I was studying the 11th chapter of John's Gospel yesterday for a Bible Study last night at one of the churches. The chapter, of course, is the story of Lazarus' being brought back from four days of death.
The Bible I use for all studies I teach, the Serendipity Bible for groups, posed a strange question as part of the study. It asked, "if you could bring anyone back from the dead, who would it be? Why?"
Oh, let the pondering begin.
I gave that g-normous amounts of thought about that question (questions), maybe far more than it really needed.
At first, I went the obvious route, with family members who have passed ... mother, father, favorite aunt. I even wandered off the path some, with pets popping into the equation. But the why kept calling to me even as I thought about the who.
Then, with the only true reason for some of my answers being love, I moved farther away ... into the land of the true need. In other words, I gave lip service, serious lip service, to raising Martin Luther and/or Martin Luther King from the dead. I thought about JFK, I pondered Lincoln, I thought about the George Washington, maybe Sam Dale (ask me sometime about ol' Sam). I gave some idea making time to those beings I figured would make a difference the second time around, if given one. On a lighter note, I focused on sports figures like Vince Lombardi or Stan Musial or Wilt Chamberlain.
On and on I traveled the route, looking at the plants that had died on the side of the road for a loss of water and light, thinking about who could help, if given a new lease on life. Who could make the biggest difference imaginable?
And so, again after giving it way, way too much thought, I stopped at the name I figured was mine and mine alone to give.
If I could bring someone back from the dead, just the one someone, I would give new life, second life, to the one person who would make the most difference in my life, who could explain so many inexplicable subjects, who could show me what I needed to work on and against and for and all those things.
Who? Why, the Apostle Paul edges Lazarus who edges Judas who edges Noah who edges Abraham. Nah. Nah. Paul it is.
Why? Because there are so many questions I want to pour out like water from the Jordan. What's with the women and worship questions? How did he grow grace like flowers in spring? How did a man stuck with and stuck on the law find grace in the first place? How did a man who had not spent great amounts of time with the man named Jesus come to love him so intently? And on and on we go; questions in need of answers.
Can you imagine the greatness of the time we could spend with Paul? I can. I really, really can.
How about spending a Tuesday afternoon with a hot, luscious Vanilla Latte and a couple of hours of talk about the deep subjects of the day, a slight breeze caressing our faces as we talk theology like it is the evening news? Or a Thursday morning with Paul at Barnes and Noble, talking about the Holy Trinity as we wait for our Cinnamon Coffee Cake? Or a Friday lunch with Paul, who just happened to bring along Luke, as we talk about memories of Jesus, plum giddy with tales of evangelism on the shore of the Lake?
Paul talking worship. Paul talking love as it was meant to be talked abut. Paul healing the hurts, filling the holes in life, salving the mistakes, solving the riddles, saving the lost of my -- our -- lives. Paul explaining pre-destination as if it were two plus two.
Paul. The Apostle Paul.
Could he make a difference today? Of course he could. His devotion to Jesus would come through just as plain and evident as it ever did. That would be something worth seeing, wouldn't it? Maybe we could even have a logical, reasonable discussion about all those totally illogical, completely unreasonable ideas that separate us today... Jew and Muslim, Muslim and Christian.
If breaching the gap caused by hatred wasn't a good enough reason for Paul's return, then healing the incurable disease of jealousy, pride, ego that continues to stalk humanity.
He could even explain the whole resurrection body theology, since he would have a, uh, resurrection body.
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