God Brings New Life Out of Death…
March 11th, 2008Today’s stunning scriptures – the dry bones of Ezekiel, and the raising of Lazarus - bring us to the crux of the Christian message: that God brings new life out of death.
This is the fundamental question – the deepest mystery – of human existence. We can talk about how we ought to live; we can discuss what makes us healthier or sicker; we can consider what brings meaning and happiness to our lives. But all these questions are moot in the face of death.
- When our fondest dream, what we’ve hoped for and worked for, comes to naught, can we find the vitality to begin again?
- When death comes to a loved one, will we ever find new life and joy?
- Does human life simply end when our last earthly breath is taken?
These are the most important human questions. Literally, it’s a matter of life and death.
In the Hebrew scripture from Ezekiel, we see the grand spectacle of a great valley filled with dry bones – the desiccated remains of life long ended. Can these bones live? We then watch in amazement, in our mind’s eye, as the Word of God breathes new life into these bones.
Ezekiel was addressing the whole house of Israel – a house that was, in the 6th century BCE, dispersed from its land to Babylon and other foreign lands. Can this community – this house – live again?
Jesus addresses a similarly distressed Jewish community – subjugated to Roman rule, and longing for redemption and release. Lazarus’ illness and death embody the condition of the 1st century Jews – a withering, deathward existence with no hope in sight. Yet Jesus’ Word calls Ezekiel back to life. This mighty, life-giving act will result in Jesus’ own death, because some people went and told the Pharisees about it. They reveal their narrow personal interests when they ask, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him….”
Thus, these two lessons prepare us for the Passion of our Lord in Holy Week, and the glory of the Lord at Easter.
JBM