Grave Clothes

43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." - John 11:43-44 (NKJV)

We all come to Christ with a lot of baggage. There is not one single person that came to Christ whole. Jesus rather makes us whole and makes our lives better in ways that we couldn't on our own. I want us to imagine the scene at the tomb of Lazarus. This is a man who had been dead at least four days. The place was all smelly. It reeked of ripe odor. I am sure everybody was concerned about the smell, but only one person was able to voice it out. Isn't that so human of us. We all know at least one person that smells. But none of us is bold enough to say it, mostly out of respect maybe. But Martha was that one courageous person. 

39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone."

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." - John 11:39 (NKJV)

Lazarus carried around a stench that made people know his condition. His smell produced just enough evidence for people to know what had happened. You know when someone passes gas? It's nasty, isn't it? And when it happens, sometimes it leaves a trail. You can tell which area it came from. So this was Lazarus. Everyone knew his story. 

And Martha says, "Lord, by this time there is a stench." Have you ever done something so bad that everyone knows you for that one thing. It's hard to convince people when there's been a change. When there's been growth. It's hard. And a lot of times, we spend so much energy trying to convince people about the legitimacy of our salvation. And no matter how much we develop, there's that one thing that might have ascribed an identity onto us. Like the woman with the issue of blood. She had a name of course, but her condition stained her so much that she was called by her situation. 

What do people call you? What name is tied to you? Some of us have had traumatic experiences and because of that, we have a poor narrative of how we are supposed to live life. Jesus shows us that no matter how much we might stink, He is the only one able to bear it. Don't you think Jesus knew that Lazarus must have been smelling by now? If Jesus is all knowing, He should have known that. And yet, He was willing to stay in that environment. Jesus had a plan for Lazarus. Jesus had a plan. And He has a plan for us all. It doesn't matter where we have been. It matters where we are now.  Are we still holding on to things of the past? Are we still failing to receive God's forgiveness for our mistakes? 

Jesus likes me smelly

39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone."

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." - John 11:39 (NKJV)

There is only so much that people can do for us. Jesus doesn't mind staying in our environment. It might be messy. It might be smelly. It might produce some raw odor, and yet He likes us smelly. Even Martha, Lazarus' sister was concerned about the smell. But Jesus wasn't. Jesus comes to heal. He comes to restore. He comes to mend our broken hearts. 

It doesn't matter if we have been let down by so many people. We can choose to trust in Jesus. There's a part we have to play. And that's usually the hardest one. Jesus' willingness to heal us greatly exceeds our willingness to accept His healing. When we become so used to an environment that needs pain to breed, it becomes hard to let go. We can become addicted to our pain. We can easily become addicted to our misfortunes. And hard as they might have been, Jesus wants us free. 

There wouldn't be a difference between Christianity and the other religions if we cannot live in freedom. The beauty about having a relationship with God is that we can have one that is transparent. God already knows us, but our healing comes when we speak to Him about it. And it's hard. Sometimes, even speaking about certain things is almost like re-living some of those traumatic experiences.  

When I kept things to myself,
I felt weak deep inside me.
I moaned all day long. - Psalm 32:3 (NCV)

Our weaknesses stem from the inside. It's not what we do on the outward platform that weakens us, but it's what we fail to speak about. There's healing in having transparent conversations. And if we cannot tell God, I am so sure that we wouldn't be able to speak to people about the things that continually haunt us. Jesus met Lazarus while he was still wearing his grave clothes. Jesus didn't wait for him to change or prepare himself for a more dignified meeting. Sadly, in my little experience as a believer, I have met people who say they have to change themselves before meeting Jesus. And man, what a huge responsibility that is! There are things that only God can do. Things that even we cannot do on our own. 

Jesus met Lazarus in his present condition. And many times if you check your bible, you'll discover that Jesus met with people that were usually broken, misfits, written-off and people from all walks of life. Jesus had a plethora of exposure. He met with Pharisees, He met tax-collectors. He ministered to lepers and adulterers. There's something that Jesus understands that we do not. That's why He could stand in Lazarus' stench and still function. 

He came out bound

44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." - John 11:44 (NKJV)

The story of Lazarus resonates with me in so many ways. Perhaps, it does resonate with you as well. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and yet he came out bound. It's like, receiving salvation. On the one hand, we receive the life of God. And on the other hand, there's still stuff that has to be dealt with. Stuff that keeps us bound. Being born again doesn't mean we forget about our past. But it does begin a relationship with Jesus. And that's when we realize that we have so many things we have to let go. 

Because Lazarus was bound, he couldn't move. He wasn't free to walk. He wasn't able to do anything. The bible says, "And he who had died came out bound." It is true that we are saved. Wasn't it true that Lazarus was now alive? Aren't we alive to God in Christ? It is true! We know this. But the same Lazarus came out still bound and that placed a limit on what he could do. That hindered his movement. And sometimes such things can almost make us doubt our own salvation. So, I am born again but my life is so miserable God! And some of us are committed church members, and perhaps we even serve in a ministry, but we are bound. 

When we are bound with stuff from our past, we fail to function in our new reality. Being born again is one thing. And it's only the first step to a long journey. Being a believer is hard. And maybe you've never been told. But it is. However, we have a high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses and frailties. Where we weak, God gives us the grace to operate at a Divine level. 

Loose Him

 Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." - John 11:44 (NKJV)

We can start by asking ourselves simple questions. What do we know about ourselves? What areas do we need to improve in? What areas have we limited God? Did you know that God wants to have access to our entire being. And we are spirit, soul and body. God wants to be involved. Maybe we have allowed God to have access to our spirit and body, but have we allowed God in the realm of our soul? That's the area where we struggle with the most. Most of our problems stem from our soul. Our soul comprises - our mind, will and emotions. Everything that we have not let go is stuck somewhere within our soul. 

Everything that we struggle with is a result of souls that haven't yet aligned themselves with God's thoughts. And this is the realm where we are attacked by satan. The one conversation that Eve had with the serpent caused her to doubt God. That one conversation made her disregard everything she had believed. And some of us exalt our problems so high that we think God cannot handle them. Remember stinky Lazarus? Well, this isn't about him. But it is about you and I. We have a messed up past. We have battles that we are yet to win. And battles that we are struggling with. If we are going to win, we have to let them go. We have to give them up to God. We have to give up our ideologies. We have to give up our insecurities. We have to let them go. It's only in that space that we can find the strength for mobility; In the realm of letting loose everything that binds us. 

Note : Hey readers, We are on a journey. It's gonna get uncomfortable real quick. But we can journey together and discover the freedom of God. Thank you for reading. Shalom.