“What does God have against dead bodies?” I asked myself this when I came across the rules of a
Nazirite (someone who sets themselves apart to the Lord for a special time and purpose, ie.
Samson) in Numbers 6:6-7a (NLT):
And they may not go near a dead body during the entire period of their vow to the LORD, even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister has died.
Whoah! That seemed harsh! And...truthfully? It bugged me. After my dad had passed into the presence of the Lord, I said good-bye with a kiss on his forehead. The idea that, as a Nazirite, such a daughterly gesture would have made me unclean was difficult to digest. But...because I have a God who's willing to give up His godly form to become human and die an innocent death in my place, I sucked it up and decided to dig deeper. What was REALLY going on? What DOES God have against dead bodies?
After ruminating, I realized: it's not dead bodies but death that is the real issue. Death grieves God (
Ps. 116:15). Anything with the stink of death on it automatically carries with it the stink of sin (
Rom. 15:12). Death puts a face on sin. We can try to hide our shortcomings (like the
Pharisees) behind a veneer of good works. However, we are not
Dorian Gray: the toxin inside us that makes us essentially self-serving little beasts is revealed in the cracks in our skin and the frost in our hair. To a Holy God, who is everything good and perfect, and who sees things as they really are, death is evil. It's an aberration, an intrusion into His good plan.
But, God also had a contingency plan to undo the destruction of sin and death.
Redemption is not just about being good. It's about not being
dead. How can WE mere mortals hope to defeat such a colossal foe as Death? With wrinkle creams, hair dyes, the proper diet and exercise? Or maybe by guarding our tongues, loving our neighbors and feeding the poor? That's like trying to put out a forest fire with only kindness and a dazzling smile.
We need a champion. We need Jesus. Only the Giver of Life
(Heb. 1:2) can be the Slayer of Death
(1 Cor. 15:55-57). His holiness is the natural enemy of unholiness. God's inherent glory consumes anything that is less than glorious (
Matt. 3:11-12;
Heb. 12:28-29). He has taken our sin and death upon Himself, devoured it, and given us His holiness in its place
(Col. 1:20-22).
Seven years ago, I went to see the film
The Passion of the Christ. The audience sobbed aloud as the Savior was beaten mercilessly and crucified. However, it wasn’t the brutality depicted that drove me to tears. That was just too hard to watch. What got me was something Jesus said to His mother, Mary, as He struggled up the hill to be crucified:
[Please watch the film clip now, or read the synopsis* below.]
*Synopsis: In the scene, Jesus is staggering along the path through the outskirts of Jerusalem carrying His cross, gasping under the weight of its awful burden. His blood-smeared hands struggle to support its bulk, and the blood streaming down His forehead robs Him of sight. But, still, He stumbles on. The clamoring crowd lines both sides of the way. Some faces display grief, but most are yelling in hateful anger. Then we see His mother, Mary, following His progress with unsure feet and tortured eyes. A specter in black mirrors her movements on the other side of the road, but with stealthy steps and eyes devoid of human feeling. A manifestation of Satan. With a shudder, Mary urges her companion, the disciple John, to help her get closer to Jesus.
As the crowd's emotions flare, the guards respond by whipping Jesus yet again. When He collapses, Mary remembers an incident from His boyhood. The film cuts back and forth between the Boy and then the Man falling to the ground. She reaches His side at last and murmurs “I’m here! I’m here!” She still wants to protect Him. But the Son of God touches her face with His bloodied hand as this revelation convulses from His parched throat,
“See, mother, I make all things new!"
With renewed determination, He rises again to His feet, continuing the ascent up the hill to our salvation.
I was undone! The tears in my eyes obliterated the ensuing violence on the screen and flushed out a granule of fatalism that had been lodged in my heart. Even though I accepted Christ's gift of salvation years ago, I continue to contend with my old nature and, consequently, with feelings of failure. But to hear Christ say those words from Revelation in relation to the cross gave me a new way to look at my struggle. Christ is making me new even now. When I fall, I just need to remember He is doing the work. Then I can get right back up, following in His steps!
As soon as I got home from the movie, I looked up the passage in Revelation. John, now an apostle, is speaking about a vision he had of a new heaven and a new earth. It’s our “happily ever after”:
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making all things new!” (Rev. 21:3-5a, NLT)
