What has you tied up in knots today? Surely the election results have at least half of the country feeling bound up in restrictive cloths while the other half is feeling suddenly set free. There are lots of things in life that can make us feel wrapped up in burial cloth: Divorce, the sudden death of a loved one, financial woes, natural disasters, food and housing insecurities … the list goes on and on. What has you trapped today?
Our lectionary passage from last week tells the incredible story of a man who died and was bound up in strips of cloth like a mummy. This man was dear to Jesus, as were his sisters. Mary and Martha were strong believers in Jesus’ power to heal. They had sent for him to come and heal their brother, but he arrived too late:
John 11 (Common English Bible)
32 When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. 34 He asked, “Where have you laid him?”
I find it striking that he was deeply disturbed and troubled at the news of his friend’s death and at their grief. Do you know that whatever has you bound up today causes Jesus some consternation? He loves you that much.
They replied, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus began to cry. 36 The Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
Notice that the Jews who were observing this acknowledged Jesus’ power to heal. They were believers.
38 Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”
Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.”
In the King James Version, this sentence reads “He stinketh.” I think we should revive that word. It kind of adds class to a smelly situation. If you’ve ever changed a diaper, you know what I mean.
Then Jesus had his “hold my beer” moment. They wanted him to heal Lazarus, but he showed an even greater power than that: He showed them the power of resurrection.
40 Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” 41 So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” 43 Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”
The bottom line for this story for us today is this: Jesus wants to unbind you from whatever has you trapped. He longs to set you free from your burial shroud and watch you enter into new life, healed and whole. I bet you know exactly what to do to make this happen. Whether it’s leaving a toxic relationship, ending a destructive habit, stop obsessing over the past, or standing up for yourself against an enemy, you know what to do. So do it!
Untie yourself and let it go.
At Water’s Edge 