FOREWORD
Writing this post has been a work in progress. I continually encounter helpful and/or challenging thoughts and ideas about dying well. Reading Richard Beck’s post this morning provided especially valuable insights into aging — dying well. Struggling to articulate my interest in death and dying and defining the what and why of dying well; this excerpt from Beck’s post was an Aha! :
Psalm 71
“Maximus the Confessor… described how we put our dying to use for our sanctification. Put my dying to use.”
Pilfering Beck’s insight, my working definition of dying well is:
Dying well is putting our dying to use for our sanctification and the welfare of those we leave behind.
God, you have taught me from my youth,
and I still proclaim your wondrous works.
Even while I am old and gray,
God, do not abandon me,
while I proclaim your power
to another generation,
your strength to all who are to come.
The afternoon of human life must also have a significance of its own and cannot be merely a pitiful appendage to life’s morning.
Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist (1875-1961)
…perhaps the most important, factor in dying well is acknowledging our fear of death and it’s spiritual, mental, emotional and psychological manifestations in our lives.
https://www.georgeezell.com/2024/09/__trashed-2/
No matter what the issue may be, looking to Jesus first for answers is always good advice. Fear of death is no exception. At first glimpse, that doesn’t seem logical — Jesus, Messiah, son of God fears death?
The doctrine of incarnation’s reality and mystery has been muted by disenchantment of faith in the West. If not opposed, we are reluctant to accept that Jesus “had to be made like them, fully human in every way“… or “because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” 1Hebrews 2
Jesus’ struggle with the reality of his approaching death is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Note the various translations of Jesus’ words to Peter, James and John. Each of them, capturing a fearful anticipation of death . They reveal a profound revelation of the full humanity of Jesus.
- “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” NRSV
- “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” NIV
- “I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me.” CEV
- “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” NLT
- “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” ESV
- “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.” KJV
- “This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me.” MSG
- “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch with me.” GNT “
- My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” RSV
- “My soul is deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and stay awake and keep watch with Me.” AMP
““Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 NIV
‘He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.” Mark 14:33 NIV
“An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 22:43-44 NIV
Jesus did not yield to temptation from fear of death. However, his temptation is an apologia for Beck’s contention — “Death is the cause of sin. More properly, the fear of death produces most of the sin in our lives. “
The Garden of Gethsemane was “an opportune time” —“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” Luke 4:13 NIV — The mystery and reality of the incarnate Son of God is on display. Jesus understood his, and his disciples, vulnerability to the fear of death. Peter, James and John’s falling asleep, is equivalent to today’s pervasive denial of death.
Psychologically, Jesus’ humanity is revealed in his anxiety. Beck defines two types of anxiety produced when facing death, demonstrated by both Jesus and ourselves.
Basic anxiety: the anxiety of biological survival, the anxiety of our fight-or-flight response, the anxiety associated with vigilantly monitoring threats in our physical environment. Basic anxiety is connected to the survival instincts we have as biodegradable animals in a world of real or potential scarcity … in the face of survival threats, our self-interest intensifies; if the situation becomes dire, violence breaks out.
Neurotic anxiety: is characterized by worries, fears, and apprehensions associated with our self-concept, much of which is driven by how we compare ourselves to those in our social world. Feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem, obsessions, perfectionism, ambitiousness, envy, narcissism, jealousy, rivalry, competitiveness, self-consciousness, guilt, and shame are all examples of neurotic anxiety, and they all relate to how we evaluate ourselves in our own eyes and the eyes of others.
…we are enslaved to the fear of death because the basis of our identities—all the ways we define ourselves and make meaning with our lives—is revealed to be an illusion, a lie, an obfuscation, a neurotic defense mechanism involved in death repression. Death saturates every aspect of our personhood.… psychological and social avoidance is driven by an underlying neurotic anxiety. And where there is fear and anxiety, there is opportunity to be manipulated and tempted. In an attempt to manage or reduce our anxiety, we are driven to embrace distractions, entertainments, and comforts. The illusion of a deathless society can only be maintained by a vast industry of such distractions and entertainments.2The Slavery of Death- Richard Beck
Jesus’ admonition to his disciples,“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”, gets posted on the refrigerator door, but when considered in the context of the the specter of death in the Garden of Gethsemane and it has more profound implications; begging the Apostle Paul’s question, “Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”
Paul’s answer: “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
The person who does not fear death is outside the tyranny of the devil…When the devil finds such a soul he can accomplish in it none of his works.
John Chrysostom
Hopefully this post has stimulate deeper consideration of slavery to the fear of death and its function in producing sin in our lives. The next post will examine Jesus’ response in the Garden as he was tempted as we are and what his experience can teach us about how we are delivered from this body subject to death.
STILL ON THE JOURNEY
- 1Hebrews 2
- 2The Slavery of Death- Richard Beck