2 October | Teens
«Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live…. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”» John 11: 25,26
When Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” He was teaching us something incredible about who He is and the power He has. These words were spoken to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, who had died. Jesus was not only talking about bringing Lazarus back to life, but also about giving us all the hope of eternal life.
The resurrection is the promise that death is not the end. It is not the end point of our story, it would be a like a comma. A chapter is over, but the book is not. With Jesus, even when our bodies die, we have the hope of living again. And the life that Jesus offers us is not just a second chance, but eternal life! With Him!
When we believe in Jesus, we believe that He has the power to give us a new life. A life where we don't have to be afraid of death, because we know that, with Jesus, death is just a passage to something even better. A Jewish custom that I know and found wonderful is that, when someone dies, they don't take flowers to honor the deceased. They take a white stone. The stone, unlike the flower, doesn't die. This stone symbolizes the belief that the person is resting, in a way, and will soon be resurrected by Jesus and have eternal life, just like a white stone.
Take Action
Find some white stones and, at a sad moment of a burial, hand them to the bereaved family, explaining what you have learned about Jesus' promise in John 11. This will bring hope and comfort in a time of grief.