Devotional for March 24 by David Hill
Read John 11:1-45, the Gospel lesson for Sunday, March 26.
In John’s Gospel the expectation is that those who see who Jesus is and what Jesus does will believe in him. With this emphasis on seeing, the mighty works of Jesus – changing water into wine, feeding the 5,000, healing the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus – become signs of God’s love and power. There is a connection between seeing and believing, between signs and faith. The signs of God’s love and power capture our imagination and lead us to faith and growth in faith. And the scene that captures my imagination here is Lazarus rising from the tomb wrapped in burial garments and Jesus’ command, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
In this story the things that bind are the disciples’ fear of returning to Jerusalem, their misunderstanding of Lazarus “falling asleep”, the bystanders’ second-guessing, and Martha’s doubts. We too can be bound or held back from receiving God’s promises: when fear prevents us from facing a challenge or responding to a need, when misunderstanding becomes solidified in closed minds, when doubt prevents discoveries of talents or spiritual gifts and the joy of sharing them. When have you been bound by fear, misunderstanding, or doubts? These can prevent us from embracing the possibilities for us to become the persons God created us to be.
Like all of Jesus’ signs, this miracle points to something greater. Lazarus was raised from death, but he would die again. Our hope is not in Lazarus’ stunning exit from the tomb but in Jesus’ resurrection. Through the presence of the living Christ, we can throw off all that binds or separates us from God, our neighbor, our best self.
Prayer: Gracious God, unbind us and let us go to become the persons you created us to be, your children alive in Christ. Amen.