Eat, Drink, And Be Merry, For Tomorrow We Die
A common phrase that is spoken and lived out is…
“Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
Those with this life-view seek to fill their lives with pleasure before they die.
Other people change the phrase slightly to a more purposeful existence to…
“Do as much good while you can, for tomorrow we die.”
Those with this life-perspective want to use their money to do good in their communities and around the world before they die. Those who do not have extra money simply want to do good wherever they can to whomever they can before they die.
Still others change the phrase to…
“Go as many places you can, and see and do as much as you can, for tomorrow we die.”
Those with this life-perspective develop a bucket-list, a list of places to go and things to see and do before they “kick the bucket,” meaning before they die.
Many people base their lives upon these life-perspectives, either knowingly or unknowingly.
The one common part of their life-perspectives is…for tomorrow we die.
No one wants to talk about death…that tomorrow, or today for some, we die.
Death is the future of all people.
Death is the great equalizer of all people.
It is the one problem in life we all share…no matter who we are.
Some people ignore the thought of death.
Others develop a life-perspective to help numb the emotional pain of our looming deaths, such as “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
In AD 50, this life-perspective of “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die” was in existence.
It was also in existence around 700 BC.
Paul, who wrote 1 Corinthians in AD 50, quotes Isaiah 22:13, written around 700 BC.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:32, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
This phrase has been around a long time…a very long time.
It reveals the hopelessness of people after pondering their death, concluding that since death is certain and permanent, they might as well experience as many pleasures of life as possible since life has no purpose, and permanent death is the fate of us all.
But is death certain and permanent?
In the Bible, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:32 that if Jesus had not risen from the dead, then yes…death is fate of us all, so we might as well enjoy the pleasures of life before we die.
However, Paul states that Jesus has risen from the dead.
And because Jesus rose from the dead, our lives have meaning and purpose.
Paul actually saw Jesus after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension when Jesus went to heaven and then appeared to Paul while Paul was on earth (1 Corinthians 15:3-7).
Luke the historian writes about this in Acts 9:1-18.
in Acts 26:1-18, Luke also records Paul’s testimony about seeing Jesus.
Jesus’ appearance to Paul is why Paul confidently writes these words in 1 Corinthians 15:20-26,
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
In the above verses, not only does Paul write confidently about Jesus rising from the dead, but Paul writes that all those who belong to Jesus (those who belong to Jesus are those who have believed in Jesus) will rise from the dead, too, just as Jesus did.
Eventually, Jesus will return and establish God’s kingdom on earth.
When he returns, Jesus will bring with him all those who belong to him.
God ultimately will establish the new earth where those who believe in Jesus will live eternally (See Revelation 21-22).
Another eyewitness of the resurrection was Peter (read the historical account of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus in the Book of John in the Bible).
Peter, writing as an eyewitness of the resurrection, wrote about the resurrection of Jesus in 1 Peter 1:3-4.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
Jesus himself stated (see John 11:25-26), “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus also said that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
The resurrection of Jesus changes our view of life, giving us a new life-perspective.
The resurrection of Jesus gives our lives meaning and purpose because tomorrow we live!
As a result, we can really enjoy life without the fear of death lurking around in the back of our minds.
We can enjoy some of the pleasures of life.
We can enjoy doing good in our communities and in the world.
We can enjoy having a “living-list” (I prefer a living-list to a bucket-list) of places to go and things to see and do.
And as we live our lives with purpose because of the resurrection of Jesus, our lives can point people to Jesus.
If you have never believed in Jesus, you can do so today.
Below is a prayer to express your belief in Jesus.
Jesus, you said that whoever believes in you will have eternal life. Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you died for my sins on the cross and rose from the dead.
Below are three articles I have written that you may find helpful.
