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From Ancestor Worship to Eternal Hope
The human quest to reconcile with death has taken various forms throughout diverse cultures and centuries. From ancient Asia to the Roman Empire, families believed their departed kin had ascended to the status of gods, capable of influencing the living.
They conducted rituals, offered sustenance, and paid homage, believing these acts would appease the spirits and secure their benevolence. However, these beliefs, deeply entrenched in history, stand in stark contrast to the teachings of Christianity.
Feeding the Dead
In ancient pagan cultures, death wasn’t the end… it was a promotion. People thought humans had divine potential and that when someone died, they left their earthly prison and became a family god. These spirits were believed to protect their homes, land, and descendants, but only if the family honored them properly.
This often meant special meals at the gravesite, keeping the bond between the living and the dead. The spirits “needed” the food, and families needed their protection. If the rituals stopped, the spirits might get angry or disappear entirely.
Coco and the Memory of the Dead
Pixar’s movie Coco paints a similar picture using Mexico’s Day of the Dead holiday. In the film, the living keeps the spirits of their ancestors “alive” through pictures, offerings, and storytelling. If no one remembers you, you fade into nothingness.
The film suggests that memory has the power to keep someone’s spirit going… but it’s all based on human effort.
While beautiful and heartfelt, Coco reflects a worldview found in cultures before the gospel reached them. In these stories, humans must carry the full weight of remembering and honoring the dead. There’s no real hope beyond memory.
The Christian Answer
Christianity came into a world full of these ancestor-worship beliefs… and changed everything. The gospel teaches that humans are not little gods. We don’t become divine when we die. We are creations of the one true God, and only He is eternal by nature.
Our souls do not endure eternally due to an inherent quality within us, but because of God’s choice to sustain them. Life after death is not a given; it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that one can attain eternal life. As Jesus proclaimed, ‘He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life’ (John 3:36).
Eternal Life Means Knowing God
Jesus did not define eternal life as mere existence beyond death. In His prayer to God the Father, He stated, ‘This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent’ (John 17:3). Eternal life, therefore, is not a solitary state, but a relationship… a covenant bond with God through His Son.
Without Jesus, we are left with either despair or fantasy. The fantasy suggests that the departed are ‘alive in our hearts,’ while despair claims they are lost forever. Yet, neither of these can offer the true hope that the gospel provides.
When the Soul Gets Forgotten
During the Enlightenment, thinkers tried to make humanity the center of everything. People like Descartes and Kant believed that man could find truth, purpose, and even eternal life without really needing God. But modern science and philosophy slowly pushed even those ideas aside.
Darwin’s theory of evolution and materialism suggested we are just bodies and brains… no souls, no afterlife. Postmodern thinking offered no real answers either. People now either ignore death or comfort themselves with vague, sentimental sayings like, “He lives on in our memories.” But memories fade. And none of this is a substitute for real, lasting hope.
Even Christians Get It Wrong
Even some Christians have misunderstood salvation. Ask a churchgoing teen what it means to be “saved,” and they might say, “I get to go to heaven when I die.” That’s most definitely true, but it’s only part of the story.
Jesus didn’t just die so that we could float off to heaven. He rose again to defeat death itself. He lives… body and soul… and He promises the same to those who believe in Him.
A Real Resurrection, A Real Future
On Easter, we don’t just commemorate an abstract concept or an internal sensation. We celebrate a concrete, historical event. Jesus truly rose from the dead. His brain function was restored, His heart began to beat, and His lungs filled with air. He walked out of the tomb in real-time.
This means everything. It means:
- Jesus truly paid for sin and satisfied God’s justice.
- Death has been defeated by the only one who could conquer it—God Himself.
- Believers receive new spiritual life now and full resurrection life later.
Someday, God will raise all who trust in Jesus to live forever in resurrected bodies. Not ghosts. Not spirits. Real people in a renewed world with real joy.
Love Wins Because Jesus Lives
In the end, Christianity offers more than warm memories or wishful thinking. It provides a promise: because Jesus lives, love continues. Our souls and bodies will be reunited. The sadness of separation is temporary. Jesus will return and make everything new.
That’s why the gospel matters. That’s why Easter matters. Not because we remember Jesus, but because He remembers us… and He’s alive.
Happy Easter!
