The Dead Man Walked

I am listening to a song that touches my heart more than any other every time I hear it. Press On. As I am writing, I don't know who wrote the song, although I know I could Google it. I do know that when I hear Selah's version, it always brings tears to my eyes.

In Jesus' name we press on.

Last September I had the privilege of singing this song along with the choir that I belong to. As our choir practiced the song in the weeks preceding our presentation, it was interesting how many times whole portions of the choir would be choking back tears as we practiced.

Press on.

It's a phrase that speaks to that courageous portion of the heart that is in all of us.

A man was blind from birth. Jesus' disciples asked who had sinned--the man or his parents--that he had been born blind.

The reply "...this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:3

He had never seen distance. He had no idea what a mountain looked like. The color of his hair was brown, but he didn't know what brown was. A cloud in the sky? What is the sky?

I don't know how old the man was. But let's make him a young man--20 years. Twenty long years. Get this, though. It wasn't because of the man's sin. "...this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." For God?

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A favorite brother has died.

Not only was he a special brother, he also had a special friend. Jesus.

Jesus, who could heal. Jesus, who could make it all better quickly. Jesus, who wouldn't turn his back on any needy soul. Jesus knew he was sick.

Jesus stayed away and he died.

Did someone not have enough faith? Was it Mary...or Martha? Did Lazarus have a secret, hidden sin that kept Jesus from healing him?

"...No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." John 11:4

Four days. Four long, short days. For God?

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I can easily think back more than 30 years to a night when life took on what has always appeared to be a "curse." Why me? Was I more a sinner than others? What did I do to deserve this? Why did it take more than 25 years for God's rescue effort to even begin?

Four days after Lazarus took his last breath, Jesus showed up. He cried with the sisters. Their grief was His grief. He cries with us. Our grief is His grief. And then he asked for the stone to be removed from the tomb.

And here is where five little words in the story of Lazarus literally slammed me in the gut yesterday.

The dead man came out. John 11:44 NIV


Listen, people. You've got to get this: I am the dead man!

Think about it!

You are the dead man.

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Jesus mixed spit with dirt and rubbed it on the blind man's eyes. Radical therapy!

But the blind man had to press on for healing. He had to take himself to the pool and wash away the spud (get it?--spit mud :-)). And when asked how his eyes could now see he replied, "The man they call Jesus."

I can only imagine the number of souls who finally believed that yes, Jesus was the Messiah.

When Jesus finally arrived at Lazarus' home, Martha commented that if he had only been there a few days earlier, her brother would not have died. Then she pressed on. "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

And the dead man walked.

Martha believed in the resurrection. She knew that her brother would rise again when Jesus returned at the last day. John 11:24

But Martha's belief pressed on a little further. "...even now..."

Therefore many...put their faith in him. John 11:45

Ponder the implications. You have something going on in your life. Maybe it's four days long. Maybe it's forty years long.

What if it's not about you? What if it's about God?

Should we not then carefully consider how we are responding to the less than pleasant, downright ugly chapters of our life?

Yes, it is about sin. God never intended life to be even remotely like this. He created perfection.

But if he is using what we experience on this sin filled world to lead others to put their faith in him, then somewhere in that thought I will consider it a privilege to bear that cross. I will press on.

Yes, I believe in the second coming resurrection. I also believe that I don't have to wait until then for a resurrection.

Because thanks to this Jesus, I was the dead man...and now I walk!