Hearing this gospel story on the day after Hallowe’en may set up some jarring mental images. What did Lazarus look like, emerging from that tomb at Jesus’ command, “Lazarus! Come out!” It’s hard not to summon one of those old-time B movies about mummies coming to life. Here comes this form, wrapped in cloth from head to toe, unable to walk:
The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth.
It must have caused pandemonium. Or utter silence. And Jesus didn’t say anything like, “Whew – glad that worked,” or “Welcome back, Lazarus!” He simply said, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Unbind him. Undo all the work you did to prepare his body for burial. Now you need to prepare him for life, renewed life.
Unbind him. Release him to move freely, to reenter relationships, to fully be who God made him to be.
Unbind him. Set him free forever from having to fear death.
That is also the work we are called to as saints in God’s mission of reclaiming, restoring and renewing all of creation to wholeness in Christ. We unbind people from the bondage of poverty and addiction, from the pain of infirmity and broken relationships, from the paralysis of depression and materialism. We unbind structures of injustice and cruelty that hold back people, animals, this creation itself from fully living. We are in the business of releasing the captives, as Jesus has released us. “Unbind her, and let her go.”
Today is the birthday of my older sister Paula, who died in 1996, tightly bound by ailments and addictions. A few months after her death, I was given a picture in prayer of Jesus taking her hand and leading her out of the door of the apartment in which she died. I knew that now she was free from the turmoil that often mitigated the many joys of her earthly life; free to be fully herself, fully the saint she was made to be, with all her uniqueness, her incredible gifts and intelligence and love. She is a saint unbound, fully alive.
That is our invitation too – to become more and more free in this life, released to love and be loved, and in the life to come completely unbound. What a dance of joy that will be!
We may as well start dancing now - it's what all cool saints are doing.
Hey Kate!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your personal experience with the Gospel.
In this week's reading, I am struck by the irony and authenticity of the bystanders' comment, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
After opening the eyes of the blind, and now after raising the dead, even so som people reject belief and cling to doubt. :Yes, but ..." certainly starts many of MY responses to experience of the Holy Spirit in action.
May God continue to bless your ministry.
Kirk
Mine too - and the "you could have..." drives my complaints to God too!
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