Raising the Dead: Luke 2: 11-17; Selections of John 11
I read an article the other day that talked about how people live their lives like zombies. No, wait, hear me out on this. Essentially, it noted that too many people go through the motions of life, without actually being alive. There’s no excitement over the little things, no pleasure in the day to day., nothing which really makes people happy and feel alive. It’s as though people have become the walking dead, if you’ll pardon the television show pun. John 10:10 reminds us that “the thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. My [Jesus’s) purpose is to give…a rich and satisfying life.”
The truth is that anything can be the thief causing this: depression and mental health issues, difficult life circumstances, overworked and burned out, and so many other things. I worry, though, that the article is exactly right when I see people asked what they are passionate about and what motivates them, and their only response is to stand there looking uncertain. We read about three things in our scripture that remind us Christ came to give us abundant life: first, we must remember that Christ is always present; second, we must have faith in Christ to give us life; and third, we must rely on Christ’s redeeming and restoring power.
First, we must remember that Christ is always present. When Jesus learns of Lazarus’s illness, he delays two days in going to help his friend. That delay proved costly because Lazarus died and was buried during that time. Lazarus’s sister, Mary, even gets rather upset with Jesus, saying, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” I cannot imagine how hard that waiting for Jesus to make the trip must have been on Martha and Mary, and she was upset because Jesus wasn’t there in time.
Very often, I believe we feel the same way. If only God had been there, the bad thing wouldn’t have happened. We ask the question, “Where were you, God?” We go through those feelings of waiting, abandonment, suffering, struggle believing in our broken hearts that God is not there. But that worry is misplaced. We are told in Matthew 28:20, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We will never be abandoned or forsaken by God even when it seems like there is a sense of silence from the heavens. God is still with us and will be always, just as Christ arrived with strength and power for Martha and her family.
Second we must have faith in Christ to give us life. When Jesus arrived at the house of Mary and Martha, it wasn’t just a show up and all is good, there were a few more steps in the middle. Mary was utterly distraught, but Martha knew something was up. She follows up her “if only” statement with this: “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus then engages in one of the most powerful dialogues in the Book of John. He tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live. Do you believe this Martha?” And to her great, great credit, she responds wholly and fully in faith, “Yes, Lord. I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
Martha knows that Jesus has power over all, even death, and is the Holy One sent from God. If you read carefully she believes and has faith more deeply, quickly, and assuredly than almost anyone else in the Bible. And there is no wavering in her faith. Christ cannot give abundant life where there is no faith. Over and over again we are told, “You must have faith.,” or Jesus critiques that the people have too little faith. Though Christ is always present, we have to be willing to engage: in faith, in prayer, in conversation, and in trust. Presence is powerful, but presence build on faith can be life changing for each and every person who believes.
Lastly, we must rely and trust in Christ’s redeeming and restoring power. In the story in Luke, we see Jesus in great compassion bring back to life a young man who was dead. The people said, “God has visited us today.” And in the story of Lazarus we see that Jesus call out to Lazarus, who was dead, and Lazarus walks out of the tomb alive. Christ restores and redeems out of his love for us. When he arrives at the tomb, Jesus weeps out of his love and sorrow for Lazarus. And yet Jesus weeps even knowing that he would momentarily raise Lazarus from his death. Hope does not remove sorrow, but it gives something to look for beyond the sorrow in life.
Our Savior has power over literal death, to give life after death, but Christ also has the power to give us abundant life in our here and now. The question we must ponder is whether we have the faith in Christ to do so. Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and learned from him pointedly accuses Jesus, that if he had been there Lazarus would not have died. Jesus is troubled by this and angered. But Martha, who says the same thing, moves beyond the accusation and disappointment to the realization that place of trust and belief. She realizes God will redeem and restore, and she realizes that power comes through Christ as the Son of God. Martha’s faith is powerful and deep, and our faith should be likewise.
I hear many people in life talk about, usually after a tragedy, struggle, or life-altering issue, that they are going through the motions. Most of us smile and nod at that statement. But that’s not where we should stay. That’s not our resting place in life. To simply go through the motions means that the thief, the one who seeks to kills, steal, and destroy, has actually robbed us or even destroyed what we ought to have in life. Christ calls to us to give us abundant life. That’s not to be confused with eternal life. That means we are called to have abundant life here and now.
How do we have that abundant life? We must recognize that Christ is always with us: in our coming and going, in our peace and in our turmoil, in our happiness and in our pain, and in all aspects of life, Christ is always with us and will never leave us. But we must also engage with Christ’s presence around us, in faith, with prayer, with devotion to Christian growth, with hope and relationship to the one who loves us and is always with us. And lastly we must trust that Christ will redeem us and restore us through his love for us as well. There is no need to go through the motion, to live life in a haze. Come to Christ who gives life, life to the fullest.