Doctor Who has been something of a revelation since its return to the small screen in 2005. It has added to its loyal following new fans through its cool characters, crazy plots and ability not to take itself too seriously.

In Saturdays' episode - The Lazarus Experiment - the Doctor (David Tenant) and his assistant Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) arrive back on modern day earth only to discover that Professor Lazarus is about to undertake an experiment that will "Change what it means to be human". The Doctor and Martha find themselves at the launch, and as things go wrong the Doctor inevitably saves the day. However, despite the Doctors intervention Lazarus has genetically mutated to become part monster and is left needing to suck the life out of people to complete his transformation.

What is his justification? Well as he explains to the Doctor "One lifetime has been too short to do everything I'd like. How much more I'll get done in two, three or four." It appears he is willing to do so no matter what the cost to others.

In the final confrontation Lazarus explains his reasons for his experimentation and why the cost is worth the life it brings. He is sheltering in the same crypt he hid in as a child during the blitz, as he explains: "I swore I would never face death like that again, so defence less. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it."

The Doctors response is typically forthright "Facing death is part of being human, you can't change that."
"No, Doctor." Lazarus replies, "Avoiding death that's being human, its our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm only trying to do what everyone before has tried to do. I've simply been more successful."

The episode takes its name from the gospel account of the raising of Lazarus, as Jesus stands at the tomb side and calls his friend to come out and amazingly the three day old corpse comes back to life. The professor is right, death is what haunts us, it is what awaits us, it is as one philosopher put it the only certainty about life. It is the one thing we cannot conquer, medical science advances but death remains the ultimate victor. It isn't something that we like to think about, it is something that we hide away. Lazarus is right avoiding death is part of being human.

But the incident in the gospels with Jesus at the tomb side gives us a little glimpse into the power of Jesus, no need for hyper sonic wave conductors and the other technology needed by Professor Lazarus, just the words "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43). It shows us that Jesus is the one with authority over death, that he is God's messiah, but it also gives us a glimpse into what life in God's kingdom will be like, where death is no more, where it has been overcome. That's where Professor Lazarus is wrong, Jesus has done it before and no one has been or will be more successful. No one can bring hope that death is ocnquered like the one who conquered it.

Christianity & Culture