All men are mortal

There is nothing more certain than death. Most religions promise a transcendence of this inevitability, a life after death. Other moral philosophies are more down to earth. They are contended to make sense of death or more positively, to give life a purpose. There is a well known idiom among Chinese who are well known of their being pragmatic. It reads, "Deaths can be lighter than a feather or heavier than the Tai Mountains." It does not trivialize death, nor glorify it. It simply lays before you a guideline when you contemplate suicide. Is your death worthwhile? This Chinese proverb has an underlying assumption that some deaths do not contribute to the good of the others.

However, Jesus rules out such a classification of deaths. For him, all deaths are meaningful and worthwhile.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:24-25)
Of course, Jesus was not promoting suicide. He tells us to let go even our life to bring out more lives. Committing suicide so as to escape from suffering is selfish and an act of cowardice. Suicide  is morally acceptable only when it saves more lives or gives the future generation a better tomorrow. Therefore, the deaths of martyrs and revolutionaries are laudable and deserve our respect.

What about the deaths of thousands of nameless people who are starved to death everyday because of poverty? What good do these deaths bring?
What about the deaths of terrorists who are killed in action? What fruit do they bear?
What about those aborted fetus which do not even have a chance to see the light of this world? ... These are just some of those perplexing questions which we may not be able to give a convincing answer. Perhaps in the eye of Jesus, these poor souls simply return to the comfort of the bosom of the Father.Whether they leave behind any legacy is the will of the Father. Whether their contribution is good or bad is the judgment of the Father, not us.
God makes it clear that He finds no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). Is God foolish? Paul said, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25) There is wisdom in God's foolishness, in Jesus' refusal to distinguish among the worthiness of deaths.

Dear Lord, I feel grateful that all of us are precious in your eyes. You do not pass judgment on us. Your love is unsurpassable. Amen.