Love in Mourning
Saab isn’t with us today, but its cars were beloved by generations of admirers. From 2-stroke engines and Monte Carlo rallies to the brand’s first turbocharged model in 1977, there was a lot to like. Including the 9-3 Viggen. Saab took its HOT (High Output Turbo) turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, a 200-horsepower variant of the 185-horsepower base model, and increased the boost even further until a wicked 230 horsepower spun the front wheels spectacularly.
Even during the reign of the Viggen, the venerable marquis’s days were numbered. Loyalists feared that their innovative, unconventional, Swedish sleighs would lose some flavor after General Motors bought a half-stake in the company in 1990. GM was the biggest automaker in the world. It had a history of brand-engineering that muddied distinctions between Opel and Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Chevrolet, and the like. Fear turned to mourning in 2010 when GM sold the brand to Spyker – seriously – and in 2011, when Saab finally died.
The Biblical vignette people look to during mourning is Jesus’ response to the death of Lazarus, in John 11. Although Jesus unquestionably knew what Lazarus’ outcome would be, he mourned his friend’s death. Four times he had said Lazarus would not remain dead (verses 4, 11, 14, and 23). Twice he said God would be glorified through this, and twice he declared and prayed that people would believe because of this. Nevertheless, he mourned. His emotion is allowed a place next to his wisdom and reasoning. When people mourn, the humanity and sincerity of Jesus is a precious comfort.
Yet while Jesus’ actions are ones we can admire, Martha’s are ones we can follow. She reached out to her Lord when Lazarus was sick (v. 3), went to be in his presence Lazarus died (v. 19), and repeatedly declared that Jesus alone had power over the situation. She referred to Jesus as “The Teacher,” which is significant since women were not taught by rabbis at that time. She clearly valued what he taught her.
During her interactions with Jesus, her faith in his power is never accompanied by demands or expectations of him, and this is why her example is so important: Martha believed with certainty that Jesus could, and that was more important than if he would. This change in perspective changes everything. This is “thy will be done” in practice. A prayer for a tangible outcome becomes a prayer for a spiritual outpouring. Asking for a sickness to be healed, a punishment to be lifted, or a job to be attained becomes a prayer for God’s glory to be shown, God’s glory to be shown, or God’s glory to be shown.
With faith in Jesus and experience of his love, mourning meets its match. When we mourn, we want someone to love us enough to be with us and mourn with us. We have that in Jesus. We also want action – some change that halts the mourning. We have that action in Jesus too. Most importantly, as mourners, we need to know that someone has power over these things that we’re powerless over, and an almighty plan that gives a purpose to the pain. With Jesus, we have that resurrection power and resurrection promise too.
We believe that if General Motors can harness its nearly almighty power and wealth and resurrect a 1,000-horsepower electric HUMMER, they can bring back a 1,000-horsepower electric front-drive Saab. That would be cool, especially if it had computer-controlled variable power output that mimicked turbo lag (for nostalgic reasons). We believe. But for now, we mourn.
