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Raised from the Dead
Church history books are full of resurrection stories. But Jesus is still different.
It's actually kind of easy to believe in resurrection, at least in SOMEONE coming back to life, isn't it? How many times have we seen a movie or TV show with some declaration of love to a flatlining patient followed by new beeps on the heart monitor? And then there's the resurrection scenes in The Matrix and Lord of the Rings and Narnia and Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica and Lost. In sci-fi and fantasy stories, nobody stays dead!
But it's not just in the world of make-believe. The Bible is full of stories about the dead coming back to life. Elijah prays to God to bring a boy back from the dead and God does it. Elisha does the same thing: prays to God to bring a boy back from the dead and God does it. (As I noted in an earlier blog post, even Elisha's bones bring someone back from the dead.) Peter brings Dorcas back from the dead. Paul brings Eutychus back from the dead. Jesus brings the daughter of Jairus back from the dead. And then of course there's Lazarus and the "many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep" that were raised at Jesus' crucifixion. (Mt. 27:52-53).
In saints' hagiographies, raising the dead is a big deal. But it's pretty common. Try to find a hagiography without a resurrection. It's awfully hard. Read a dictionary of saints and you'll start with St. Anastasius, a heathen by raised by St. Julian of Antioch who "told such a mournful tale about the way to Hell as never came to man before nor after since. Anastasius and Julian were later reportedly martyred together around the year 311. Shortly thereafter you'll meet St. Archelides, who came to life for the span of one sentence, settling a dispute between his fellows over whether his mother could be buried next to him even though she was a woman.
Hundreds of resurrection stories later, as you near the final pages, you'll encounter St. Winifred, beheaded around 650 by the son of a prince for spurning him. She was reportedly raised to life by the prayers of her uncle, St. Beuno.
Want only the resurrection stories? Track down Albert J. Hebert's extremely credulous Saints Who Raised the Dead: True Stories of 400 Resurrection Miracles, in which even the most unreliable hagiographic accounts of resurrections by Patrick, Joan of Arc, Francis of Paola, Stanislaus of Krakow, and other saints are treated authentically.
I'm skeptical of most of these stories, as I am of several of the more recent resurrection claims I've been sent while overseeing Christianity Today's news functions. But I'm not dismissive of the phenomenon in total. It's hard to say something never happens when my Bible says it did.
But Jesus' resurrection isn't just one important resurrection story among several in the Bible. He's the first of a new kind of resurrection. Which may be why everyone seems to be so confused when they meet the resurrected Christ. Remember: Jesus' disciples had seen people come back from the dead before. They had seen Jesus raise Jairus's daughter. They knew Lazarus personally. But Jesus coming back? That was different. His resurrection was not like the others. Examine, for example, the attention John's gospel gives to difference between Lazarus coming out of the tomb bound in his burial clothes and Jesus leaving the tomb with his "linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth ? folded up in a place by itself."
Jesus reveals the key difference outside Lazarus's tomb.
"Your brother will rise again," he told Martha.
Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."
Jesus said to her, "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. Do you believe this?"
She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world." (John 11:21ff)
Martha's declaration is dramatic: You are Lord; You are the Christ, You are the Son of God, who is coming into the world. But at the same time, it seems she doesn't believe that Jesus is going to raise her brother from the dead right then and there.
What's important isn't that Jesus really did raise Lazarus right then and there. It's that Jesus all of a sudden changed resurrection from a what-and-when question to a who question. He changed it from a passive verb - someone was raised from the dead - to an active and personal noun. I AM the Resurrection.
We're still waiting for the resurrection on the last day. But he still is that resurrection. Right now. Acting. Saving. Redeeming. Setting things right. Remaking creation into something better than ever.
And in remaking creation into something better than ever - in starting a New Creation made out of this one, a spirit-powered creation made from the dust of this first, fallen creation, like a stalk of wheat made from a cracked kernel - Jesus himself is where it starts. He is the firstborn of all creation, and the firstfruits of the new creation, the firstborn from the dead.
And even if we've seen people rise from the dead, like the disciples, we haven't seen anything like him.
Vincent Van Gogh's The Raising of Lazarus (after Rembrandt) (1889-1890) courtesy of Wikimedia.
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Comments
Amen, thank you for this great article!
Posted By: yipeng | April 16, 2009 9:17 PM
Excellent article Ted. Thanks so much for giving us such a wonderful truth to reflect on.
Posted By: Sheryl Root | April 18, 2009 10:51 AM
Thank you! This was enlightening. When I read "the firstborn..." it will be with deeper understanding.
Posted By: Ann | April 18, 2009 11:10 AM
Great article. It is a new paradigm, I like the new creation out of the fallen dust creation. Something ishappening. I had an NDE, when I died of cancer, out of the dark and into God's light...seeming rays of plasma I was drawn into to, saw myself being healed, and felt aindescrible love and tranquility, liked being wrapped in Gods blanket of love. Then I came back to life, to the suprise of ER workers.
