Resurrection

What would you do if someone you loved suddenly came back from the dead? 32 years later? Without having aged at all?

That is the premise of ABC's new drama Resurrection, which debuted last night. Eight-year-old Jacob Langston, who had drowned 32 years and was apparently dead and buried, suddenly shows up at his parents' doorstep after having woken up in China with no memory of anything since his death.

Talk about a shock!

The doctor (Jacob's cousin) finds that his heart really is beating.

Jacob's return stirs up all kinds of emotions, as you can imagine. His mother is beside herself with joy at the miracle. His father seems to be conflicted, not knowing whether to believe it. His best friend, now a minister, is questioning what it means for his faith and what he teaches at church. And the local sheriff, whose wife drowned trying to save Jacob, is very interested in the mystery.

A pretty intriguing plot, and I must say I enjoyed watching the pilot.

I saw today that the premiere drew very strong ratings, with 13.3 million viewers and the highest 18-49 rating for a mid-season series premiere in about two years. Obviously, the idea of the dead coming back to life is something that grabs our attention.

This is the great hope of Easter: Not that there is some vague afterlife where we float around on clouds, but that because Jesus rose bodily from the grave, he has paved the way for us to follow him in resurrection.

That is why he told his friend Martha, just before raising her brother Lazarus from the dead, "I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in me will live, even though they die." (John 11:25)

It is noteworthy that the resurrection of Lazarus that shortly followed was much like the characters of the new show - complete and physical, yet temporary. Lazarus was fully alive, but he would die again. Not like the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of the future - complete, physical, and eternal.

Death is a horrible thing. It is the ultimate enemy, and it can rob us of our happiness at a moment's notice. When we see a show where death loses its grip, that's something we want to see. I know it's why I tuned in last night. And why I'll watch again.

Death has lost its grip. It lost its grip, its sting, its victory at the tomb of Jesus.

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to Go! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

- Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

What a thing to celebrate...I can't wait for April 20, when the Christian calendar will call us all to rejoice in the.... Resurrection.