If you want to know the meaning of a story, it must be viewed in light of its end. The end of every story sheds light on the significance of the story’s beginning and middle. All that occurs from the start of a story until its conclusion is bound together by its ending. Thus, the end of a story gives meaning to the whole story! A “good ending” makes sense of all that has preceded it. A “bad ending” does not adequately bring together all the separate strands of a story, leaving many loose ends. The meaning of each event and its significance to the whole story are lost.

We love stories because they shed light on our own story. Every one of us is living out the story of our lives each day. We desperately desire that every part of our lives has significance, purpose, and worth. We want our lives to count for something. The fear that our lives may prove meaningless in the end haunts us.

And yet, isn’t it true that no matter what we individually accomplish, the end of all our life stories is the same, namely, death? Regardless of the good we do, how much money we make, or how wise we become, the ultimate end of every human story is “and he/she died.” This inevitable fact undermines every story:

• Every romance ends in tragedy as the “happily ever after” gives way to the inevitable “death” that does part.
• Every victory ends in defeat. Even though evil is conquered for the moment, every victory is short-lived, ultimately trumped by the unavoidable evil of death.
• Every success ends in ultimate failure. Even if we are remembered for the good we do, everything we say, do, think and feel will ultimately be forgotten – if not sooner, then later.
• Even if we are one of the rare few to be remembered beyond a generation or two, the ultimate end to every human story will crush us. For the end of all things is this: the sun supernovas consuming the earth, burning all its inhabitants in a fiery maelstrom. Eventually, the entire universe suffers heat death. And the eternal silence of the cold, dead cosmos forever screams the utter insignificance of all things!

If death is the end of every story then all our efforts are ultimately meaningless. Metallica is right, “nothing really matters.” Everything is insignificant, trivial, and absurd.

The Terrifying Possibility: Death as the Ultimate End

It is hard to think like this for an extended period of time. It is simply too depressing! Our mind recoils from such realism. We desperately crave meaning, significance, and worth. Rather than face death and its ultimate devaluation of everything we hold dear, we attempt to deny death through endless distractions, amusements, and diversions. Only a brave few souls are willing to face reality with complete honesty. Bertrand Russell, in Why I Am Not a Christian, gives voice to our desperate situation:

That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and the whole temple of Man's achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins--all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul's habitation henceforth be safely built.

The great Russian author, Leo Tolstoy, demonstrates the personal significance of this in his Confession.

If not today, then tomorrow sickness and death will come (indeed, they were already approaching) to everyone, to me, and nothing will remain except the stench and the worms. My deeds, whatever they may be, will be forgotten sooner or later, and I myself will be no more. Why then do anything? How can anyone fail to see this and live? That's what is amazing! It is possible to live only as long as life intoxicates us; once we are sober we cannot help seeing that it is all a delusion, a stupid delusion! Nor is there anything funny or witty about it; it is only cruel and stupid.

As a participant in the grand cosmic joke, we are forced to conclude with Bertrand Russell that “there is no splendor, no vastness, anywhere; only triviality for a moment, and then nothing.” We may still feel deeply, but our feelings are insignificant. Man, the “useless passion” to use Sartre’s words, is inextricably trapped in a tragic world – a dreadful, terrifying chamber of horrors from which there is no escape but death. But even this escape is without comfort, for it is the ultimate end of one’s existence. Our corporate eulogy (a misnomer if ever there was one) is sung by Metallica in No Leaf Clover, “the soothing light at the end of the tunnel is just a freight train coming your way.”

If death is the final word, the true end of every story, then the meaning of every story is ultimately trumped by death. No matter how good, noble, or courageous one’s life, it is ultimately meaningless, futile, vain, and absurd. This is true even for the story of Jesus!

Paul is realistic about this world. He understands that the end of the story gives significance to the entire story. No matter how wise, virtuous, loving, and sacrificial Christ’s life proved to be, if he is dead his accomplishments are of no importance, his life is ultimately meaningless! Paul demonstrates this realism in his discussion of the centrality of bodily resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. If there is no resurrection, if death truly is the final word, then the following things are true:

• Christ has not been raised (13)
• Apostolic preaching and Christian faith are vain (14)
• The Apostles are liars, being deceived themselves, and are not to be trusted (15)
• Christian faith is worthless. Sin ending in death is the ultimate power (17)
• There is no hope for the dead. Death is the final word! (18)
• The Christian life is empty of meaning – completely absurd (19)

In short, if death is the final word, then Christian faith is complete vanity! All human existence is a miserable and cruel joke. Furthermore, Christianity is rendered completely absurd. Those who seek to live out the message of Christ are the most miserable of all! They live an illusion. Why strive to live a good life when death is the final word? We consider people insane who do not live their lives according to reality. If ultimate reality is absurd and meaningless, then to live as if anything matters is ludicrous.

