What must it have been like to be Lazarus called from the tomb? What insights would he have into death and dying? What fears could he relieve?
In our modern and scientifically advanced world, we've heard many times about people who died, clinically, and then were returned to life. Most of them describe the same experience. They see a bright light. They are in a place of great beauty and peace. They meet someone whom they know well but who has already died. They are asked a question, and they have to make a choice, and those who are returned to life have chosen to live. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her ground-breaking books, beginning with "On Death and Dying" explored this whole phenomenon. Interestingly, test pilots and astronauts who are subjected to high gee forces (1 G, in this case, being equal to the force of gravity on earth) report some very similar perceptions and many scientists now chalk this up to "anoxia" which is oxygen starvation to the brain. This is an unsatisfactory answer for me because the brain is a very complex organ and it is hard to imagine that oxygen starvation would affect the same area of the brain so consistently so that many people would report the same thing. Maybe I just don't want to believe it.
Death is a frightening thing. Not dying, by itself, but what lies beyond the process of dying. I've often said that the basic question for any religion is, "What happens when I die?" Some say you die dead and that's all there is. Some say that you are re-incarnated as something or someone else. Some say that you go to a different plane of existence. That's us. We call that plane of existence heaven but we really don't know much about it. Only that we are in the presence of God and that's a very good thing. So, as the philosopher says, "Everyone want go heaven, but nobody want death". (A great line from a bad movie) The next question is, "How do I get there?" One answer is to obey the rules. Another is to do good. Another is to believe in God. That was Paul's answer. The people who get to heaven are the people who believe in God through Jesus Christ. That's another very unsatisfying answer for me. I struggle with the idea that ONLY those who believe in God through Jesus Christ (and the Jews, God's chosen people) get to go to heaven. I think that a loving God is more generous and compassionate than that. I prefer to believe that God has opened many doors through which people can enter into God's presence. However, I KNOW that believing in Jesus Christ is, at the very least, ONE way.
I find that a very comforting thought, somehow. Not only do I trust God to look after me in this life, but I trust God to look after me in the next life, too. If there is no "next life" I won't be disappointed because I won't know anything. On the other hand, if I put my trust in God about this, I am comforted here and now and don't have to wait for comfort later.
Lazarus would know, I'm sure. Actually, I know, too, because I was dead and am now alive. Not just once or twice but probably six or eight times over the course of my life. And every time Jesus has called me from my well-constructed and air-tight and sound-proof tomb and told me to get up and go, because he's not done with me yet. There have been times when I came forth with dust in my veins and no signs of life, and times when I have come out of the tomb dancing and singing and smiling and laughing. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of what drove me to the tomb in the first place. Maybe it's because of what happened while I was in there. Or maybe it was because of what he said to call me forth. No, it couldn't be that. He always says the same thing. "I love you".
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