"Come Out, Lazarus!"
These were the words Jesus shouted, as Martha, Mary and other friends and family mourned outside the tomb. You can imagine the confusion surrounding His command. Lazarus had been dead for 4 days, which was significant for the time. It was a common Jewish belief that the soul would linger around the body for up to 3 days before death was final. Jesus waiting until 4 days after his death, would have meant Lazarus’s family would have been hopeless. There was no denying it: Lazarus was gone.
Thus, we can imagine, though some of these Jewish followers said they believed Jesus was the Messiah, there was probably some doubt as they anticipated the unimaginable. To their surprise and relief, Jesus’s words did not return void, as a formerly dead Lazarus came to life. His life, was not simply saved, but revived!
But, this is just the beginning of Lazarus’s new journey. Though breath had entered his lungs and consciousness to his mind, Lazarus was still bound, shrouded in the dressings of his death. Had he been revived, but stayed in the tomb in his wrappings, he would have still been effectively dead. Life returned at Jesus’s shout, “Come out, Lazarus!” Freedom, though, came when Jesus commanded the people, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Notice what happens here: Jesus does the saving. Lazarus faithfully steps out of the grave. It’s the people alongside Lazarus, though, that unwrap the cloths. Lazarus’s story was far greater than a personal resurrection. It was for the glory of God, and for the belief (and participation) of the people.
Jesus doesn’t unwrap Lazarus. He doesn’t tell Lazarus to use his newfound life and strength to unwrap himself. Jesus commands the people, his family and friends, to be a part of this miraculous event, and free Lazarus from his former deathly estate. Today, the call remains the same for each of us.
The call for this week is two-fold. One: don’t sit idol in your grave clothes. Many of us have been saved by the grace of God, yet, stay bound in sins in which Jesus never intended for us to remain. We’re breathing and living, but we’re not truly alive; we’re not truly free. Some of us need to take that step of faith and walk out of the grave, with vulnerability and strength, to allow others to help in our process of sanctification. As we confess our sins to one another, admit our struggles, and shed light on our darkest moments, Jesus is there, working in and through the community in which He has lovingly called us. No shame. No guilt. Just life given to us by the Word of God.
The second call, is to realize you’re not just Lazarus in the story: you’re also Martha, Mary, and the other members of the community. Unfortunately, there are many times that brothers and sisters come out of their graves, vulnerably and courageously, and we respond in fear, condemnation, and judgement. Instead of participating in their sanctification, we toss them back in the grave, disgusted by the sins and shames that stain their garments. What we forget, though, is that Jesus has came and already washed those garments clean (just as He did for you). Our job is not to worry about what stains someone had; but to participate with joy and willingness in the sanctification they are undergoing now.
God’s Word is life. Breathe it in and exhale it out.
Thus, we can imagine, though some of these Jewish followers said they believed Jesus was the Messiah, there was probably some doubt as they anticipated the unimaginable. To their surprise and relief, Jesus’s words did not return void, as a formerly dead Lazarus came to life. His life, was not simply saved, but revived!
But, this is just the beginning of Lazarus’s new journey. Though breath had entered his lungs and consciousness to his mind, Lazarus was still bound, shrouded in the dressings of his death. Had he been revived, but stayed in the tomb in his wrappings, he would have still been effectively dead. Life returned at Jesus’s shout, “Come out, Lazarus!” Freedom, though, came when Jesus commanded the people, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Notice what happens here: Jesus does the saving. Lazarus faithfully steps out of the grave. It’s the people alongside Lazarus, though, that unwrap the cloths. Lazarus’s story was far greater than a personal resurrection. It was for the glory of God, and for the belief (and participation) of the people.
Jesus doesn’t unwrap Lazarus. He doesn’t tell Lazarus to use his newfound life and strength to unwrap himself. Jesus commands the people, his family and friends, to be a part of this miraculous event, and free Lazarus from his former deathly estate. Today, the call remains the same for each of us.
The call for this week is two-fold. One: don’t sit idol in your grave clothes. Many of us have been saved by the grace of God, yet, stay bound in sins in which Jesus never intended for us to remain. We’re breathing and living, but we’re not truly alive; we’re not truly free. Some of us need to take that step of faith and walk out of the grave, with vulnerability and strength, to allow others to help in our process of sanctification. As we confess our sins to one another, admit our struggles, and shed light on our darkest moments, Jesus is there, working in and through the community in which He has lovingly called us. No shame. No guilt. Just life given to us by the Word of God.
The second call, is to realize you’re not just Lazarus in the story: you’re also Martha, Mary, and the other members of the community. Unfortunately, there are many times that brothers and sisters come out of their graves, vulnerably and courageously, and we respond in fear, condemnation, and judgement. Instead of participating in their sanctification, we toss them back in the grave, disgusted by the sins and shames that stain their garments. What we forget, though, is that Jesus has came and already washed those garments clean (just as He did for you). Our job is not to worry about what stains someone had; but to participate with joy and willingness in the sanctification they are undergoing now.
God’s Word is life. Breathe it in and exhale it out.
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