality and our will. Also our spirit is that spiritual, moral, ethical part of us. While ‘body‘ is a temporary dwelling, ‘soul’ and ‘spirit’ are designed by God to be immortal!
When Peter says: “I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me”, Peter is speaking of his death, the time his body will cease to function, but his soul and spirit will live on. We know that on the beach that day, when the risen Jesus and Peter had an extended, reconciling conversation, Jesus had given Peter an indication what type of death he would die. John recorded it for us in John 21:18,19. But here Peter seems to be indicating that somehow Jesus has alerted Peter to the fact that his death was now soon approaching. History tells us Peter was executed by order of Caesar Nero and Peter was crucified upside down. Nero died on June 9, 68ad. Most Bible scholars believe Peter was executed sometime in early 68ad, probably shortly after he finished writing this, his second letter. What would change in your life, my friends, if somehow God let you know you only had a short time to live? What new priorities would emerge in your calendar? Are there some things you’d wanted to do or places you’d wanted to visit, or people you’d wanted to meet that suddenly would rise to the top of your schedule? Here’s a more important question: are there wrongs you’d want to make right or torn relationships you’d want to restore, if you knew you only had a short time to live?
With Peter’s closing statement in this paragraph, he points forward to the legacy he hopes to leave behind and how people, he hopes, will continue to respond to him, even after he is gone and in heaven: “And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.” You recognize the word ‘departure‘ don’t you? Paul used it twice, Phil. 1:23 & 2 Timothy 4:7,8 when talking about his approaching death. Once again Peter’s words challenge us.
What do you want people to remember about you, after your ‘departure‘? Things you’ve said, things you’ve taught them, things you’ve done. What is the legacy you would like to leave and how will that legacy continue to be beneficial to your family, your friends, in fact all who have known you, long after you are gone from this earth? Those are staggering, challenging, sobering questions aren’t they, my friends? They are also catalytic questions. If you ponder them deeply you will likely feel a motivation, a compulsion, to make a plan for the remainder of your life which will build and leave a legacy that will continue to make a difference long after your ‘departure‘ into eternity. In fact, may I suggest, there may be few questions to ponder, few plans to be made which will end up being more important to you and your family and all those touched by your life. So, I urge you my friends… don’t push away these deep thoughts. Don’t procrastinate, don’t pretend they don’t matter.
Have you ever watched someone near death who is dying with great regret? It’s tragic, isn’t it? Sometimes they bemoan that they’ve run out of time to make things right. Sometimes they blame others for their failures. Sometimes they have come to understand God’s truth about life and death and eternity, very near the end of their earthly journey and they regret that they wasted so much of their life. Sometimes they cry out against God demanding more time, even with their last breath.
So, what will it be like for you, my friends, when you come to the stage in your life when you can say, as Peter did, “I know that I will soon put it [your body] aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.”?
I think it’s time to pause and ponder… these are really important questions, aren’t they, my friends. And yes, I’ve found a worship song to help us reflect and hopefully make a new ‘rest of my life’ plan:
Today’s Scripture is 2 Peter 1:13-15.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.