And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” (Luke 9:32 ESV)
Jesus’ Death and Rest
I used to hate taking naps. I felt like I was missing out on something. More recently, I look forward to naps. I feel like I am missing out on something if I don’t occasionally doze.
Just before he raised a girl from death, Jesus said that her apparent death was merely sleep.
Her death was like sleep because it was temporary, despite what it looked like.
In a time-switch, Jesus was foreshadowing HIS death. Which might have seemed like an absolute end for His body… but was actually temporary. Like rest.
Our death is like that, too.
To observers, our bodies will be dead. But we, like Jesus, will not be dead. We will open our eyes in heaven, with Him, with His Father, with Our Father.
Very much awake and alive.
We have a lot of work. But that work has an end. We will have rest. And that rest will be better than naps. Better than REM-sleep. Better than any dreaming.
We, because of Jesus, and only through Jesus, will have REAL rest. Forever rest. Perfect rest.