Died at 33

He was born in 1949 in Chicagoto Adam (an Albanian immigrant) and Agnes Belios, and raised in the Albanian Orthodox church. As a kid he loved humor, which led him to join a Chicago comedy tour at the age of 22. Eventually he joined National Lampoon, Saturday Night Live and in 1979 got into movies. His most notable: The Blues Brothers.

In 1982 his body was found in his bedroom – ruled an “accidental overdose” from a speedball shot. His body was interred at Abel’s Hill Cemetery at Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The tombstone reads, “I may be gone but Rock and Roll lives on.” Rumor has it that his body was moved because of vandalism at his gravesite. John Belushi died at 33.

She was born in 1919 inLos Toldos, Argentinato Juan (a wealthy rancher) and Juana Duarte, and raised in Roman Catholicism. At the age of 5, her father abandoned her mother and five siblings when he returned to his first wife, leaving her family in a one-room apartment in the poorest area of town. Without a father Argentina law classified her as an illegitimate child.

To offset her poverty and shame she participated in school plays and concerts, dreaming of being a famous actress. At 24 she had actually become one of the highest paid radio actresses inArgentina. She met Juan Peron at a fundraiser for earthquake victims, and in 1945 married this man who becameArgentina’s 29th and 41st President.

She underwent surgery for advanced cancer, but declined as it returned and ultimately took her life in 1952. Activity inArgentinaceased when the news that the unelected “Spiritual Leader of the Nation” was dead. Her embalmed body was displayed in a government building for two years - but mysteriously disappeared for 16 years. In 1971 her recovered body was flown toSpainwhere the exiled Juan Peron maintained the corpse in his dining room. After his death her body was returned toBuenos Aireswhere it was finally laid to rest in the Duarte family tomb.  Eva Peron died at 33.

He was born in 4 B.C. inBethlehem,Judeato Mary and Joseph (a Jewish carpenter, husband of the child’s mother). His birth drew dramatic attention from the lowest of society to the highest government official. In his early years, nothing singled him out from his peers, though at 12 his spiritual depth amazedJerusalemtemple teachers . . . and his parents.

At 30 everything changed. As his cousin, John, was promoting him as someone special - not only to his nation but also to all people of all time - a supernatural occurrence triggered his career. Initially very few believed John’s hype, but after hearing his teachings and seeing his power over natural laws, thousands followed this miracle-worker – some claiming he was actually the God-man ancient Jewish spokesmen had predicted. Momentum escalated so high that Roman and Jewish leaders feared he would cause an insurrection – meaning curtains to their careers. Their consensus was capital punishment on one horrendous day in 30 A.D. - a Roman-style death on a cross, leaving his body to be buried in a borrowed tomb.  Jesus Christ died at 33.

Like Belushi and Peron, he died at 33, with erratic events surrounding their deaths and burial. Unlike Belushi, cemetery workers did not move his corpse. Unlike Peron, his body was not hidden for 16 years, shipped to another country, and later returned to be buried.

Well, you know the details of his story. It’s history - the only one to rise from the dead without human involvement, and for 40 days interacting with many hundreds of eyewitnesses to his bodily resurrection before ascending in the clouds in front of 11 credible witnesses. I know you know the story, because every Lord’s day you faithfully focus on him in the Lord’s Super and what this ageless man means to you.