Jesus said to him, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
John 11:23-24
words that truly console
Many people feel uncomfortable at funerals. I remember hearing a comedian quip that he had read a survey that said the number one fear of Americans was public speaking, and the number two fear was death. He laughed, ‘So that means people would rather live in a coffin than be given a commendation!’
Many people do not like funerals. And the reason I hear most often is that people don’t know what to say. ‘I don’t want to say the wrong thing.’ ‘I don’t want to say anything insensitive.’ ‘I don’t want to increase their pain.’ Have you ever felt like this? What do you say at a funeral? Someone’s mother, someone’s wife, someone’s child, someone’s friend, is lying there in a coffin. The family is in grief and pain. They will have an empty chair at the dinner table during the holidays. They will not be able to create more memories with that loved one. Death has seen this. And death seems so final and scary.
Jesus attended a funeral, and in a short conversation with a woman named Martha, whose brother had died a few days earlier, Jesus gave her words that really comforted her! He said to him, “Your brother will rise again.” How could Jesus say such a thing? Martha’s brother had died. Is death not the end? no way!
Jesus himself died. He was crucified, and after enduring the physical pain of being hanged for several hours and the full wrath of God, he gave up his life. But he’s not dead! No, he walked out of his grave, and promised that anyone who believed in him would do the same one day!
This is the greatest consolation for me as a Christian. And that’s what I share with those who are grieving the loss of a fellow Christian: They will rise again!
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, be with those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. Surround them with people who will console them with the promises of your resurrection. Amen.
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used with permission from Zondervan. All rights reserved world wide.