That was seven years ago. Last year I had 2 heart attacks, coded for 8 minutes or more, put on life support and left for dead. several days later I woke up, eyes wide open, and very much alive and in pain. But I do not remember anything but the oppresive mind impression of spirtual warfare, every day after that. I was apart of a exorcism of demons who had possessed a person for 40 years with alcoholism who is free, and lost a spiritual soulmate in music and friendship to a senseless rollover acccident at 20 years old after we had cried and played more funerals than I can mention for others, understanding we are there to help them transition to the next level. I am a believer in ressurection, but confused about the paradox experiences. Kevin Gardels
Posted By: kevin Gardels | April 18, 2009 12:26 PM
did you know that JESUS ressurects every aborted baby?
Posted By: luther marvin walters | April 18, 2009 11:08 PM
This is right on the point. Even many Christians miss Jesus' point. His resurrection is transformative and we're to let him through the power of the Holy Spirit transform us, starting here and now, not waiting until our bodies go. As Paul says in his letters, we're to become like Christ ("little Christs" in the literal meaning of the text). We're suppose to be living in God's kingdom now, and we can, because of Christ's resurrection. More of us need to truly desire this kind of being remade and rebirth!
Posted By: Cheryl Toliver | April 19, 2009 6:28 PM
Yes. I was reading and thinking about the special resurrection of Jesus. And then I got the point: I AM THE RESURRECTION. He could not remain dead!
Thank you for this beautiful article.
Posted By: Nelson | April 19, 2009 8:11 PM
You are right that Jesus is resurrection. It is helpful to think of him along those lines. But God chose to leave evidence of that FACT in Jesus' bodily resurrection (Rom 1:4). Let us be impressed with the reliable evidence, based on reliable historical documents (the gospels), that our Lord was indeed raised after part of three days in a real tomb. He has not left us without witness to the true we all adore and rejoice in. His resurrection was a unique, one of a kind, resurrection. The apostles teaching always included that fact as evidence Jesus was God incarnate and able to forgive and save. Thanks for your thoughtful article.
Posted By: jerry | April 20, 2009 3:16 PM
Many thanks for your every day teachings. A currently working to educate widows,widowers and orphans. Could you please send me some suitable materials concerning the subject? I'd be very greatful if you assit.
Posted By: Pst Samuel B Savatia | April 21, 2009 2:41 AM
its really a great article it help me a lot to understand the difference of it... thanks n in one way illl prefer to read more article on this things... thank u once again.
Posted By: somayo | April 23, 2009 11:33 PM
You left out various PAGAN resurrection tales. Here's a listing of some of them:
http://www.pocm.info/pagan_ideas_raised_from_the_dead.html
And you didn't deal with the question raised by the hundreds of Catholic tales not only of resurrections but miracles of healing, and miracles related to touching ancient bones of the saints, etc. I know you don't wish to cede any such vast storehouse of miracles to Catholicism since Protestantism's storehouse of miracles would seem relatively empty in comparison.
But if you are willing to declare Catholic storytellers and Catholic readers as a gullible lot, then what about ancient first century tales during a superstitious age when the N.T. was composed? Those writers and readers were not the least bit gullible, but inerrantly true?
Posted By: Edward T. Babinski | May 2, 2009 12:02 PM
I believe resurrection thats why i ask all of you to pray for my Pastor, Pastor Hellen Mbivya of Christ Santuary Church,Nairobi. she was murdered on 21st jan this year.
I believe Her work here on earth was not complete.
i would like you to pray that she comes back to life...AMEN!
Posted By: JACKSON MUMEIYWA | January 23, 2010 1:49 AM
am believing a miracle, my 26yr old younger brother was pronouns dead after a heart attack on thursday. am believe the resurrection power o god, that he should be raised i will not bury him god has to give me a miracle. join me in faith as we pray this prayer of faith.
Posted By: maama | March 16, 2010 11:20 AM
My 14 year old daughter just took a walk after school on 23rd sep 2011. Collapsed and 3hrs later pronounced dead at the ER. She had a sudden cardiac arrest as much as thist has crushed me. I strongly believe in the power of the ressurection NOW. I have believed God to perform a supernatural mircle on her. Because I belive Gods power goes beyond the Grave. What else can be impoossible before Men which can only be possible with him christ our lord who is the ressurection. Why do we limit Gods power to just healings which man can do. But stop believing after one is burried. Remember the angelic ministry. The angle rolled jesus tombstone so can they open up the graves too and God can breath life agin. This can all be for his Glory because there would be no mediCal explanation or scientific explanation. My daughter is coming back in Jesus name no matter what I will not stop believing. Because I know it is part of God's will to raise the dead
Posted By: betty | October 24, 2011 1:22 AM