Ashes to Fire – Resurrection Eliminates Smell of Death

You could see their fingers begin to pinch their noses as the stone was rolled to the side.  I am sure there were heads shaking in disbelief, and yet there was enough curiosity that people waited around to see what happened.  We don’t know exactly how much time there was for the smell to waft through the crowd, but enough time for Jesus to talk to his father and the smell of death to get around.  Scanning those gathered you would have seen people give that startled jerk when Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”   Their eyes got big, and jaws would have dropped when they saw movement inside the opening of the tomb.  There probably was an audible gasp as Lazarus emerged, and strangely the smell of death was no longer around.  Lazarus was alive!  Resurrection power won out over death, as it would again 3 days after Christ’s death on the cross.  (see John 11)

I wonder how many people missed this miracle of resurrection power because they did not want to experience the smell of death?  How many thought that Jesus was crazy for wanting to open up the tomb?   It is important for us to remember that resurrection only takes place where there is death.  If we want to see resurrection power we will have to go to those places where the smell of death hangs around.  The kind of death caused by sin, injustice, bitterness, unforgiveness, violence and all the other stuff we plug our noses to.  Go into the neighborhoods and hang out with people who are experiencing death because of those things, and it will be there we will hear the shout of Jesus.  We will hear him because that is where He is…right where the smell of death is, because He is The Resurrection that eliminates the smell and death itself.