Best Story: Interrupted

Does anyone remember VCRs? 

Along one wall of our den, we have a shelf full of VHS tapes -- those big, clunky things you slide into the VCR's "mouth," which then plays your movie for you. Sure, it's outdated, sure, it's grainy and fuzzy, but it works. Usually.

Anyway, when I was a kid, we didn't have a VCR, but every now and then, as a special family treat, my parents found a place where we could rent a VCR for the weekend. SO much excitement! Because we would pick up our new-to-us VCR from the rental company, drive to the library, check out two whole VHS tapes (which is what a VCR plays), return home, and watch and rewatch those movies alllll weekend.

Generally, popcorn was involved, sometimes milk, sometimes sweets, most of the time, footrests were up and in position. And the movie would start. 

But once in a great while... depending on the VCR we'd rented and/or the quality of the library's video... the picture would jerk to a stop in the middle of the movie, and ominous sounds would issue from the VCR.

And then, I'd watch my dad wrangle the VCR and finally manage to extract the video from the mouth of the machine where the tape itself has gotten caught inside and yanked from its case -- a phenomenon more popularly known as: "The VCR ate my tape." 

Not only was this a tragedy, because now my pick of movie from the library was quite literally destroyed, but I'd just gotten to the good part! And if it was a new movie I hadn't seen before, I didn't know what happened!

Weren't the 80's fun? 

Paul paints a bleak picture in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, almost like the start of a dystopian movie -- a hopeless train going nowhere. There's got to be a good part in here somewhere, but it seems unlikely. Listen to this: "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

Doesn't that make you want to weep? Where is the hope? Where is the joy that comes in the morning, promised in Psalm 30:5?

Remember the movie The Lion King? It's like watching Simba approaching the still, dead body of his father Mufasa, seeing the realization sweep over him of what's happened, that there's no life left, no answering reassuring voice that has kept him safe from babyhood on up, and the enemies -- well, they're approaching. There's nowhere left to turn; Simba can't even go home.

So he runs... 

And then the movie grinds to a halt as the VCR catches the tape.

Sad, sad, sad.

But then... Paul reminds us that the Word of God and the Gospel message is actually... true! This is the passage that immediately follows my blog post yesterday regarding the eyewitness testimonies of the ones who knew for sure the message they passed along "as of first importance: That 1.) Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, 2.) that He was buried, 3.) that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and 4.) that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). (There's no 1, 2, 3, 4 in Scripture -- I added that to help delineate the sequential order.)

But here's the deal: We're not left to weep over a dead lion! Our Lion of Judah is alive, right now, today! The start of this new paragraph is like an explosion after the whole last gloomy dystopian paragraph: "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep!" (1 Corinthians 15:20)

He is risen indeed! 

"For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a Man. For as in Adam, all die, so in Christ, all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits, then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet" (1 Corinthians 15:21-25).

Here's something interesting -- that word "until." He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. Not "He must reign after He has put all His enemies under His feet..." Although, He will reign after. But He must reign until.

That means... He reigns now. He reigns today. He is King of kings and Lord of lords at this present moment, because His enemy is still fighting Him. Jesus reigns UNTIL!

We can sit with our movie on pause as we consider this, but here's the good news. No VCR in the world can eat THIS tape. Because we have the end of the story in these words right here: "The last enemy to be destroyed is death!" (1 Corinthians 15:26)

And that's the whole "movie" -- fixed from beginning to end -- right there. The movie doesn't end with the death of the lion, does it? The lion returns and saves his pride from the enemy, and ushers in a new era of health and happiness. Oh, y'all, I know, Disney didn't make The Lion King as an allegory of the Biblical message of salvation and redemption, but... you can certainly draw some distinct parallels.

Jesus died. Jesus rose from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep -- that is, He rose first to pave the way for our own resurrection from the dead. We are free from death. 

Not physical death -- at least not before Jesus returns. "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him" (Hebrews 9:27-28).

Only one time can death reign here on this fallen, sinful earth, because of sin. But a time is coming when that will not be the case anymore. "Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet."

And then... "The last enemy..." The very last enemy that must be put under His feet, the last enemy to be trampled on, the final, final strawman before the ultimate and undying conclusion... "The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

Hallelujah!

From dystopia to utopia. From black despair to "joy coming in the morning!" The Lion of Judah reigns now. Movie complete, victorious ending.

Don't you love a good story? This is the best one. :)