John 11:43-44 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Did you notice that Jesus commanded the people to unbind Lazarus? To me, this represents part of our mission as believers. Yes, we all want to play a part in bringing a person to Christ, to see the fruits of our labors and to know we have made a difference in someone else’s life. But after a person receives Christ as their Savior and are dead to sin’s destruction, after they have responded to the call to follow Christ and come out from the tomb of the world’s views, we should never brush our hands off and consider our job is done.
Old habits may still be covering their faces, keeping them from fully seeing God’s promises. The consequences of old sins and emotions may be binding their feet and keeping them from walking the road they are now to follow. Old relationships may be twisted around their hands, keeping them from fully reaching out to God. So Christ calls to us, his followers. “Be my hands and feet, and unbind this person. Help them and walk with them down the path of Life. Teach them my ways and lift the veil of despair from their faces. They have been rotting in darkness for way too long. I have released them with my Grace. Be by their side as they adjust to the Light. Only then, let them go.”
Are any of us so mature in Christ that we do not have bindings hampering our walk? Don’t we all need fellow Christians to guide us, pray for us and comfort us? Accepting our Saviour as Lord does not immune us from the evils of this world. Like Lazarus, the chains of death may be loosed, but at times we can still feel bound. Prayer can be a powerful releaser. Jesus prayed to the Father before He released Lazarus. Let us never be derelict in praying for each other, helping each other in times of need, and working to help release each other from the things that bind our hearts and make us feel powerless. With prayer and companionship, lets us work to unbind each other and let go.
