Life and Death and Life in light of Jesus' Resurrection

This past weekend Christians all over the world celebrated or at least recognized the life, crucifixion death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some celebrated loudly, others silently pondered.

Over this weekend I learned of the deaths of two pastor friends: C.D. McClure from Indiana, and D.G. Daniels who I knew from my time in Kansas. Both of these men served God as pastors of local churches, both were killed by cancer.

As I reflected on what I knew of the lives of both of these men and how they left this world, I found my mind going down a mental pathway modeled after the roadway outside of Mary and Martha's house. When their brother Lazarus had died, and they were grieving, Jesus approached from what seemed an eternity away. They thought the same thing, and even boldly voiced it to Jesus, "If only" Jesus had shown up earlier, before Lazarus had died. My mind also journeyed down that road. If only Jesus had shown up... Either or both of these men could still be alive, preaching the Gospel and with one major testimony to boot.

But then as my mind followed that well worn pathway, I watched from a distance as Jesus called Lazarus from the grave. In doing this Jesus brought to life not only the dead body of his friend, but also the words He had spoken in response to the sisters cry. "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

It is not recorded in scripture, but Lazarus eventually died and was buried again. So his being raised from the dead had to be about far more than him, and his alloted time on this earth. It was about Jesus, and resurrection, and life beyond. Beyond the here and now, beyond this earth, beyond time... into eternity. It set the stage for the resurrection of Jesus Himself. The one who called others back to life, faced death head on Himself, and by His own power defeated death and emerged victorious forever over death. Jesus came into time and settled eternity. Now Jesus can and sometimes does intervene by showing up as healer, or as supplier, or as deliverer, or as the one who calls someone back from the grave to life on this earth, but when He delays and need seems to go unmet, or sickness leads to death He is not being negligent, or uncaring, or less than savior. He is Jesus, He is resurrection and Life, He is the I AM! I may not ever understand the whys and why nots, the what ifs or the what could have beens. I may never know the answer to the many questions brought to my mind by the rawness of life and death on planet Earth, but I am confident in Jesus. In who He is, and in what He is doing far beyond what I can see and know.