MESSAGE FROM THE GRAVE

MESSAGE FROM THE GRAVE

Recently I read a story about a woman who gave up her life for the sake of her child. Although we’ve heard these stories before, this one is unusual, in that the woman was buried beneath the rubble of the big Japanese earthquake that occurred last March.

When workers first discovered her body in the rubble, they quickly realized she was dead so they went on to the next house. One of the workers however, couldn’t shake off the feeling that he needed to return to take a second look the woman. She was in an odd position on her knees and he couldn’t get it off his mind.

What an amazing discovery. The dead body of the woman had shielded her three month old son. He was wrapped in a flowery blanket and sleeping soundly.


Upon examining the baby’s body to see if there were any injuries, the doctor discovered a cell phone with a text message. “If you can survive, you must remember that I love you.” There was no doubt; the message was written by the woman for her little baby.


The message, intended just for him, has resounded around the world. “If you can survive….remember that I love you.” We don’t know if there were other messages written for loved ones, but this is a shining star in a terrible tragedy that took nearly 16,000 lives, injured close to 6,000 and damaged or destroyed 125,000 buildings.

Seven months after the March 11th earthquake 4,000 people are still missing. One little boy, because of the sacrifice of his mother is not in that statistic. There is no doubt in my mind that he will treasure the special message his mom left behind.

Magnified many times over is the supreme sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for all of us. As the woman curled over her child to protect and save him, so Jesus Christ gathered us under his mighty outstretched arms on the cross and gave His life that we might live!

The story of this Japanese mother reminds me of another story that I used to teach during my Child Evangelism years.

“A forest fire burnt down a farmhouse in western Canada. As the embers cooled, the devastated farmer was walking over the ruins and noticed a burned lump on the ground. He prodded it with his stick and saw that it was a hen, burned to death. The farmer turned the hen over and, to his surprise out ran three chirping baby chicks. The hen had died in the flames even as it saved the lives of her helpless brood.”

Interestingly in the Scriptures, Jesus compared himself to a hen eager for the safety of her brood. “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings…” (Matt. 23:37)


In the same verse He lamented that all would not avail themselves of this place of refuge. “…but you were not willing!” God doesn’t force His will on anyone. The sacrifice has been made, now it is up to us what we do with this knowledge. Will we be like the religious leaders in Jesus day and walk in ignorance and unconcern?

Jesus chided them for their ignorance. Here was one before them who was the sinless Son of God. He healed the sick, caused the blind to see and raised the dead, but they would not receive Him. He said destruction would come upon them, “because they did not know the time of their visitation.”

After Jesus died and rose from the grave He left a much clearer and detailed message than the Japanese mother left her son. He left us the entire Bible so there would be no excuses on that dreaded day of the Judgment at the Great White Throne. (Revelation 20:11-15)

When the unbeliever refuses to say, “Thy will be done” to the Almighty God, He will say to them, “THY will be done!” If you don’t want God in your life, He honors that choice. For eternity you won’t have God to bother you. If you reject the light here, you will have darkness for eternity.


The message GOD has sent from the grave is… “Remember that I love you!” (John 3:16)