The Smell of Death
Posted by: forthright <forthright@...>
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Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Heavenly Connections
The Smell Of Death
by Tim Hall
"Take away the stone," said Jesus as He stood
before the tomb. His friend Lazarus had been
buried in that tomb four days earlier. It's
understandable that Martha, Lazarus' sister,
objected to Jesus' request. "Lord, by this time
there is a stench, for he has been dead four days"
(John 11:39, New King James Version).
Have you ever wondered why Jesus asked for help in
moving the stone? If Jesus could raise the dead
(something He would shortly accomplish), why could
He not also levitate the stone out of the way? How
impressive would that be? Instead, He called on
others to assist Him with this chore.
My friend Jim Bob, a farmer, had the best answer
I've heard to that question: "He wanted them to
smell death," Jim Bob suggested. And I believe
he's exactly right. Jesus wanted all those present
to know that Lazarus had indeed been dead for four
days. No one would be able to argue later that the
man had simply been in a coma. The smell would be
convincing. Yet out of this state of undeniable
death, the Son of God called for life to return.
And the work of Jesus Christ would be all the more
glorious now that all had smelled the repulsive
smell of death.
Could this be the reason why Jesus calls upon us
to "move the stone"? Sisyphus was a legendary
figure in Greek mythology who had been condemned
to repeatedly roll a large stone to the top of a
hill. Every time the job was almost finished, his
grip would slip and the stone would roll all the
way down again. Some find in that image a picture
of their lot in life. "Why would God consign us to
such a hard life?" they wonder. Could He not
simply create us as angels, and immediately place
us in heaven?
I suspect that's the advantage we will have over
the angels. They've never had to roll the stone up
the hill, nor have they had the smell of death
linger in their nostrils. And for such reasons,
they cannot appreciate as we will the glorious
power of God through Jesus Christ.
Paul used roughly the same imagery in 2
Corinthians 2. In describing a scene of a
victorious army returning to their homeland, he
wrote, "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ
among those who are being saved and among those
who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of
death to death, and to the other the aroma of life
to life. And who is sufficient for these things?"
(2 Cor. 2:15,16).
Some will not believe in Jesus as the Son of God.
To them, Christianity is merely a stench of death.
"Give up my pleasures? Deny myself and take up my
cross? You've got to be kidding me!" But those who
see the wisdom of God revealed through His Son
smell more than the smell of death; they can
already sense a more wonderful aroma -- life!
"Take away the stone." All of our lives that will
be our task. It is often unpleasant as we are
confronted with the smell of death. But that smell
will not remain. The Son of God who called forth
Lazarus out of the tomb will bring life to our
mortal frames. We just have to be patient until
that day.
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