Science’s discovery of nature’s laws makes an intervening God less believable. We surmise that lost limbs don’t grow back, and dead men don’t return to life. Or do they?
In October 2008, medical doctor Sean George was driving from Esperance to Kalgoorlie in the West Australian goldfields, when he started feeling chest pain. He called his wife and got to the nearest clinic. A short while later, he was pronounced dead. Fifty-five minutes of CPR and electric-shock therapy couldn’t bring him back. The death was called when Sean’s wife, Sherry, arrived.
Sherry walked into the room and picked up her husband’s cold hand. ”Lord,” she prayed. “Sean is only 39 years old. We have a 10-year-old boy. I need a miracle.” At that moment, medical staff reported, Sean’s lifeless body took a deep breath and his heartbeat returned on the monitor. Later, Sean told me his miracle story as a completely well man.
Skepticism about the miraculous goes way back. The apostle Paul confronted cynicism about resurrection among the believers in Corinth (1 Corinthians 15:12). He reminded them that Jesus’ bodily resurrection was the foundation of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:4). If it was untrue, their faith was “useless” (1 Corinthians 15:14) for they were still lost in their sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). Just as importantly, Paul said that Jesus’ resurrection was the prototype for our own (1 Corinthians 15:21-23). Our bodies will be raised and transformed, just like Jesus’ (1 Corinthians 15:20,53).
I firmly believe in Jesus’ bodily resurrection. And although Sean George’s miracle was resuscitation, rather than resurrection, it is still modern proof of what God can do. Talk about inspiring! For a true resurrection awaits those who love Christ—the complete transformation of our bodies, souls, and hearts.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Judges 6:1-40
More:
What does Paul reveal in Romans 8:11 about the life that the Holy Spirit brings?
Next:
Have you ever doubted Jesus’ literal, physical resurrection? Why? How will you take the reminder of your own future resurrection into your day?
shalomiom on March 8, 2011 at 4:09 am
When we pray, we should ask God for the impossible, the miraculous- because that’s the least He will do for us. The possible things he leaves up to us. .
sheridan voysey on March 8, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Challenging words shalomiom! I think God is also involved in the ‘possible’ things in our lives too, but you raise an excellent point: too often we pray little prayers, expecting small results. How about praying big prayers, expecting (in God’s choosing) big results!
roxanne robbins on March 8, 2011 at 6:19 am
After reading this post, I wanted to better understand the differences and similarities between
“resurrection” and “resuscitation.”
Mirriam-Webster says the two words are synonymous in meaning. If that were true though than there would be no difference between Christ’s resurrection and Sean George’s resuscitation.
What Mirriam-Webster overlooks though is the final outcome of resurrection vs. resuscitation. When God resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead, it was for eternity. Jesus did not nor will not ever have to die again.
When a human is resuscitated, he or she must still die a physical death again.
Thomas Aquinas explains how Christ’s resurrection differed from other biblical miracles in
which the dead were raised to life:
Resurrection is a restoring from death to life. Now a man is snatched from death in two ways: first of all, from actual death, so that he begins in any way to live anew after being actually dead: in another way, so that he is not only rescued from death, but from the necessity, nay more, from the possibility of dying again. Such is a true and perfect resurrection, because so long as a man lives, subject to the necessity of dying, death has dominion over him in a measure, according to Romans 8:10: “The body indeed is dead because of sin.”
GChoo on March 8, 2011 at 9:51 am
Roxanne, thanks for the sharing. You have given me a better understanding of resurrection and resuscitation in today’s devotion.
sheridan voysey on March 8, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Thanks for the thoughts Roxanne. Whatever we call it (and you’re right – technically it’s resuscitation), returning to life after being dead for 55 minutes is a pretty amazing miracle of God.
Sean George is having some wonderful opportunities to share his story. It’s a difficult event for science to interpret.
eppistle on March 8, 2011 at 8:43 am
Death, Be Not Proud, by John Donne:
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
sheridan voysey on March 8, 2011 at 8:53 pm
Thanks eppistle.
daisymarygoldr on March 8, 2011 at 8:10 pm
A wonderful miracle indeed! I agree about bodily resurrection. Resuscitation is the shadow. Resurrection is the real substance. When resuscitated, a body is restored to the same natural body. In resurrection, the body is transformed into a glorified body. The raising of Lazarus is a type of a more glorious resurrection of Jesus.
Therefore, to a Christian death signifies liberation from our sin-tainted natural bodies. We will put on an incorruptible and immortal body of flesh and bone, which is perfectly adapted for living in Heaven.
Although made of the same physical matter, our resurrected bodies will have different properties. It will not be governed by the laws of nature. After resurrection Jesus passed right through the grave clothes. He did not use the door to enter a room, appeared and disappeared, and defied gravity while ascending to heaven. It is so cool!
We should not doubt physical resurrection. The only sign Jesus gave to verify His that He is the Messiah, was His death and resurrection. Paul considered it foolish for people to question it. If skeptics do not have a problem accepting the transformation of a seed that decays and gives rise to a new plant, then they should not be cynical about a mortal body that dies to be raised into an immortal body.
Resurrection is the very hope of a Christian: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we believe that God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus… And so we will always be with the Lord.”(1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).
shapemewithyourhands on March 8, 2011 at 10:21 pm
My mom just passed away one month ago, February 09th, 2011. Reading this post remind me of how the ending moment my mom died. A great mother, a loving grandmother and a faithful wife to us, she died on age 61 years old, with complicated diseases. At the ending moment, I saw how God has authority in my mom spirit. She was very relax and fully surrender to God while we sang one of her favorite song “Each step lead by God”, we sang it twice and loudly to let her heard it (she had problem with hearing) I could see her enjoyed the song very much, her face was so fresh and smiling. I believed that her spirit is with God now though her body was burned in the ground. Together with the song “Each step lead by God” her spirit led by God to the Heaven.
conmeo on March 8, 2011 at 11:17 pm
Thanks to God for shapemewith and all of you. I pray for my resucitation daily. Bless you all