John 20:22
In the August 2015 issue of National Geographic magazine, there is a striking photograph of a snow leopard. It is a magnificent animal. Although the pose is reclining, it appears ready to leap into action. The eyes glow with intensity, although they never blink, and the tail never twitches. The article, entitled “Still Life,” is about the history of taxidermy, and the snow leopard in the photo is no longer alive, although giving the appearance of life.
Our society seems to have a particular fascination with this idea of things that give the appearance of life, while not being alive. Witness the popularity of zombies in formats from movies and television to graphic art. Other “undead” that have a great cult following are the vampires, who apparently exist forever, but just don’t enjoy it. I think that our cultural preference for these non-living creatures is related to something we observe, but seldom talk about directly; that would be the people around us who give every appearance of life, but in reality are anything but alive.
The nation is now in the grip of powerful addictive drugs that are found everywhere, and the sale of which fuels an underground economy that rivals the visible economy. Much has been written and spoken about this addiction crisis, but little has been done to quell the epidemic. In the end, I believe that the reason we can’t grasp the answer is because we are looking in the wrong place. Addiction is a deeply spiritual problem, for which there is no human answer. When vast numbers of people are turning to prescription pain pills for the mildest aches, they are really just killing the pain of looking alive, but not really having life.
The Hebrews had a word for the thing that gives life. It was called ruach and came from God. In Greek the word is translated as pneuma and they both have essentially the same meaning; that is breath, spirit, or wind. It is the force that God used to enliven the creatures he created in the Genesis story. It is also the Holy Spirit that descended on Jesus Christ when he was baptized.
When Jesus met the disciples after his resurrection, they were a most unimpressive collection of misfits. One had betrayed him, the rest had abandoned him. But this did not matter, because they had been selected by God as his emissaries to spread the Gospel. When Jesus breathed on them, he gave them life. He also gave them a mission. He did not promise them a pain-free existence. Neither did he promise them wealth nor high position. He did promise that they would be truly alive, and in a way they had not experienced before. This promise still holds true for all who receive the ruach, the breath of life from the living Savior.
Wayne
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