Constant Coulibaly

Last Thursday, the world of football, especially fans of soccer in the UK, woke up to the shocking news of the sudden death of talented footballer Diogo Jota. The versatile Liverpool player, who could play in forward or midfield positions, and his younger brother tragically lost their lives in a car accident. The vehicle they were traveling in went off the road and caught fire after one of the front tires burst on a road in Zamora, a city in Spain.

Diogo Jota's life had been flying high. The Portuguese footballer had just won the Premier League title with Liverpool. He was earning a lot of money from playing football (£140,000 a week). He was travelling in a Lamborghini, one of the most luxurious sports cars in the world, when the accident occurred, just weeks after getting married. Jota had gained a measure of fame in the Portuguese national football team where he had secured a regular place. But at the young age of 28, Diogo Jota's life was cut short.

This tragedy speaks to the fragility of life and how it is subject to danger and unforeseen events that can abruptly end it.

Because of the precarious nature of human existence, sinners urgently need to repent of their sins and turn to God before it is too late. This is the point Jesus was driving at in the lesson He taught in Luke 13 on the importance of repentance. Some people had recently been horribly murdered by Pilates’ soldiers who “mingled with their sacrifices” the blood of those they killed (v. 1). Those in Jesus’ audience who told Him of this incident believed that the death of these people was a punishment from God for their sins. Many of Jesus’ contemporaries, as well as a great number of people today, have the idea that those who suffer calamities have greater sins. Jesus refuted this idea, even though He did not deny that those who died in the incidents reported to Him were sinners. He emphasised, instead, the need for all sinners to come to God in penitence. Jesus then emphatically stated that unless sinners repent, they will perish, meaning their soul will be eternally separated from God after death (v. 3, 5; 2 Thess. 1:7-9). The Lord also mentioned in the same discussion the case of another group of people who perished as a result of the tower of Siloam falling on them. It was a way for Him to further impress on His audience the truth of the need for repentance He had just taught concerning those Pilate had killed (v. 5).

Those who think they have no time for God and, consequently, feel no need to repent, are often the victims of their own mundane approach to life. For them, the only things worth seeking on earth are the cares and concerns of this world (Mark 4:19; Matthew 13:22). Some are caught in a rat race to get a third car, while others strive for a second house. Still, there are those who eagerly await the latest cell phone, even before the phone manufacturer has designed it. Jesus warned, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15).

There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting material things. But when that desire blinds people to the true source of their blessings, it can be treacherous ground. God is the source of all blessings for all people (Jas. 1:17). God warned against making anyone or anything more important than Him, stating through Moses, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exo. 20:3). Jesus affirmed that men ought to seek God first in all endeavors (Matt. 6:33). The truth is, nothing in the whole world is more important than God. When one's life revolves around acquiring physical goods, with no room for knowing, loving, and praising God, one misses the true meaning of their existence.

Relying on material possessions for long-lasting happiness is a foolish notion. A car or a house is like a snowflake; it appears for a moment and then vanishes. A luxurious Bentley car can, in a split second, be reduced to a wreck in a road accident, just as a house can be razed to the ground in a matter of minutes by a tornado.

One of the characteristics of our modern era is the preeminence of material pursuits in people's lives, particularly in the realm of entertainment. Our culture has become increasingly entertainment-centered. To understand the gravity of the change, one needs to consider, for instance, the impact of computer games on teenagers and adolescents. This has become a subject of research interest for academics. Some of them are looking into the correlation between console games and obesity in the population of youngsters.

The question then arises, why do people have such an attitude towards life? Mostly because they are either ignorant of or dismissive towards the truth that there is more to a human being than just the physical body – there is also a soul within man, the seat of true love, joy, and peace (Galatians 5:22). The body is merely an envelope for the soul, like clothes are for the body. At death, the body disintegrates, but the soul lives on as God created it to do. This is the core of the gospel message that has now been preached for two millennia.

In most cases, people are primarily focused on trying to get as much as they can out of their earthly existence. In doing so, they often reinforce, consciously or subconsciously, the idea that only the here and now truly matters. This is because the present, physical reality is what we can empirically experience and know. Consequently, thoughts and considerations of the afterlife are often viewed by such individuals as mere speculation and fantasy, rather than as a profound spiritual reality.

The gospel of Christ reveals the transient nature of physical life while emphasizing the wonderful promise of life after death. Before His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus assured to His apostles, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2-3). There is a realm called heaven, spiritual in nature, where faithful disciples of Christ are destined to dwell when their earthly life is over. Jesus will have prepared in that place a "mansion" for each of His "friends (John 15:14).

 

Furthermore, the time spent on earth is “abundant" (John 10:10) for those who submit to Christ, adhere to His teachings, and abide by them. The Lord's teaching and guidance help such individuals enjoy a good and rewarding life, in contrast to the degrading and shameful life that those who reject Christ endure, which Paul describes in Romans 1:22-32.

Life on earth is short. For this reason, we all need to penitently come to God and receive the gift of eternal life that He offers only through Christ (John 3:16).