Look for the Liberator

John 11:30-44

Sometimes we just get stuck. We might find ourselves day in and day out mindlessly plugging in and out of work. We might feel stuck in our marriage. We might feel stuck in our family. This month marks the 3rd anniversary of the time when all of us were stuck due to COVID-19 pandemic protocols and shut downs!

There are so many ways, emotionally, financially, physically, spiritually, that we can find ourselves stuck in a rut. And as the old wisdom goes, "the only difference between a rut and a grave is depth."

There is a wealth of meaning making we can pull out of the story of Lazarus' resurrection. We can focus on the humanity of Jesus and his grief. We can scrutinize the "if only" statements, "If only you were here earlier," etc. We can question the skepticism of those who cried out, "how is the guy who healed the blind man's sight unable to do anything about this?"

This week I am intrigued by Lazarus' funeral cloths.

Scripture says that Martha (or Mary?) had given up, telling Jesus it was no point for the stone of Lazarus' tomb to be moved because there was a stench from having been dead for four days. Lazarus was stuck (in death) and why would Jesus be able to do anything about it when clearly that odor meant it was too late. Lazarus' sister's imagination was stuck. Only certain things were possible.

But Jesus liberated everyone's imagination about what was possible when he cried out to Lazarus to "come out!"

I wonder how stuck we are in what we believe is possible? In our own lives, in our neighborhoods, in our communities, in our country? These days, we seem to be stuck in a whole lot of things: rage, apathy, addictions, fear, violence. All of those things feel impossible to change.

When Lazarus came out of the tomb, he was wrapped head to toe in funeral cloths. Lazarus was still stuck. Alive, but bound. What are the kinds of ways we are all alive but bound? I think all kinds of things can bind us individually and as a community, toxic politics, shame, feelings of powerlessness, a lack of time, over commitment, Self-loathing, "the grind" are all things that bind us and in different ways.

Throughout the story of Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life, we see how Jesus liberates Lazarus and, as important, we see that Jesus invites us into this work too. When Lazarus came forth from the tomb, bound in funeral cloths, Jesus didn't snap his fingers and make Lazarus' funeral cloths fell off. Jesus looked to Lazarus' community, his friends and family, his spiritual leaders, his neighbors all and said "take off the grave cloths and let him go."

The thing about how Jesus liberates us from all of the things that bind us is that Jesus doesn't do it alone! Jesus looks to the community to participate. When our neighbor is bound by anger, we can be a part of how Jesus unbinds our neighbor. When Jesus is at work freeing us from all of the bindings that hold us fast, we are a part of that solution. Our own liberation is bound up in the liberation of our neighbor.

So when you pray that Jesus might intervene and unbind someone from where they might be stuck, or that Jesus might breathe new life into what is dead--just remember that you might be a part of how that prayer is fully answered.