Dancing With Lazarus

Dancing with Lazarus

OVER THE YEARS I’ve watched on television and read numerous articles about people who have physically died but have been resuscitated. In almost every instance, these people said they have a new outlook on life, a renewed sense of purpose, and a healthy perspective on what’s really important.

Thank God I didn’t have to die for him to get my attention, but he did give me quite a health scare. Several years ago, as a result of a day surgery gone south, I began to have a very strange numbing and tingling sensation throughout my body. Visiting with the surgeon on this new condition, he rather bluntly and emphatically said, “Those are the symptoms of MS. You have multiple sclerosis.” For seven days, as I had a number of appointments and tests and then waited for the final diagnosis, I asked myself, What if this is it? What if my life as I know it today is over? What would I do differently?

For my girlfriends of other faiths or for those of you who are not Bible-thumpers, let me introduce you to a guy named Lazarus who has a similar story.

Lazarus, who was a good buddy to Jesus, had fallen ill. Because Jesus was out of town doing his Jesus thing, Lazarus died. When Jesus returned to Lazarus’s home, he was told that Lazarus was dead (which was no surprise, of course, to Jesus).

Unfortunately, Jesus couldn’t use the paddles. Lazarus was really a goner—he had been dead for four days. Now Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha, must have been really ticked off with their best friend, Jesus, for not coming in time to save their dear brother. Can you imagine? It’s as if your best friend was the world’s most famous heart surgeon and refused to perform surgery on your brother! But do you think these women gave up their Lazarus without a fight?

Of course not. And this is what we love about women. We will do whatever is within our power to help those we love. For Martha, that meant giving Jesus a piece of her mind. For Mary, that meant an outpouring of her grief before the feet of Jesus.

When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. (John 11:33-34)

Do not for a minute believe that your anger, your grief, and your pain doesn’t affect your Lord. He’s weeping for you. He longs for you to move out of your darkness in order to dance again.