The Problem With Zombies

So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. - John 12:10-11

I don’t like zombie movies. They frighten me. And I guess that’s their point, but mine is, I don't like being frightened. So I don’t watch them. I once visited a city I was unfamiliar with, and I didn’t really know anyone there, so being on my own I decided to explore the city centre. After a few hours I grew tired, and just wanted to rest a while. Here’s where the story took a dark twist, and I learned an invaluable lesson that has stuck for life.

I decided (in utter foolishness) to walk into a cinema and watch a movie, one I’d never heard of before, nor knew anything about from it’s title. It started well—intriguing character and setting, the post pandemic, dystopian plot sat fairly well with me, and I settled in for, what I assumed, would be a great movie. Then the zombies came. I did not see that coming. I couldn’t finish watching the film. To say I was annoyed would be an understatement. Zombies not only frighten me, but now they annoy me as well.

It seems it’s always been that way. Lazarus had been dead, like, proper dead too, but that didn’t stop Jesus. Jesus steps into the space that only death and the grave had ruled, speaks, and death is overcome without even a fight. The problem is, alive people who used to be dead, are annoying. The more this living dead guy talked about what had happened, the more people believed in the one who brings true life. But not everyone was impressed. Not content for Lazarus to die once, a good few people set about trying to undo what Jesus had done. They wanted to kill him, and kill him dead, twice.

Dead people who find themselves alive have that effect on people. Some see the new life and want it too, others see the new life and can’t wait to snuff it out again. That’s just the way it is. A few years later, Paul, who was no stranger to death to life experiences explained it like this:

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. — 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

In reality, we just smell a lot like Jesus, but that aroma has a different effect on different people. To one it smells like life, the other death. Don’t worry about trying to smell like the right thing to the right people, just smell like Jesus, he’ll sort out the rest.