DEATH – THE 8OO LB. GORILLA

     There is a series of commercials that you may have seen recently for Axa Equitable. For example one of the earlier ones shows a couple in bed and there’s someone talking to them about their finances. We cut to a Gorilla. He gets ready to leave and says something like, “but don’t listen to me. I’m just the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room”. Now, I believe for some reason they altered the idiom for when there’s an important issue that folks aren’t talking about it’s known as “the elephant in the room” rather than the gorilla. However,  the point of the commercial cannot be missed. You are not getting any younger; stop trying to ignore the obvious issue that you need to start a retirement program!

     Recently I used this as an illustration in a message regarding our current culture  trying to ignore the reality of death. It is very evident in our culture today that we don’t like to face the fact of dying; even though death is the reality of life! It has been pointed out that humanity has a 100% mortality rate! Yet in our western culture death has become the ignored obvious certainty for each and every one of us. We try hard not to think about it, most fear and hate the prospect of dying. Death has indeed become the “800 lb. gorilla in the room.” It is most certainly there, it is truly enormous in it’s implications, and yet many people try to pretend it is distant from them and really nothing of real importance for them to personally  consider. Often the only time we are willing to honestly face the obvious truth regarding death is when we are forced to do so because we have been confronted with the loss of a loved one.

     When I conduct a funeral I am always struck with the fact that one of the primary responsibilities the Bible assigns to the pastor is to prepare people for death. To seek to make clear to them concerning the promises of the Gospel so that they might live confidently here in this life in light of an assurance of being with God in eternity. In other words, one can really only “live” after they are adequately prepared for death. So, as a pastor I am often engaged in discussions about death. Oh what a joy it is to be able to share and declare the hope of the gospel! For the reality is that for the committed follower of Jesus Christ death is GAIN! The Apostle Paul expressed this hope when he said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain…My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” Phil. 1:21 & 23b

Categories: salvation