Unbind Him And Let Him Go

“When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:43-44

This is a powerful moment in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. The Lord asks the Father to validate to the crowd that He is the Messiah. The moment displays the power of God over death and His willingness to intervene in the events of our lives in ways that exceed our ability to comprehend.

Like the moment when water became excellent wine, or when the children of Jarius and the Centurion were raised back to life, when the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the dumb speak and the lepers are cured – with a touch, or a command, sometimes even at a distance.

There is another important picture being painted here for us. Jesus prays and calls Lazarus to come out of the tomb. Martha had warned Jesus that her brother had been dead for four days and his body would smell since it would be decaying.

Lazarus indeed walks through the opened doorway to the tomb, but he is still wrapped in the burial cloths.

The cloth here points to our old sin-stained life and Lazarus’ resurrection points to the moment of our salvation. Our old life no longer has any power over us. We are free from the tomb. But it still hinders us. It refuses to simply fall away and leave us.

Does Jesus walk over and unwrap Lazarus? No! Jesus commands those around Lazarus to unwrap him!

We have a calling in this – Jesus expects us to help others who are just coming into Christ with patience and love, we are to encourage them while following the leading of the Holy Spirit as we walk this walk, and over time every piece of the old life will be removed as we walk closer with Him. So choose to encourage others with love and patience.