From Here to There

Read

John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”

Think

There’s one more chasm. One more gap that has to be discussed. And it’s the one nobody wants to talk about.

Death.

We think about it more than we admit. We joke about it to keep it at arm’s length. We use phrases like “if something happens to me” instead of “when I die.” We plan our finances around it. We buy insurance for it. We write wills because of it. But we almost never sit with it.

Because death is the ultimate chasm. It’s the gap between this life and whatever comes next. And every human being who has ever lived has stood on this side of it and wondered: is there a bridge?

Jesus says yes.

“I am the resurrection and the life.” Not “I know about resurrection.” Not “I can teach you about life after death.” I am. Present tense. Personal. Intimate. He’s not pointing to a concept. He’s pointing to himself. He’s saying: the bridge across death is me. I am the bridge.

Think about it like this. Every other religious leader in history has made promises about what happens after you die. But none of them have come back to prove it. Muhammad died and stayed dead. Buddha died and stayed dead. Every guru and sage and prophet in human history died and stayed dead. Only one person made the claim that he was the resurrection and the life, and then actually demonstrated it by walking out of a tomb.

That’s not a philosophy. That’s a fact. Either it happened or it didn’t. And if it happened, then Jesus is the only person in history who has credibility on the subject of death. Because he’s the only one who’s beaten it.

Did you notice the question at the end? “Do you believe this?” Jesus isn’t asking Martha to understand it. He’s asking her to believe it. There’s a difference. Understanding is intellectual. Belief is personal. Understanding says, “I know the facts.” Belief says, “I’m staking my life on them.”

Here’s the thing: the bridge Jesus built doesn’t just span the gap between you and God in this life. It spans the gap between this life and the next. When Jesus rose from the grave on Easter morning, he didn’t just prove that the cross worked. He built a bridge into eternity. He opened a door that death had sealed shut. And he said: everyone who follows me gets to walk through it.

Think about it like this. It’s like someone exploring a cave and finding a passage that leads to the other side of a mountain. Nobody knew the passage existed. Nobody had ever been through it. But this one person went in, came out the other side, and then came back to tell everyone: there’s a way through. Follow me. I know the path.

That’s what Jesus did. He went through death. He came out the other side. And he came back to tell us: there’s a way through. And I am that way.

The resurrection isn’t just a historical event that happened two thousand years ago. It’s a present reality that changes how you live today. Because if death isn’t final—if the grave isn’t the end—then everything shifts. Your fears shift. Your priorities shift. Your definition of success shifts. You stop living like this life is all there is, and you start living like there’s something on the other side.

Did you notice Jesus says “whoever lives by believing in me will never die”? He’s not saying your body won’t stop functioning. He’s saying the real you—your soul, your identity, the core of who you are—will never cease to exist. Physical death is a doorway, not a dead end. And on the other side of that doorway is the God who built the bridge to get you there.

Think about it like this. It’s like graduating from school. You leave one building. You walk across a stage. And you enter a completely new chapter. It’s not the end of you. It’s the beginning of something bigger. Death, for the person who has crossed the bridge, is a graduation. It’s a transition. It’s moving from the temporary to the permanent. From the shadow to the substance.

The same power that resurrected Jesus will resurrect you. His body on Easter morning was a prototype. A preview. A sneak peek at what’s coming for everyone who has crossed the bridge. A new body. A new reality. A life that doesn’t end. Jesus had a resurrected body that could eat fish, could be touched, could walk through walls. It was physical and yet somehow more than physical. And that’s what’s waiting for you on the other side of the bridge.

It’s been said that the Christian doesn’t grieve without hope. We grieve. The loss is real. The pain is real. But the hope is realer. Because we’ve seen the bridge. We’ve watched someone cross the chasm of death and come back to tell us: it holds. It’s solid. You can trust it.

So here’s where this whole week lands. There was a gap between you and God. He built a bridge. The bridge is Jesus—his death, his resurrection, his righteousness. You don’t have to build your own. You just have to cross his. And when you do, everything changes. Now. And forever.

The bridge is a cross. And you have a bridge to cross. Do you believe this?

Apply

Live today like someone who’s already crossed the bridge. Not in fear of death, but in the confidence of resurrection. Have one honest conversation this week about eternity with someone you love. Not a sermon. Just a conversation. Share what the bridge means to you.

Pray

Jesus, you are the resurrection and the life. I believe it. Not just in my head, but in my heart. Thank you for building the bridge—not just between me and God, but between this life and the next. I’m not afraid of the chasm anymore because you’ve already crossed it. Help me live with that confidence today and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.