Remove Those Grave Clothes

A few weeks ago, a friend brought to my attention that after resurrecting Lazarus to life and calling him out of the tomb, Jesus asked the mourners to remove the grave clothes binding him. Although Jesus didn’t NEED them to do it, He ALLOWED them to be a part of what HE was doing. It got me thinking about a few different perspectives, both positive and negative, regarding life from death, smelly grave clothes, and the church’s response as whole that I hadn’t thought about before.

As believers, we know that we are all born into this world dead in sin. When Jesus calls us to be born again into new life through His blood, He also calls us to die to ourselves. But the death I’m thinking of is something a little different. There may be sins we tolerate in our lives that must be put to death which are keeping us in bondage. We may also be called to put to death a dream, that while not evil, may not be the better dream God has in mind for us. But in this we have confidence, God’s hand is not shortened. When He allows or causes death, He creates new life in its place. I am learning that He often takes us down to the dust, then raises us up anew, bearing fruit for His kingdom.

When Jesus was told that Lazarus was near death, He waited two more days before going to him, so that “the Son of God would be glorified through it.” Nothing is ever wasted in God’s economy. He uses all things for our good, the good of others, and His glory. There may be times that God gives us over to our own desires to teach us about our own deadly passions, to teach the mourners standing by how to comfort, give assistance, or even see a glimpse of their own deadly passions. But I believe the most significant point of restoration is the glory received by God Himself in bringing us back to life, spiritually speaking.

Once God calls us out from the tomb of sin, enabling true repentance, we are not to remain bound by the rags of the past. The guilt of the past must be shed to freely walk in the new life of promise.  Though the stench of death may remain for a season, the further we move away from the tomb, the smell of sin diminishes until eventually only the sweet fragrance of new life remains.

What about the church’s response to this type of awakening? As friends, family, and fellow believers, what should our response be to the one restored? I fear we are more often judgmental and fearful than we are willing to stand in the gap. We may not want to risk getting our hands dirty by coming along side the broken or wounded. The smell of death is too much for us and we turn away in disgust. We may lack faith that God actually can restore a person from the depths of sin. We may not want to be inconvenienced with our time. We may not want to be judged by others for interacting with people “like that.” We may even think we are too good to be around people from tombs, much like the Pharisees of that day who didn’t want to become ceremonially unclean, not realizing just how dirty the inside of our own cup is. Whatever the reason is that keeps us from reaching out, this should not be the case within the family of God.

Jesus calls us to come along side the repentant soul, to help them remove those rags, as they begin again to walk the path of righteousness. We must resist the urge to reapply the grave clothes by continuing to hold the sinner captive to the past he or she has left. This doesn’t mean there is no need to do an autopsy of the sin and examine the path that led to the tomb; that is necessary to keep from following it again. However, we should no longer view the restored in light of the sin that once entangled them.

We do not have to walk this life alone. We are not supposed to. God has created His church to be a community of believers who love and support one another in good times and bad, in sorrow and joy, in sickness and health. Relationships are important. We must trust others to walk with us on this journey, to be accountable to one another, and accept help from others without fear of condemnation. As fellow believers, we must be willing to get our hands dirty by helping to remove the grave clothes, unbinding those whom God has called out of darkness. God doesn’t need our help; He allows us to be involved in what He is doing. Much like a child helping a parent with a task, we are invited to participate, so He can teach US something. From the outside looking in, it may appear strange; it may smell offensive, but if we are willing to get our hands dirty, God may allow us to be a part of a miracle that He is working not only for the good of someone else but for us as well.

For me personally, when the wind blows from a place of death in my life, bringing with it reminders of the pain or guilt of where I’ve been, I will choose to look away, towards what God is doing instead of what was done, where He’s leading instead of where I’ve been; I will breathe in the fresh air of redemption instead of the stench of death.

Father, I thank You that You allow us to come along side of You as You work. I thank You for the way You ordain the old to die, so that You can bring new life into existence. As those winds of death occasionally blow our direction, reminding us of the past, blow Your Holy Breath and cleanse the air of everything but Your glorious fragrance of redemption. May we each walk in the newness of life, unbound by past mistakes, and may we freely give of ourselves to help others walk in freedom as well.  Amen