Celebrating Death

On August 30, 2009, seventeen thousand people paid homage to Kashin the 40-year old elephant who was one of the main attractions of the Auckland Zoo for decades.  The pachyderm was for months suffering from arthritis, foot abscesses and skin infections and her health had gone from bad to worse. The caretakers made a medical decision to euthanase her, if only to prevent further pain.

How could an elephant gather such number of fans when it could not even speak about love or friendship? Yet she did touch many people’s lives. Since she arrived in 1972, Kashin filled a 7-year absence of an elephant in the zoo since the demise in 1965 of the previous attraction – Jamuna.  She even became more popular when a bank used her image and name to encourage children to “cash in” or save.  The New Zealand Herald had an editorial for Kashin stating that “it felt like there had been a death in the family.” The mayor of Auckland declared: "A truly magnificent animal with a big heart, a great personality and a beautiful nature has left us."

For love is nourished by respect, by care, by love. The zoo keepers gave her space and freedom sans chains and hard labour. Caretakers spent quality time: feeding her, bathing her, walking her and even conversing with her. Visitors mostly filled with excitement and joy, showered her with cheers and warm touches. It may have been instinct that made Kashin gentle, responsive and attentive to people. It was a bond established through decades of friendship. The caretakers mourned, while “thousands of small children - many clutching tiny bouquets, cuddly toys and glittery cards - filed into the Auckland Zoo to say goodbye to their biggest friend.”

If Kashin had a big heart, God the Almighty has a vastly bigger heart. For not only is He sensitive to those who are faithful to Him, He is forgiving to those who are sinners. So much is God’s love for humankind that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in order to save us. “So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood.”(Hebrews 13:12) No love can be greater than for a God dying for His people. Sinclair Ferguson puts it: “When you look at the cross, what do you see? You see God’s awesome faithfulness. Nothing – not even the instinct to spare His own Son – will turn Him back from keeping His Word.”

People celebrated the life of Kashin and mourned her death -- and rightly so. But for faithful believers of Christ, life is celebrated, more so with death. “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” (Philippians 1:21)

by Mel Libre