Our greatest fear is the fear of death. Some have even proposed that the fear of death is present in our mental functioning at all times. Melanie Klein, the British psychologist, adds that the fear of death is at the root of all human anxiety.
Another famous physician once said that the fear of death is rooted in three things: fear of pain, fear of separation, and fear of the unknown. Since it is a part of the ministry of Christ to deliver us from the fear of death, his life and work must strike at these roots.
1. Jesus delivers us from the fear of pain and the feeling of anguish that is implicit in dying. He does this by giving us a new concept of death. What’s it like to die as a Christian? Jesus said its like going to sleep. There is nothing fearful, dreadful, or painful about that.
2. Jesus delivers us from the fear of separation from our work and our loved ones. He promises us a greater work to do and more permanent relationships in the life beyond. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 he comforts people sorrowing over their dead loved ones by saying in heaven we will be “with them” and “with him.”
While few people can leave this world without mixed emotions, a Christian can leave it without fear and with the hope of a future reunion.
3. Jesus delivers us from the fear of the unknown. He met death in hand-to-hand combat and disarmed it. He rendered it powerless to hurt us. Then he came back to life saying, “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead and behold; I am alive forevermore. Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:17-18).
Jesus bids us not to be afraid of death. He is in control now and in the future.