Before we knew what was happening, we were in it. They were everywhere.
We rounded the corner, traffic began to slow down, and then it ground to a halt. As I scanned the road ahead of us looking for any clue as to the cause of the stoppage, the reality of our situation began to dawn on me.
What looked like small groups of poorly dressed pedestrians on the sidewalk turned into large groups of scruffy people stepping into traffic. And then like the rising waters of an unforeseen tsunami the people flowed in amongst the vehicles completely enveloping more and more motorists who were unfortunately right here, right now.
We were definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It then all became very clear. I now understood who these ragged hordes were. Hundreds of men, women, children, young and old slowly limped past our vehicle all uttering the same woeful cry, “Brains!”
They were the walking dead.
Anne and I on a beautiful summer’s day, on the way to celebrate our anniversary with the top down in the jeep, now found ourselves in the midst of Vancouver’s Zombie Walk. They were everywhere. All different kinds of people, even whole families with kids in strollers, were all decked out with torn and dirty clothes, deathly looking makeup and blood. Lots of blood. I had never seen a spectacle like this before.
What bothered me was the fact that there was no police presence for traffic control. Somebody could get hurt here. I phoned 911 and asked for the police. I informed the officer that Denman St. was at a standstill due to the fact that hundreds of zombies were wondering amongst traffic.
“Real Zombies?” he asked incredulously.
“No, the Zombie Walk is on.” I clarified.
Have you noticed the fixation our culture seems to have with zombies? Movies, TV shows, books, and, as in Vancouver, Zombie Walks that take place all over the world as some kind of a unique celebration of sorts. A few years ago our youngest son was showing great interest in reading a book I was unfamiliar with. When I checked it out I discovered it was entitled, “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse”.
I don’t get it.
Sure, I enjoyed the movie I Am Legend, but zombies just seem to be everywhere in pop culture. I haven’t watched the TV shows, or read any books. I haven’t gotten caught up in the infatuation with the walking dead – I haven’t understood what all the fuss was about. However, I saw things in a different light recently when I heard a message that included this statement,
“Jesus didn’t come into the world to make bad people good, He came to make dead people alive.”
The speaker went on to use Zombies as a metaphor for the human race. Without Christ we are the walking dead, humans infected with a deadly virus called “sin” that robs us of true life. We experience a type of life that is not real life. It is not the life for which we were created. We are the living dead looking for true life.
The antidote for the virus that robs us of life is the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ transfused into our hearts through the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit heals us from the ravages of sin. We are born again out of death into life. We are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of life.
The walking dead are made alive by the death and resurrection of Christ. The blood of Christ cleanses us from sin.
Zombies: such were you and I before we experienced the life of Christ.
The virus known as sin had infected us so that we were the walking dead, devoid of the life of God. Jesus paid the price to set us free from sin to make us alive in Him. The law of sin and death constrained mankind to a living death. The blood of Christ sets us free from the law of sin and death.
What can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What makes the walking dead come alive? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Colossians 2:13, 14
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”
Ephesians 2:4, 5
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 1:7, 8
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
Hebrews 9:14
“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”