Sunday Message: wrappings

This week I heard a sermon on Lazarus and his "resurrection" (and there is a good reason why I put that in quotes, bear with) that mentioned the things that his rising from the dead and Jesus' own had in parallel.  But the thing that struck me, where the preacher didn't go, was the big difference in the two.

And that is the wrappings...


Joh 20:3  Peter, therefore, went forth, and the other disciple, and they were coming to the tomb, 
Joh 20:4  and the two were running together, and the other disciple did run forward more quickly than Peter, and came first to the tomb, 
Joh 20:5  and having stooped down, seeth the linen clothes lying, yet, indeed, he entered not. 
Joh 20:6  Simon Peter, therefore, cometh, following him, and he entered into the tomb, and beholdeth the linen clothes lying, 
Joh 20:7  and the napkin that was upon his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but apart, having been folded up, in one place; 

Joh 11:43  And these things saying, with a loud voice he cried out, `Lazarus, come forth;' 

Joh 11:44  and he who died came forth, being bound feet and hands with grave-clothes, and his visage with a napkin was bound about; Jesus saith to them, `Loose him, and suffer to go.'

You see?  Lazarus was still bound by his grave clothes;  Jesus had PASSED RIGHT THROUGH His.  Why the difference?  Because of the TYPE of resurrection.

Jesus died and was immediately given His new body, because, that day of His death, He WAS in paradise.  The new body could be seen and disappear at will, pass through grave clothes, be recognized and unrecognizable to mortal eyes- and yet, be touched, be held, take in food and drink.  This is the body we are promised when we die the literal death.  But we also have a figurative death, and this is what Lazarus' "resurrection" teaches us.

You see, Jesus raised Lazarus knowing he would eventually die in this body again.  And this is US in a microcosm.  Before we know Jesus, we are dead in the tomb of our sins, wrapped in the bindings of mortality and our fallen nature.  Jesus called Lazarus to RENEWED life- but he was still in the same old body.  He was SAVED from the death of sin, but still WRAPPED in that mortal flesh AND the sin that it entails.  This is us.  We are dead in sin.  Christ comes, calls us from the tomb.  We live a new life- BUT we are still wrapped in the mortal flesh, still wrapped in sin.

Before I "wrap" this up, I want to tie it to another part of Scripture.  Another Minister brought up this text in 1 Corinthians:

1Co 10:1  And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 

1Co 10:2  and all to Moses were baptized in the cloud, and in the sea; 

1Co 10:3  and all the same spiritual food did eat, 

1Co 10:4  and all the same spiritual drink did drink, for they were drinking of a spiritual rock following them, and the rock was the Christ; 

1Co 10:5  but in the most of them God was not well pleased, for they were strewn in the wilderness,

1Co 10:6  and those things became types of us, for our not passionately desiring evil things, as also these did desire. 

The parallels here:  God through Moses had brought Israel "out of the tomb" of Egypt and into a new life, baptized into it through the cloud and the crossing of the Sea.  But they were STILL wrapped in their sin.  All of the ways that God was faithful to them, and yet for such a vast majority of them, their dealing with the "wrappings" were to grumble and complain, and never was the first instinct to trust God.  And because of that attitude, that "new life" met a sad end for all of them- they never saw the land of promise.  God well named the nation- do you remember what Israel means?

Gen 32:27  Then the man asked, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 

Gen 32:28  The man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won. That's why your name will be Israel." 

Always wrestling with God, fighting Him at every turn.  So back to our story.  Did you note how Lazarus was to get out of his wrappings?

Jesus saith to them, `Loose him, and suffer to go.'

This will sound hypocritical of me, but it really isn't.  Because I hear the Word of God from many Men of God, I have Laurie and you all to help me with this-  YOU NEED OTHERS TO UNWRAP YOU.  You need to be where other believers have an effect on your life, and I certainly praise God for all of those who provide that for me!  And just like the cloth coiled around Lazarus, this isn't going to be a painless process.  Four days with these bands infused with aloes and ointments, you think that's not gonna leave a mark coming off?  I realized that this morning as the Pastor I listened to hit me right between the eyes with an attitude of mine- an attitude that he put in a column marked, "Things God hates."  And the closer to free you get, the more that peeling's gonna hurt.  But in the end you will be free- and when you die the NEXT death, you'll pass right through the wrappings, like Jesus did.

And if that example of pain in growth isn't enough, how about when I throw into the mix sacrifice.  Follow me on a brief speculation.  You have perhaps heard the Parable- or is it?- about the "other" Lazarus and the rich man, who both die but go to separate places.  Now, I have heard it pointed out that this may have actually happened, because in NO OTHER parable does Jesus give a name as He did this Lazarus.  Consider if this was the SAME Lazarus.  Then, after a mortal life of misery and pain, he achieves paradise- only to have Jesus call him away from it, to make a point to US.  Would you want to make THAT sacrifice?

Maybe you won't ever be asked to.  But just maybe you'll be asked something just as hard.  Would you be willing, if it meant getting these cursed wrappings off?