Bob Tamasy
We’ve recently celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the singular most important event in all of Christianity – and if we believe the Bible, the most important event in the history of all mankind. Jesus being raised from the dead stands alone in eternal magnitude and significance, beyond comparison. However, it’s not the only example in the Scriptures of people coming back from death.
For instance, in the Old Testament we read compelling stories about two prophets, Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and his protégé, Elisha (2 Kings 4:6-37). In different circumstances, both prayed and pleaded with the Lord to bring back to life sons of two women who had extended kindnesses to them. And their prayers were answered.
Many of us are familiar with the New Testament story of Lazarus (John 11:1-44), a friend of Jesus and brother of Mary and Martha, who lived in the village of Bethany, a small town in Judea not far from Jerusalem. When Jesus learned Lazarus was very ill and his sisters had sent for Him to come and heal him, He informed His disciples, “This sickness will not end in death.”
After waiting two more days, Jesus said, “Let us go back to Judea.” He gathered up His disciples and announced, “‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him’….”
When they heard Jesus was approaching, Lazarus’s sisters Martha and Mary went to Him separately and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Martha added, revealing her faith, “But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask….” By that time, Lazarus had been in his tomb for four days. Nevertheless, Jesus replied, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).
He proceeded to the tomb, ordered the stone to be removed, prayed to the Father, and then “called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go’” (John 11:43-44). Understandably, this caught the attention of many people – including the religious opposition.
Other examples of Jesus raising the dead included: the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler (Mark 5:22-43); the servant of a God-fearing Roman centurion, recounted in Luke 7:1-10; and the son of a widow in a town called Nain (Luke 7:11-17). Even though each of these accounts is stirring, the greater narrative in the Scriptures is not God’s power to resurrect people from physical death, but His desire to raise up those who are dead spiritually.
The Old Testament provides the intriguing example of the prophet Ezekiel, who received a vision by God of a valley filled with dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). The Lord asked him, “Son of man, can these bones live?” to which Ezekiel responded, “O Sovereign Lord, You alone know.” Then as instructed, the prophet spoke to the bones, which came together, along with tendons, flesh and skin, and finally became alive: “…I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.”
The boneyard that came to life, God said, represented backslidden and rebellious Israel. Ezekiel had been given the challenging commission to call the Israelites to repentance – along with proclaiming God’s promise to Israel that He would “put My Spirit in you and you will live….”
We find a powerful description of the spiritually dead in Ephesians 2:14, where the apostle Paul writes to believers in the city of Ephesus, “As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world…gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts… But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ…it is by grace you have been saved.”
Even though these words were penned nearly 2,000 years ago, they have a familiar ring for today.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus uttered many profound teachings and performed countless miracles, but most important was the message of repentance, forgiveness, redemption, and the assurance of eternal life. At the conclusion of what is commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son, the Lord described the joy of a father whose estranged son had returned home. Speaking to his other son, the father declares, “But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32).
All around us we see people who look perfectly fine physically but spiritually belong in a morgue. Kind of reminiscent of the little boy in the movie, “The Sixth Sense,” who hauntingly stated, “I see dead people.” Our Lord’s primary concern is not how we appear outwardly, but the condition of our hearts.
As Jesus told religious leaders who had confronted Him after He had healed an invalid on the Sabbath, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believe Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; He has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live” (John 5:24-25).
Regardless of the quality of our earthly life, Jesus’ desire for us is to experience every day the assurance of having eternal life, as well as the peace and joy that come with that, regardless of our tempoeral circumstances.
* * *
Robert J. Tamasy is a veteran journalist, former newspaper editor, and magazine editor. Bob has written, co-authored and edited more than 20 books. These include ”Marketplace Ambassadors”; “Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace”; “Tufting Legacies,” “The Heart of Mentoring,” and “Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart.” He writes and edits a weekly business meditation, “Monday Manna,” which is translated into nearly 20 languages and distributed via email around the world by CBMC International. The address for Bob's blog is www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. His email address is btamasy@comcast.net.