1 QUOTE

“The resurrection is a cosmic event, comparable only with what God did in the first creation.”

– James Stewart

1 NOTE

One of the biggest challenges in the Christian faith is to keep theological words and themes full of fresh meaning. It is so easy to nod our heads or jot down a note on our iPhone during a Sunday sermon. But when the meaning doesn’t pop off the page, things can get mechanical or even worse, morph into a tradition. A friend of mine shared that when he was young, the well-intentioned pastor would end 52 sermons a year with the same invitation to discipleship. The high schoolers would eventually come to mock the predictable moment. This past Easter, two words set my soul on fire, “I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).”

The Apostle John uses two different words for life. The first word is ‘bios.’ This is where we get the English word biology. Bios life is the source of biological families. It is finite, prone to decay and comes to and end. Zoe life is the life that was before, ‘In the beginning.’ Zoe life is uncreated, therefore infinite, will never decay, and has no end. Zoe life is the mystery of eternal life. Zoe life is perfect in quality and quantity. John uses the word ‘zoe’ 36 times in the fourth gospel. Jesus proclaims he is the zoe life.

The word resurrection is best understood when contrasted with resuscitation. Dr. Jesse Tan is a friend of mine from college. He served as the Chief of staff at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, and today performs head and neck surgery 40+ hours a week. (On a pop culture, K-Drama note, to get a fresh feel for the life of a surgeon, Becky and I highly recommend the ‘Hospital Playlist.’) Dr. Jesse shared with me that when God has helped him save someone’s life, he knows they will still die. Surgeon merely prolong the inevitable. Jesus’ raising Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:42); the son of Nain’s Widow son (Luke 7:15); and Lazarus (John 11:44), are miraculous resuscitations. But all three will die again because they are trapped in bios life. Resuscitation is like blowing air into an empty ballon. And Jesus uses it as a sign pointing to the resurrection.

The resurrection is the hope of every heart. We all long for a life where no one dies and we never have to say good-bye. The resurreciton is the first event of the second creation. When Jesus walked out of the grave on Easter morning, he was the first of humanity 2.0. No bios. All zoe. Resurrection, not resuscitation, awaits those who follow Jesus closely, losing our lives (bios) to save our lives (zoe).

1 QUESTION

Will you join me and pray for more zoe life and resurrection power in our lives this week?

Until Next Tuesday,

John