Lent 5

UNBIND HIM AND LET HIM GO.

Our messages this week are typical of Lent: they’re for the most part difficult to read, but they always end in hope. I think, especially during Lent when we’re in a time of self-denial, that the message of hope is critical. It’s a great way for us to focus on what really matters rather than being caught up in the minutia of day to day.
Our stories today are about bones. Physically, bones are bound by the muscles and flesh that holds them together. Spiritually, however, our ‘dry bones’ are ourselves when we become bound by earthly trappings. We have the choice to be focused on ourselves, thus dry bones existing as bound entities, or to be free from all that ails us and focus on our spiritual selves. Dry bones are humans who occasionally have a spiritual experience. Living bones are not actually concerned about the bones – because they’re spiritual beings having a temporary human experience.
The Gospel today really spells it out for us, telling us that we need to stop being so earthly bound. Jesus has just been confronted over and over again by people demanding earthly things; claiming unrealistic expectations upon him to change their trappings while here on earth. How many times do we hear “if you had been here...” How often do our prayers go in the same direction? How often are we putting expectations on God to change our earthly situation to what we think is best, rather than trying to focus on God’s work happening in God’s time?
I want to challenge us to NOT think about how we are bound to earthly trappings right now. Instead, I want to ask some very specific questions for you to think about this week.
Who do we see in our community that has been bound – by despair, by depression, by pain. Who do we see in our church that has been bound? The signs are there – smiles that don’t quite reach the eyes, seemingly odd comments that suggest that something’s not quite right. We can choose to ignore these signs, or we can choose to engage them. When we engage, we might be able to start a process of unbinding – and when that happens, God rejoices.
Now, who have YOU bound? During our Lenten prayers we specifically ask for God’s forgiveness for those whom we have injured or offended – but do we give it more thought than that? Or do we simply move on to the next intercession? Each of us has done something which has, in some way, caused another to be bound. An unkind word, or inappropriate joke, can have a very negative impact on another without is even realising it. We do not choose to bind the people we love, but it happens when we are focusing on ourselves rather than on the world around us.
So the process of binding is a human one – the process of unbinding is God’s work through human hands. Jesus has raised Lazarus, yet tells the witnesses that they are the ones to unbind him so that he might go back to his worldly place. Jesus is bringing others into God’s work, as a way to get people involved. To realise that the Kingdom of God will come about from the work of many people, not just Jesus’ appearance.
So if our work is to go out into the world and unbind people, it suggests then that God has already been at work in these people, in raising them from their own depths. God’s work is mysterious, and illogical, and perfectly wonderful. And we are being invited to be a part of that work, to recognise that God is always giving people what they need for life – and for new life – but that sometimes they need a helping hand. That their full potential to contribute to the Kingdom is still in some way being hampered by their trappings, their bindings. At any time we can walk into the world and see someone who has been raised from a type of death. And when choose to focus on our spiritual potential, we see that we can help others to be unbound. And who knows, maybe we ourselves will be a bit unbound in the process.
In this story, we church-folk are not the Lazarus people – we believe that we have already received new life, that we are a people of salvation and we do our best to remember that every moment of every day. Rather, we are the witnesses to God’s wonders. We’re the ones standing around with our mouths open in shock, even though we’ve been told to expect the unexpected. We are the group to whom Jesus is saying “Hey! You saw what I did, now it’s your turn to do something – go, unbind him, and let him go!”