Halfway

There is a detail of Jesus’ story that I love,
I wonder, have you noticed?—

Jesus saved us in the “meridian of time,”
right smack dabk in the middle.

The cross and the tomb were but the halfway mark.

It was not a winning moment
followed by family dinner and a heavenly commencement ceremony.
It was THE winning moment
followed by devolution.

He conquered
… and then things fell apart.

There was an empty tomb,
Huzzah!
But then the world kept on turning. 
Disciples died. The temple was razed. Doctrines were lost. 
People sinned, wars were fought, families grieved.
The world kept on turning.

And I’ve often asked myself,
Why not just come ONCE to save?
What’s the sense in a “second coming?”
Why didn’t He finish the job the first go round?

He could have come during the final chapter,
For immediate resurrection and humongous family reunion.
But instead He chose the halfway point.

He, like we,
waits.

How else could He teach us about second chances, faith,
and forebearance if He did not (DOES not) experience these Himself?

He thus speaks most compellingly:
“Keep hoping and working for the beautiful, unseen future”
We’re only halfway there.

So if in my life promised blessings haven’t come yet,
of if they’ve come and then departed—

If newlywed ardor is followed by apathy or discontent
If babies bring seasons of depression or overwhelm
If mission calls give way to homesickness and sorrow
If long-awaited jobs are less lustrous than we had dreamed—

It has been so before.
The pattern was set, and the reward is in motion.
The joy hinted at in the middle will be realized in the end. 

This is but the halfway mark.