The Christian faith and message has no practical value if Christ has not been raised from the dead. Some Christians say that even if there is no resurrection, they would still choose to live out the principles of Christianity. Paul would do no such thing. To him, that would be the ultimate delusion and self-deception. The Christian faith is about living in accordance with what’s true – with reality – not simply an “opium of the masses” to keep people blind to reality. Paul is realistic. We cannot build our lives on an empty wish – on vanity! What good is forgiven sin if death is not dealt with? Death is the great human dilemma, not sin. Without a remedy for death and the meaningless it brings to life, the Christian faith is powerless to provide an answer for humanity’s greatest need.

Why have we spent so much time considering the possibility of ultimate vanity? Because we often take the resurrection for granted. We approach it with a detached interest or a stifled yawn. It is another religious truth that has been devalued because we are unwilling to consider how desperate the human situation is without it. It is only against the stark backdrop of the possibility of utter despair and ultimate insignificance – in a word, vanity – that the glorious significance of the resurrection shines forth with power!

The Tragic Possibility: Life as Ultimately Meaningless

As a faithful Jew, Paul would be very familiar with the desperate human cry that arises from the possibility of utter meaninglessness. Being acquainted with the Hebrew Scriptures, Paul would remember the painful shout from Qohelet (also known as “the preacher”) in the Book of Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of vanities! Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” This is Qohelet’s distressing conclusion to his search for life’s meaning (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 12:8).

The word “vanity” can be translated “futility,” “meaninglessness,” or “absurdity.” It literally refers to a vapor – a symbol of brevity, insignificance, and impermanence. For Qohelet, life is best summarized with these words of despair. Life is not simply “vanity,” but “vanity of vanities.” It is superlatively bad – incomparably bad. When we speak of a “King of kings” or “Lord of lords” we are speaking of the supreme king or lord. Likewise, the “Song of songs” speaks of a song that is greater than any other song. When Qohelet concludes that life is “vanity of vanities” he is strongly stating that life is unspeakably meaningless. The supreme truth is that there is nothing of ultimate value. The ultimate meaning of life is that there is no meaning at all!

Since everything is meaningless, all human effort is without ultimate significance. Nothing that anyone says, does, thinks, feels, or loves ultimately matters. All our labors in life add up to zero – a great nothing! Life is a treadmill and we are going nowhere fast. Relatively speaking, there are good things (life is better than death, pleasure better than pain), but even the good things are ultimately meaningless. Try as you might, give it all you've got, chase life as hard as you can, but ultimately, all you will end up grasping is wind—nothing more! The progressive rock group, Kansas, said it well in the biggest hit of their career, “Dust in the Wind.”

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind

Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind

Qohelet’s despair stems from his realization that there is “one fate for all” (Ecclesiastes 2:14; 9:2). There is “one fate for all” – one ending to every human story – and this ending haunts every human pursuit. Death relativizes all distinctions. “All” – both wise and foolish, good and bad, saints and sadists – share the same end. Ray Pritchard illustrates this by describing a picture of a mountain of skulls.

At first glance all the skulls seem to be the same, but when the observer looked closely he noticed some writing on each skull. One said 'doctor,' another 'teacher,' another 'secretary,' another 'technician,' another 'salesman'; still others were labeled 'foreman,' 'driver,' 'captain,' 'lawyer,' and 'judge.'... [the point of the painting] No matter what your position in this life may be, you will eventually die.

The end of the story is the same for everyone and thus the meaning of life is the same for everyone – vanity!

Why then be good? Why pursue wisdom? What good is it to try your best, act wisely, give your all, if your path ends at the same place as the fool's — the grave? Derek Kidner writes, “If… every card in our hard will be trumped, does it really matter how we play?” The paths we choose make no difference if they all share the same destination! “If death is where it all ends, it makes nonsense of the journey. Life is little different from the pirate's walk down the plank” (Gordon Keddie).

If Hitler and Mother Teresa share the same ultimate fate, what does it matter how they lived? Does it make any difference how you live? Why? Perhaps, if you are lucky, your actions will be helpful for a moment, but who are you fooling? Nothing you do can stop the approaching tide of death that will undo all the good you accomplish. If there is no ultimate meaning to life, there can be no penultimate meaning. Your life may matter for a moment, but it will soon be forgotten. Who remembers any of the names of the great Olympic athletes from ancient Greece? They are all forgotten. Likewise, every fruit of human creativity is doomed to irrelevance and destruction. With death as the final word, there is no ultimate difference between the Mona Lisa and Beavis and Butthead. Right and wrong, good and bad, lose their significance. All is vanity!

