Having an eternity to be with friends sounds wonderful, and it is part of what made me want to follow Jesus. But is this disingenuous, is it missing the point, or is there a deeper reason for this desire?
There is never enough time to do everything we would like to do. In fact, with the complexities of life, it is often hard to keep in touch with people we care about. I would love to have infinite time to be with friends, but reality as we know it is not compatible with that.
It is a struggle to maintain relationships and to seek out time for quality catchups. Furthermore, in the background—acknowledged or not— both ourselves and our friends are going to die at some point.
Death seems to be the ultimate in not being able to catchup anymore. However, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead shows that death is not the end. Those who trust in Jesus are destined for eternal life with God in the new creation.
Life in heaven is about God living with his people and his people enjoying him forever. However, I often find myself wondering if I have the right motives in following Jesus.
Am I seeking eternal life to live with my friends more than God? I think this comes from the nature of human perception. I have not lived with Jesus face-to-face. No matter how much God has revealed himself through the Holy Spirit, Scripture, and the things he has placed in my life, this understanding seems somehow less tangible than the friends I have known and seen.
There are many people who have followed Jesus who I look forward to living with forever, especially my friends, but Jesus himself can seem beyond my understanding sometimes.
Greatest Reunion
So, am I wanting to go to the greatest reunion in the universe to hang out with my friends rather than the host of the whole event—rather than Jesus himself? Surely this is not appropriate. Rather than feeling disingenuous about this, it is better to think more deeply.
Jesus is the Son of Man, the New Adam; he is perfect humanity. Furthermore, humanity is made in God’s image, implying that some of our features are like God’s. So, if I want to spend eternity with my friends because they are great, how much more should I expect Jesus to be great.
When I think about what I like the most about each of my friends, am I not thinking about aspects of God which are reflected in them? If these reflections in my friends are worthy that I wish I could spend more time with them, I think I can be confident that I will enjoy living with God who is even greater.
Additionally, instead of feeling bad that I want to go to heaven for my friends, I can praise God for what he has done in my friends. Understanding the connection between what is good about my friends and God’s character allows for a better perspective of what heaven will be like, as well as better appreciation for God’s great gift.
Even setting aside Jesus’ other deeds, Jesus would be worthy of great honour for resurrecting the dead alone. The reunion with fellow Christians in the new creation is going to be amazingly wonderful, but living with God forever will be just as awesome or more.
I encourage you to consider the goodness of God in the world around you. What are the great qualities you see in your friends and what do these remind you of in God’s character?
Alexander Gillespie is an Arts Honours graduate of the University of Sydney. Particular fields of interest include Nineteenth-Century migration history, conceptual philosophy, social policy and ecclesiology. He currently lives in Sydney with his wife and enjoys researching and writing.