Keep Talking About Jesus

By Our Daily Bread

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:51-57

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." —John 11:25

Pastor Eloy Pacheco said at a funeral for a believer that Jesus is the only lasting source of comfort. Afterward a woman came up to him and said, “You preachers are all alike. All you talk about is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”

“That’s true,” he replied kindly. “What comfort do you have to offer the grieving family?”

She was speechless for a few moments, and then she said, “You’re right. At least you have Jesus.”

Sooner or later someone dear to us will die, and we’ll want to be comforted. A hug, a kind deed, shared tears, and the presence of a friend may ease sorrow’s pain just a bit. But these gestures won’t answer our most urgent questions: What’s beyond the grave? Where is the person now? Will we be reunited in heaven? How can I have the assurance of eternal life?

For the answers to those questions, we must look to Jesus Christ. He is the One who defeated sin and death by dying on the cross for us and rising from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:1-28,57). Because He lives, all who put their faith in Him will live forever with Him (John 11:25).

When a believer in Christ dies, we who are left behind can find comfort and confidence in Him. So let’s keep talking about Jesus.

We have hope, for Christ has risen,
Death was conquered by God's Son;
May we gently share that message
With some hurting, grieving one. —D. De Haan

In life and in death, our only hope is Jesus.