Perhaps
during this time of being plagued with the coronavirus pandemic, some
people are more inclined to think about death and the hereafter. This
may also be the case for seniors—including me—who are among the
highest population at risk of being infected with COVID-19. I have
had my days of wondering if I have the virus; or if I will get it and
possibly die from it.
Thinking
about death and the hereafter reminds me of the gift of faith, being
able, by God’s grace, to trust that I do not have to fear death or
what happens beyond it. I, along with countless other people of
faith, find great comfort and hope in scripture passages such as
Psalm 23, John 14:1-7, and tomorrow’s Revised Common Lectionary
second lesson from 1 Peter 3:13-22—especially vv 18-19: “He
(Jesus) was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,
in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in
prison....” Some biblical scholars and systematic theologians have
interpreted this reference “to the spirits in prison” as Jesus’
descent into “hell.”
I
am of a divided mind concerning hell. On the one hand, I can see the
need for God’s justice to be exercised towards humankind—especially
in light of those like Hitler and Stalin who caused immense suffering
for millions of human beings. On the other hand, I also believe that
God is an all-loving God, and the life, teachings, sufferings, death
and resurrection of Jesus truly bear witness to God’s love. So, I
hold these two possibilities in dialectical tension, without a
satisfactory resolution. However, I do like this quotation from
popular Presbyterian pastor and author, the Reverend Frederick
Buechner (pronounced Beekner), first published in his Wishful
Thinking, and later in his
Beyond Words:
“Dante
saw written over the gates of hell the words "Abandon all hope
ye who enter here," but he must have seen wrong. If there is
suffering life in hell, there must also be hope in hell, because
where there is life there is the Lord and giver of life; and where
there is suffering he is there too, because the suffering of the ones
he loves is also his suffering.”
