The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever

A parable

Scroll, or press the down arrow, to begin.

There once was a man who through cleverness and hard work amassed an enormous fortune.

He retired at an early age and lived alone in a large mansion.

For the first few years after retiring, he enjoyed luxurious cruises and exclusive resorts.

But after a while, this became boring.

One day as he was heating soup in the microwave, his eyes became fixated on the timer.

As the seconds clicked down

he realized that his life was like this microwave: it was running out of seconds.

From that day on, he was plagued by the fear of dying.

The desire to live forever became an obsession.

CONTEST

An immense prize
to the person who can tell me
how I can live forever

The man said to himself, "I've never had a problem that money couldn't solve."

"I'll sponsor a contest and offer an immense prize to the person who can tell me how I can live forever."

He launched a contest and advertised it widely, confident that the substantial sum he was offering would attract the world's brightest minds.

But on the day set for judging the contest, he was disappointed when only three contestants showed up.

The first contestant introduced himself as a prize-winning scientist.

"What is your idea?" said the wealthy man, getting up from the desk where he had been managing his investments. "How can you help me live forever?"

"I am an expert in the field of cryogenics," said the scientist. "That is the scientific study of materials and their behavior at extremely low temperatures."

"I know what cryogenics is," snapped the wealthy man. "How can that help me?"

The scientist overlooked the host's rudeness and continued. "Immediately after you die, your body will be frozen to a near absolute zero, where it will be immune to decay."

"Sometime in the future, when science discovers how to restore life, your body will be resurrected, and you will live forever."

"That's wishful thinking," said the wealthy man, "and it sounds creepy. Your idea leaves me cold."

He summoned the next contestant. A middle-aged man in a plaid flannel shirt and overalls entered the study. He introduced himself as a world-famous inventor.

"How can you help me live forever?" inquired the wealthy man.

"I have invented a capsule that will propel you into space at such a high speed that you will escape both the gravitational pull of the earth and the chronological pull of time," the inventor answered. "It will allow you to live forever."

"I'm glad to hear that," said the wealthy man. "Where can I get this capsule?"

"I will build it for you," said the inventor. "It will cost a considerable sum and require several years of intensive work, but I am confident that this device will enable you to avoid dying."

"I will gladly spend my entire fortune to live forever," said the wealthy man. "Tell me what I need to do."

"You must commission me to hire scores of the brightest scientists and engineers to work on this project," replied the inventor. "When the capsule is built, I will propel you into space. You will go on and on forever and ever. You will never die."

"Interesting," said the wealthy man. "What will I eat on the journey? Can I take my pet poodle with me?"

"You will be traveling at such high speeds that all bodily functions will cease," answered the inventor. "Your mind will function normally, but you will not need to eat, drink, or breathe. And you must go alone. The capsule will be too small to take any passengers."

"Oh, I see," said the wealthy man, hanging his head. "You say that I will live forever, and my mind will be active, but I will be totally alone."

"Yes," said the inventor. "You will go on and on alone with your own thoughts forever."

"Being alone with my own thoughts day after day for eternity sounds like hell," said the wealthy man. "I'll need to think about this."

He dismissed the inventor and summoned the last contestant.

A young boy entered the room. "I read about your contest, and I just want to give you this book as a gift," he said, handing the man a Bible. "I suggest that you start reading where I have marked."

"I already have one of those around here someplace," said the wealthy man. "Just put it on the table." He sent the boy on his way.

It had been a discouraging day. The wealthy man sat down in his lounge chair and picked up the Bible that the boy had given him.

This book had always seemed rather uninteresting to him, but he had to admit that he had never given it much of a chance.

He turned to the page the boy had marked and read John 11:25-26:

"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die."John 11:25-26

"Well, not dying is precisely what I want," the wealthy man said to himself. "But getting eternal life simply by believing in Jesus sounds too simple. There must be a catch."

He continued reading. When he came to John 12:25, he was struck by Jesus's words,

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."John 12:25

"So, that's the catch! If I want eternal life, I must hate my life. But I don't want to hate my life. I want to live forever."

The wealthy man rested the Bible on his lap. It had been a very discouraging day. He couldn't decide whether to keep reading or get back to managing his investments.

Suddenly, he realized that he was speaking softly. "I give up," he was saying. "If you are real, please let me know."

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!Luke 11:13

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.1 John 5:11-12

For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.2 Corinthians 4:18