“Which Dead Are You?”

April 27, 2003

Ephesians 2:1-10

Janet Loughry

I made my dad really angry at a funeral. I refused to go over to the open casket to “view the body” before the service. This was not my first dead person to see. Not even the first loved one to die. This was my grandma-my favorite grandma. Actually she was my favorite person. Because I did not want to remember her dead and in that casket I did not want to go over to the open casket.

You see my grandfather, her husband, had died several years before. I was in the “viewing” line. And before I knew what was happening, I was at his open casket and looking at Grandpa’s dead face. That in itself was a sweet experience. But that is almost always the first flash of memory I have of Grandpa. Later comes the good memory of walking with him in the fields on his farm; going with him on treasure hunts in the barn. Or watching him and Grandma sit next to each other or them taking walks holding hands.

So when Grandma died - actually 25 years ago this month - I made a vow as I got on the airplane at LAX to fly to Pennsylvania for her service. I vowed I would not go to the open casket. I wanted to remember Grandma in her soft slippers and comfy house dress. I wanted to remember her standing on her porch with arms open wide ready to embrace me as I ran up to greet her. I wanted to remember that during one of my stays with Grandma when I was a teenager, getting ready in the upstairs bedroom. She called me to “stop primping for the cows and come see this amazing thing.” Then, together we stood at her kitchen window, looking at the new fallen snow on the tree outside, sparkling in luminous colors in sun. Grandma was dead - and there was nothing I could do about that. But I didn’t have to remember her in the casket.

Of course, I had not shared any of this with my father. Therefore, Dad became angry when I would not budge. He didn’t approve of my adamant stance of not falling in line and doing the traditional, expected thing at his mother’s funeral. But it didn't make a difference. Now Jesus also went to funerals. And He made a difference.

Last Sunday we celebrated the resurrection Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ, was dead and there was something to be done about that. He was resurrected - raised from the dead. He has and, therefore, gives life and victory over death. This morning we look at the unexpected resurrection from physical death of three other individuals. But their resurrection is different from Jesus' resurrection. A second chance for each, certainly. But they each died again. The resurrection that Jesus experienced is a different type. And because Jesus was raised from the dead, we are promised a different type of resurrection life also. We are promised to be raised from being spiritually dead and, dead in sin....to a resurrection of our body, where we will never die again.

So what of the three individuals. The first person who is dead is the 12 year old, only daughter of Jairus (Matthew 9; Mark 5; Luke 8). Jairus is a ruler or head of the local Jewish synagogue. Jairus is actually of the group of Jews who despise Jesus and consider Jesus a heretic and enemy. He has no doubt tried every cure and potion and doctor known for miles around for the healing of his precious child. As a last resort he comes to Jesus. At the request of this desperate father, Jesus begins to go his way to where the little girl is. But Jesus is delayed with another miracle. The little girl dies during the delay. She has just died. Jesus has compassion for her father. He consoles and lifts up this grieving father. But the news of the little girl’s death does not stop Jesus. He continues to go on to her. Her body is still warm when Jesus finally gets to her and reaches out to her.

The second dead person is a young man (Luke 7). He has been dead for a little time. Perhaps anywhere from several hours to no more than 24 hours. The climate of the Middle East prohibits a longer time before the burial actually takes place. Jesus and His disciples encounter the funeral procession at the gate of the town of Nain. Jesus knows by looking at the dead young man’s grieving mother that this was her only son and probably her only child, and she is also a widow. She had depended on her son. She has no one to care for her physical needs, as is the custom of her day. And she grieves the loss and companionship of her son. Jesus has great compassion for this widow. He goes to her and consoles her. He honors her grief and sorrow. Then He approaches the open casket that is being carried by the pall bearers. He reaches out to the dead young man.

The third dead person is Lazarus (John 11). Lazarus is an old, long-time personal friend of Jesus. This one is like family. Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary, are like sisters to Jesus. He has stayed in their home. He has eaten meals with them. Their love and their home was probably a welcome oasis for Jesus away from the crowds.

Now Jesus had been alerted that Lazarus was sick. But He lingered where He was for two more days. And when Jesus finally arrives in Bethany, He knows His dear friend has been in the grave - four days. Jesus first speaks to Martha, then to Mary. Mary’s grief touches Jesus’ heart so much that He weeps.

So how are these three alike? You guessed it. They’re all dead. There is only one inevitable result - decay. How are they different? Well, one looks like is still alive and has just fallen asleep. She is still warm when touched. The young man looks like he is dead, and is cold to the touch. He is on his way to be buried. Lazarus has been buried and has begun to decay and stinks!

Which dead are you? Never thought of yourself as being dead? Not all dead people look like other dead people. Some walk around and feel warm when touched. But dead nonetheless. The Apostle Paul says in the Ephesians passage, we are dead when we are separated from God and His will. We are dead when we are disobedient and follow our sinful nature.

