Daylight Lasts Longer
John 11:1-45
Illustration
by Thomas Long

A couple in Arkansas had given their six-year-old son strict instructions to come home from playing every afternoon no later than 5 p.m.  He was allowed to play with his friends, but his parents were quite serious about his curfew. If not home by 5 p.m., they'd begin to worry and call around the neighborhood to find out where he was. The boy knew this, though, and was careful to arrive every day on time.

One March Monday, however, the day after Daylight Saving Time went into effect, the boy was late coming home. When he finally arrived, a few minutes before 6 p.m., his mother scolded him for being late. "You know you are to be home by five," she said, "and here it is nearly six."

Puzzled, the little boy pointed out the window. "But the light," he protested, "the light; it's the light that tells me when to come home."

Realizing what had happened, his mother smiled and gently explained that the day before the time had been changed, that everyone had reset their clocks and, now, the daylight lasted longer. The boy's eyes narrowed. "Does God know about this?" he asked suspiciously.

In a childlike way, this little boy shared John's theological vision. Martha, Jesus wants you to know that with God daylight lasts longer than death.

CSS Publishing Company, Inc. , Whispering the Lyrics, by Thomas Long