Death to Life

www.bible.com/1713/jhn.5.24.csb

What would you say to Jesus after He said this to you? Yeah right? We know what death is. You can’t come back from there. I’ve seen too many die. No one came back. There’s no life after death. What does it matter what’s in your head when you die or what you believe in?

But what does Jesus do to earn your trust? He dies. He puts this theory to the ultimate test and does in a horrific fashion, in a way that there is no question, He is dead. We walk away from Him, saying it’s too bad such a good person died. The good die young. He was too good for this world, and in that, we are smarter than we know.

Jesus dies on a Friday. He lay in His grave all that night. He lay in that grave all day Saturday. He lay in His grave through the early morning. And then ”up from the grave, He arose!” He passed from death into life. No, you can’t keep a good man down.

And all of those who believe in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. All of those who will listen to Him and believe in Him will die, but that death will only be of the flesh. Every believer will pass through physical death and receive eternal life in a new body. How do we know? Because He proved it by Himself. We trust in His ability to raise us up by truth of His own resurrection.

But more than this. We can have life while we live this life, and that life more abundantly. You can have a fulfilled life, not one that looks forward to death, but one that looks forward to what lays beyond the portal of death. We are not like those who have no hope. We have hope in this world, making it much more livable, and hope for the next.

Heavenly Father we thank you sincerely for the example taught to us by your son Christ Jesus who showed us the path from death to life, that we need not fear it. Thank you, Jesus, for setting the example, being the author and perfectly of our faith. May you continue to lead us day by day and show us how to live. Thank you for bearing the weight of all our sins and giving us life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.