How does fear of death enslave us?

Death presses upon us the idea of finite existence, enslaving us to problem of limited time. This perceived lack of time is the source of multiple stresses. The drive for efficiency, the temptation to take short cuts, the urgency to experience maximum pleasures with our few years--and all the foolish sacrifices we make to meet these pressures--are driven by the race against time.

But imagine that our lives go on forever...would we still have the same priorities we have now? Would we make the same choices that we've made? When Jesus conquered Death, he demolished the ticking pressure of the clock and all its associated complications.

Take for example the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16. The landowner paid everyone the same wage no matter how late each worker began their day's work.

Many sermons focusing on the generosity of God have been preached on this story--which is fine--but note that the parable both follows (Matthew 19:28) and concludes (Matthew 20:16) with the this thought: 'So the last will be first and the first will the last.' Perhaps Jesus is simply saying God doesn't operate on the basis of our temporal values. In God's kingdom Death is not an issue therefore time is not an issue.

If we seriously take hold of Jesus' defeat of Death, we will shake off the old expectations that had been ingrained in us, shift our paradigm and develop a new 'normal' where time is not our slave master.