For those of you who are not Christians you fall into one of three levels of spiritual dead. 1/ You are dead and you don’t know it. You actually look alive and are warm if I touch you. Or 2/ you are dead and you suspect that a spiritual stiffening is setting in. Or 3/ you are dead and you are aware that spiritually you do stink. Or you might not be aware of your own level of deadness. But Jesus is aware.

So many times we think of random shooters, murderers, rapists, and the like as non-Christians, and in most cases that is true. I often think about and pray for one of my friends, who is not aware of her deadness. She really is a pretty good person. She has a great, warm and affectionate family whom she loves, and they love her. Wanda is a part-time nurse, volunteers at her town's senior center, writes fairly nice-sized checks to different needy organizations. She even goes to church fairly regularly with her husband and three sons, who happen to be Christians. But she believes she does not need what she calls the "trappings and crutch" of Jesus Christ in her life. She believes she is good and is doing good, that should be good enough for this life and eternity. She looks and acts quite alive. She not only has a warm and inviting smile, she is also warm when I embrace her. But it breaks my heart to say that she is dead.

You, or someone you know, might be like her. Dead spiritually and in need of life from Christ. Or perhaps you are stiffening or a stench has begun to set in as you dabble in the occult, or rely on the use of drugs or alcohol, or other bad choices, instead of relying on Jesus. We read in Ephesians that we do not save ourselves. Salvation and the release from all deadness is a gift from God. He created you, made you alive once. Now He wants to live in you and bring you to new life. While this new life is a gift from God, it has to be accepted and received by you.

What about you and I who are Christians? It is possible to be a Christian and still have deadness within. You and I also have dead spots in our lives. We are also assured of Jesus power to bring us out of our residual deadness - those things that are still dead in us. For instance: Have we reached the goals of efficiency, skill, service and ministry that our God-given gifts might have enabled us to reach? Are we as good a wife or husband or friend or parent or child as we might be? Do we love the way we know Jesus wants us to love?

What about our more subtle sins of feelings of rebellion, anger, animosity, bitterness, close mindedness, discouragement, grudge-holding. Or continuing the poor choices in our relationships. In the Christian magazine Leadership, I read about a pastor who was made progressively aware of his own level of deadness in the area of lust. His awareness grew from peeking at pictures in magazines to participating in internet pornography to actually hiring and being with prostitutes. His level of deadness grew from looking and acting and being just fine, through stiffening up to decay and stink.

There is no person Jesus cannot change. Jesus is aware of your areas of darkness and level of dead. He has the power to bring that awareness to you. Jesus assures us as He demonstrates His power to bring life to a whole person that He has the power to give new life to each of us. His power and compassion reach across any level of deadness. . . . and all spots in between. We can come to Christ out of desperation and with no faith at all. When we have lost all hope for self or a loved one, Jesus says there is still hope...Jesus Himself!

The same voice that stirred the still daughter of Jairus, that awoke the young man near Nain, that awakened the stinking corpse of Lazarus - that same voice speaks today. Why was Jesus so specific in calling these three individuals.... 𠇌hild, Arise!” “Young man, I say to you, arise!” and “Lazarus, come forth.”? The Apostle John tells us in his Gospel that the “...dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear shall live” (John 5:25). Jesus is very specific in calling out the dead and calling out our dead spots. He wants the one to whom He gives life to experience life in Him to the fullest. Jesus is saying, “The one whom I have called is to live NOW in an abundant way.”

Jesus also says there is still work to do. In each of the three encounters Jesus gives instructions to those on the sidelines. We know faith is not the result of works. The Apostle Paul also tells us works must be the result of salvation...of believing... and receiving new life....in Christ..

So Jesus gives jobs to the observers of the miracles of new life. Jesus tells the little girl’s parents to feed her. Very practical. Yes, we are also to feed with food for the physical body. We are also to feed others with spiritual food. Teaching, guiding, being an example of Christ-likeness.

Jesus tells those standing around with their mouths open gawking at Lazarus standing there in the burial cloths, to “unwrap him”. You and I are to come alongside and walk this journey with others. We are to help others unwrap and learn who Jesus is. We do this through personal Bible reading and study, small group participation, regular church attendance and Sunday School participation.

And those in the funeral procession at Nain were filled with such awe at witnessing the dead brought to life that they spread the news of this wondrous event throughout Judea and the surrounding country. You and I are to tell our neighbors, co-workers, family members what Jesus has done and is doing about the deadness in our own lives. We are also to spread the message about Jesus’ love and works to others who live here in Moorpark and to the surrounding communities.

So which dead are you? Christian or not. No matter if you look fine spiritually and are warm to the touch, or if you are cold and beginning to stiffen, or if you have begun to decay and stink spiritually, Jesus Christ knows of your darkness and of your deadness. Because Jesus is alive, this resurrected Jesus is the only power to lift us out of our darkness and deadness. Jesus is the only power of new life which begins today.