I was challenged with this question twice in one week by people who were quite serious and not affiliated with any church. After I got over my initial shock, I realized it was a question worth an answer, and the question might be something other churches may be asked.
Following is my answer in video format and the script for it follows. Please consider this as an example of how people may be spiritually searching in ways we wouldn't think about and how Halloween can give us an opportunity to share the one Person who truly came back from the dead, not as a zombie, but our incredibly, eternally ALIVE, Lord Jesus.
Text for the Video
Was Jesus a zombie? This encore podcast is in honor of the Halloween season. Please understand, that there is no irreverence or shock value intended with this question. It was an honestly asked question from someone who was totally unfamiliar with church and I’ll answer it today.
Was Jesus a Zombie?
When you think about it calmly, from the viewpoint of someone outside the church, it really is a very good question because the only conception many people have today of a person who has come back from the dead is a zombie. So when someone hears Jesus came back from the dead, that's immediately what they think about. To honor that question, let's look for an answer.
How can we find out if Jesus is or isn’t a zombie? How can we find out anything about him?
There are two ways we know about Jesus:
- The historical record in the Bible that tells us what contemporary writers who knew Jesus experienced in their interactions with Him after His resurrection.
- What the people today who know Him now say he’s like.
The historical record of Jesus after his resurrection based on eye-witness accounts conclusively agrees that—No!, Jesus was not a zombie—that all we know of him after his resurrection was that he was totally, completely, and astoundingly ALIVE. Alive with a power and love we can’t imagine.
No half-rotting, stumbling corpse, but alive flesh and blood that burst from the tomb.
He didn't try to terrify his followers or rebuke them for deserting him and leaving him to die a horrible death alone; he went after them, forgave them, answered their fears and doubts, and cooked them breakfast on the beach.
Jesus was alive in such a real way that following his return to heaven, the same fearful followers who ran away when he was crucified, totally changed. They were now willing to leave everything they knew including the Jewish religion they'd served all their lives and were now willing to die a horrible death themselves to proclaim the LIFE he now showed them.
Their belief in his gift of eternal life astounded contemporary writers who described their response saying they “turned the world upside down.”
Also, after Jesus rose from the dead, he taught them for 40 days, as he had for the past three years and when it came time for him to leave he honored them with the charge to continue the work he started so that anyone who trusts Him as forgiver of their sins and who sincerely wants to follow Him could enter the forever LIFE He offered to share with them.
Even later, the visions the Apostle John saw of the resurrected Jesus in heaven are even more extraordinary, blinding light, rainbows, visions of angels and Jesus himself: king, warrior, intercessor, lion and lamb—the one who holds the keys of life and death and is alive forever.
Here is another amazing thing about Jesus for us now.
A zombie is the most imaginative afterlife humanity can conceive of on its own. Rotting, walking corruption—animated, but hardly alive a scary creature—one we run from.
But Jesus isn’t like zombies in another way. I remember reading Phillip Yancy’s book about Jesus where in it Yancy said that because of Jesus' resurrection and who he is “he’s out there somewhere…”
That’s so true, but not in a scary, track-you-down, eat-your-brain zombie kind of way.
He’s out there looking for people to love, to forgive, to give HIS life to now and forever. Here are some of the ways Jesus said it:
“Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit.” Mark 2:17, MSG
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matt 11:28-30
"I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." John 10:10, MSG
If you want to meet Jesus, if you want the life he wants to share with you – just introduce yourself to him. Ask Him in prayer to show you who He really is and how to have a relationship with Him.
Read the Bible—the book of Mark is a quick, easy read and will tell you about Jesus. Get a modern translation like the Message or the Living Bible so you don’t get tripped up by the language. The more you read the Bible, the more you’ll learn about Him. I have an online ministry, BIBLE805.com with podcasts, videos, and studies that will tell you lots more about Him.
Visit a church—one of the best ways to get to know someone is by getting to know their friends. That’s what a church is—a group of people getting to know Jesus.
To sum it up. Jesus isn’t a half-dead zombie. He’s ALIVE.
If you don’t know Him, He wants a forever relationship with you.
If you do know Him, you don’t have to wait until you die to walk closely with Him. Tell Jesus you want to get to know Him better now. I imagine few of us know Him nearly as well as we could and all of us would do well to hear these works again:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matt 11:28-30
Please, make it so Lord Jesus.
A final note for church communicators
You are free to use, copy, share, do whatever you want with this material to help as many people as possible know our incredible Savior, the one who died for our sins, and returned to life, not as a zombie, but our totally powerful, loving and alive Savior forevermore.
Please share your thoughts, comments, questions!