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Verse:“This is the bread which came down from heaven —not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” —John 6:58
Henrietta was raised by her grandfather in rural Virginia in a small cabin that was once slaves’ quarters. She knew she was not well when she moved to Baltimore, Maryland, with her husband and children in search of work.
In 1951, Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She was dead before the year was over. But a medical marvel occurred.
It was discovered that, unlike normal human cells, cells taken from the body of Henrietta Lacks lived on in a laboratory, making them invaluable for medical research. In her death, with her cells still living, HeLa cells became world-famous as they were used to develop the polio vaccine, HIV and AIDS treatments, and numerous other treatments and research projects. This unassuming woman who died at the age of just thirty-one, treated at a segregated hospital during the height of Jim Crow laws, has influenced medicine more than almost any other woman in history.
Her cells still live more than seventy years after her death. She has often been referred to as The Immortal Woman. God promises everlasting life to all who believe in Jesus. Life on earth is painfully short. Someone born in India can expect to live to about 70 years. Life expectancy in Jamaica is 75; Puerto Rico, 80; and Japan, 85, even though God created human beings to live forever! The book of Genesis tells us that Adam lived to be 930, Jared lived to be 962, and Noah died at the age of 950, still pitifully short of God’s ideal. Today it is rightfully considered to be an achievement to live to be 100. In British Commonwealth countries, centenarians may receive a congratulatory birthday card from the reigning monarch. In referring to Himself as the Bread of Life, Jesus promised that “he who eats this bread will live forever.” Eternity brings with it the promise of life without end, life in the presence of Jesus, the angels, and the redeemed.
Tales of the legendary Fountain of Youth have captivated people for centuries. But for much longer, God has promised much more.
Eternal life is granted in Jesus to all who believe.