Death is the one certainty – the fact of life – that shakes Qohelet to his very core. Everyone shares this same fate (9:2-6). No one can control it. All the wisdom in the world cannot thwart it. All the preparations in the world cannot remove its sting. It can occur at any time, at any place, to anyone. One can rage against this truth, but even this rage is meaningless.

Everything's a lie and that's a fact...
the movie's over, fade to black
Life is a lemon and I want my money back. – Meatloaf

The best thing to do is to accommodate ourselves to this absurd reality, seize the day for all the pleasures we can find, and resign ourselves to this fact – this is as good as it gets! It only gets worse from here! (See Ecclesiastes 9:7-12.) The inevitable, unstoppable, unavoidable truth is that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. If we think we see one, what we are really observing is the beam of a freight train coming our way!

“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” All the passion in the world, all the wisdom, and all the riches in the world cannot give meaning to life if the ultimate end is death. Everything we say, do, feel, think, love, and hate is doomed to eternal obscurity (Ecclesiastes 9:6). We must resign ourselves to living lives of quiet desperation, amassing distractions and diversions to keep the tragic truth at arm’s length, lest we go mad!

The Troubling Reality: Restless Hearts that Yearn for Significance

And yet, our hearts will not rest with this conclusion. We cry for significance. We hunger for meaning. We want our lives to count for something!

We must be willing to face cold realities and harsh truth – Paul was! Only against the stark and dismal backdrop of the possibility of utter despair does the glorious significance of resurrection shine forth. We have a message of hope that the world desperately needs for it addresses a universal problem with which we all must wrestle. Unless we are willing to consider the possibility of eternal insignificance, we will never appreciate the reality of ultimate significance that is revealed in and through the resurrection.

There is an answer to vanity! Death is not the final word! Only after Paul soberly wrestles with the despair of a vain world where death reigns does he then declare the truth that the world desperately needs to hear: “But now, Christ has been raised from the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:20a). Death no longer has the final word. It has been irreversibly defeated by Christ Jesus. It is now Christ’s final foe that will most certainly be defeated (1 Corinthians 15:26). We share in this triumph. Christ is the “first-fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20b), guaranteeing a harvest to come. We will share in his resurrection by experiencing resurrection ourselves. Thus, death is not the final word for us, but life – new life in Christ. The life of eternity!

This is our message of hope. Death is not the ultimate end – life is! We need to recover a sense of the urgency and importance of our message if we are to make a difference in our world. Furthermore, we must listen to the desperate cries of searching people if we are to connect with their needs. Our world is full of desperate cries for meaning, hope, significance, and purpose. The cries resonate with the words of Qohelet. They take life seriously, and are seriously depressed because of it. As we examined the writings of Qohelet we heard the words of a few contemporary Qohelets. There are plenty more where they came from. Are you listening to the cries around you? Or have you shut them out? Have you sealed yourself up in a watertight Christian bubble, comfortable, cozy, unaffected by the world’s cries for meaning?

The Glorious Resurrection: The End that Gives Meaning to the Present

If you want to know the meaning of a story, it must be viewed in light of its end. The end of every story sheds light on the significance of the story’s beginning and middle. All that occurs from the start of a story until its conclusion is bound together by its ending. Thus, the end of a story gives meaning to the whole story!

The end of our story is that we share in Christ’s victory through his glorious resurrection guaranteeing our glorious resurrection as well. This end gives meaning to our present lives, for the end of a story gives meaning to the beginning and middle – to the whole.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).

The resurrection gives significance to our every act. It does make a difference whether we are wise or foolish, good or evil, faithful or faithless! Our labor is “not in vain” – not meaningless, empty, insignificant, or absurd. Instead, our labor has eternal significance, bearing fruit into eternity. Participation in and labor for Jesus' eternal kingdom is not wasted energy, but of eternal value, bringing lasting glory. Considering the alternative – vanity of vanities – how can we keep from shouting out the message with hearts overflowing with joy. Our greatest need has been met in Christ. We have been given lives that matter. We can know meaning and purpose. We have a reason to live. Every part of our lives has significance. Our shared ending of glorious life through the resurrection of Christ sheds light upon and gives direction to the whole of our lives. May God grant us the wisdom, grace, and perseverance to walk worthy of this high calling and noble end!

© Richard J. Vincent, 2004