2. The Zombie Begins to See
2. The Zombie Begins to See
That was different, the Zombie thought. He was beginning to like the experience of thinking. It was like not just spending time, or getting through, or drifting. It seemed energizing in a way that was really different than doing the kinds of things that kept you hazy and numb. Is that what waking up is all about?
Hanging out with the kid was weird. His friends had a book. Well, really, they all had a book. Kind of like school but they weren’t in a classroom, and it wasn’t forced or regimented. They all seemed to want to be there, to be together. They all opened the book to the same place, like a teacher telling you to open to page 109 in a text book, but it wasn’t a page number. It was more like an address: John 10:10. That’s different. The whole experience was bizarre. Who carries a book around? What kind of person opens a book! And there wasn’t a teacher anywhere. But…and this was the weirdest thing, they were all paying attention as if a teacher was there. Doing the same thing, opening to the same place, reading out loud and then…talking about it! Weird.
The book said something like, “I came that they might have life, and have a lot of it.” That wasn’t it. “…that they might have life, abundantly.” There you go, “Abundantly.” That’s an old fashioned word. And who came anyway? They were talking about someone named Jesus. That’s a cuss word where I come from, but they were talking about a person. Was that a guy from a long time ago, or a guy living today? He couldn’t figure it out. It kind of sounded like both.
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and life more abundantly” [John 10:10] ESV
Abundantly. What did that mean?
The Zombie looked around. The sky was really blue. He heard some birds chirping behind him. He turned and saw them sitting on a branch of a tree. The leaves were fluttering, stirred by a nice breeze he felt on his face.
He stopped thinking for a moment and just felt what he was experiencing. It was a new sensation. He had never really taken the time to just be where he was. To really, simply be there. It was good. Very good.
He returned to his thoughts. “Abundant life.” What does that mean?
His phone pinged notifying him of a new post from a celebrity he followed. He opened it up and watched. Kind of vanilla. Nothing special there, nothing fresh, nothing abundant
He put his phone down and returned to the world. He sat there taking in creation around him. The grass is really green. A blade of grass makes its own shadow. He’d never noticed that before.
He looked across the park and saw a dad pushing a little guy on the swing. He felt a twinge of pain, of longing. He wished his dad was around. He spent a moment in the pain. Then he felt angry, then sad, then frustrated, then…lonely.
He picked up his phone again and began to scroll, scrolling helped him not to feel. He wasn’t thinking. It is what he did whenever he felt unpleasant things. He watched the posts, one after another, blowing past the endless come-ons of the ads. He was killing time, losing himself in the stimulation, pushing the pain away.
Jesus’ words were in his head:
“The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.” [John 10:10] ESV
Who’s the thief and who is he stealing, killing and destroying from?
A joy-filled shout broke in. “Higher, Dad!” The boy had a deep smile in his voice.
The father stepped into the swing pushing with more urgency, more strength.
As the Zombie watched he could tell the father was focused on the fun. He wasn’t reckless, but he was energized. He was smiling with pride as he pushed the boy higher. He was enjoying the thrill the little guy was experiencing.
The Zombie began to feel something new, something fresh. While he knew he would never know what it was like to have a dad involved in his life the way the boy’s dad was involved in his, he wondered if he might be a dad someday. If he might experience what the dad was experiencing with his son.
The Zombie felt something new. He felt hope.
The Zombie was waking up.
Scripture Reference:
[John 10:10 ESV]
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and life more abundantly.”[Matthew 13:10-17]
“Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“”You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.””
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Discussion Questions:
- Can you see the two realities of John 10:10 in your own life? A desire for the abundance of life, but an enemy who may be robbing and stealing from you?
- Do we really see with our eyes or are we seeing and hearing a deception? The deception of our own desires and wants our own fears or insecurities. Do you even know what a deceptions looks like in your life
- Do you know what the abundance of life looks like in your own life? Describe
- Is there pain you are suppressing in your own life?
Assignment:
Write a journal entry describing what deception you are believing to be true that might be clouding your vision of the truth about who you are and who Jesus really is. Common deceptions are fear (fear of failure, fear of success, fear of death, fear of being found out), insecurities (trying to hide something about yourself that you fear shame or ugliness about), pride (not being able to face the reality about yourself, your life or your circumstances because the reality is painful) and lusts (Lusts are desires given to things that dominate your life; sexual desire, want for things, comfort, desire for wealth or power)