“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:40-43
Shine Like the Sun
Many people like to be scared. They enjoy watching horror movies and reading scary books. The reason? Some believe it’s all about the amygdala, the small threat detection center of our brain. The frightening images fire up the amygdala, which releases adrenaline and leads to feelings of exhilaration in some people.
God’s Book, the Bible, also talks about some scary things. On the day Jesus visibly returns to this earth, angels will weed out of God’s kingdom all who do evil. The evildoer and all sin will be burned up in the blazing furnace. It will be a time of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Whether you like to be frightened or not, that just sounds scary. And it will certainly not lead to feelings of exhilaration.
It’s scary to think about standing before God. Why shouldn’t I end up in the blazing furnace? Why won’t I need to gnash my teeth and weep over God’s rightful punishment being inflicted on me?
Because today’s Bible reading says that the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Please understand, this has nothing to do with me. If I stood before God and had to answer for my sin, off I would go to the fire. My sins would rightfully condemn me. But the Son of Man came into this world to rescue us from the fire. The hell I deserve, he took for me. And the righteousness and goodness that I fundamentally cannot provide, he gave to me. His death and resurrection are the guarantee that this is true. He offers the same for you.
So, when Jesus does come back in the flesh, there will be exhilaration. Not borne of fear, but of delight. Because of Jesus, we will shine!
Prayer:
Thank you Jesus, for rescuing me. Help me to let my light shine to others in my life. Amen.
