Can These Bones Live?

Ezekiel 37.1-10The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’

 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. (NRSV)

 After Ezekiel is “brought” into a great valley filled with bones the question becomes “Can these bones live?” It is not really a surprising question.  In many ways this question is one that we would expect, especially if we view the bones as the recently exiled ancient Israelites.  Except it isn’t the people who ask this question, it is God.  Why it might be popular to see this question as a test for Ezekiel, what if the question is more than a “test” of faith?  What if it is a question for which God doesn’t have any answer?  Up to this point in the story God has made life possible, but at almost every turn the people decided against life.  Animating the bones is not an issue for God, but animation is not life.  So can these bones live? 

God has given the people every opportunity for life.  S/he brought the people up out of Egypt after hearing their cry.  In the wilderness God gave the people a new way of living that would eliminate the un-life of Egypt, but the people find the certainty of existence in Egypt preferable to living as a new community.  While the first generation of people chose animation over life, God tries life with the second generation, and for a while it seems to work.  After a couple of generations however, the people decide once again for existence over life, as they ask God to be a nation like all the other nations.  So God gives the people a king, which quickly turns the nation into one like all other nations.  Once again life had been possible, and yet once again the people chose un-life.  By the time of the exile, God no longer knows if these bones can yet live, but like every time before God is willing to try one more time. 

God tells Ezekiel “prophesy to these bones…you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”  So Ezekiel begins to prophesy and the bones begin to rattle, sinews begin to grow, muscle and flesh begin to envelop the bones, and then four winds bring breath, life itself.  For those of us living in the 21^st century we often miss the relationship between restoration the bones and prophecy.  This is because we tend to understand prophecy as predicting the future.  Our picture of a prophet is something along the lines of Nostradamus, but the biblical prophets (including Ezekiel) aren’t about predicting the future.  Think of the biblical prophets as social commentators; picture someone like a Martin Luther King Jr.  The prophet in the biblical times pointed out where things had gone wrong and provided a way back to a socially just society, one based on the gift of the covenant given at Mt. Sinai. The prophet’s words made life possible by calling the community back to the covenant, by making it possible for God’s spirit to be placed within them. Despite the direness of exile, it was exactly what was needed if there was to be a possibility of life for dried up old bones. 

In many ways we in the church find ourselves in an analogous situation as those in Ancient Israel.  Many in the world today have declared the church to be in a time of exile.  We are no longer at the center of our society. Attending church is no longer the social norm it once was.  It is fair to say that we have fallen into a time of exile, and many have begun to ask if these bones can still live.  It isn’t just a question that we ask ourselves, but one that God is asking of us as well.  We like those ancient Israelites have lost our way.  We have managed to turn the church into something that meets only our own needs and desires.  We have become less an instrument in God’s mission for the world, and more an impediment to that mission.  While it might be easier to blame society for our place of exile, the truth is we have forgotten what living is meant to be and as a result we now find ourselves nothing but a pile of dried up old bones. 

So maybe we are in exile, but perhaps that is not the horrible thing we imagine.  Maybe exile is something we needed.  If Ancient Israel needed exile to help them recognize where things had gone wrong, maybe we also need exile to recognize where we have gone wrong.  Maybe it is only out of exile that we can begin to once again discern our place in God’s mission for the world.  To see anew where God is calling us to be, to see beyond our own needs and desires, and instead begin to live out God’s mission in the world. 

Yes, it is possible for these dried out old bones to live again.  It is a life that must begin by hearing again the word of the Lord, whether through the prophets, Jesus, or Paul.  It is a life grounded in the mission of God, a mission revealed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  It is a life meant for the world, a life God is continually making possible for us, if we are but willing to breathe in the four winds of God’s spirit.