The Meaning of Cloth

John 11:30-44

The story of the raising of Lazarus reaches its crescendo in the final verses of today’s reading. “When [Jesus] had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go’” (John 11:43-44). Here is what I find most interesting in these verses: Jesus has just healed his friend Lazarus from death—so to speak—by raising him and releasing him from his tomb. But Lazarus is still “bound with strips of cloth” and his face is still “wrapped in a cloth.” So Jesus tells those who were there to “Unbind him, and let him go.” Why is it necessary for John to mention the cloth that binds Lazarus? Is it really important to the story?

Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that, even though he’s been raised, Lazarus must return to living his earthly life. Yes, Jesus has freed him from the tomb, but Lazarus must now go back to the day-to-day circumstances that challenge all of us, and to do so he’s going to need his hands and his feet and his head to be unwrapped. Even after Jesus has raised him Lazarus will still face death and the resurrection that will follow because Lazarus is still human. There is another place in John’s gospel where cloth is used at the time of death. After Jesus’ resurrection John tells us that Peter “went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself” (20:6-7). This is a subtle signal to us. The resurrected Jesus did not need to be unbound or let go in the manner that a healed Lazarus did. The cloth, set aside as it was, tells us that something entirely different has happened here. Jesus is now beyond death and is no longer constrained by human life as we know it. Indeed, he is our hope and our confidence for all that awaits us.

So there is meaning to be found in the presence of cloth in John’s gospel. Those who believe can look forward to a new sense of freedom in the resurrection, a new life unbound, one no longer hindered by all that faces us in this life.

Prayer: O God, we offer our thanks and praise to you this day for all that you promise to us in Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Psalm 97

I’m a city boy. I know very little about farming. But I do know this: when you plant a seed, don’t expect it to sprout right away. That boy named Jack may have grown a beanstalk overnight, but those were magic seeds he planted. When you and I plant seeds we have to wait a while to see any results.

The reason I mention the growth rate of plants is because of what we read in Psalm 97. “Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart” (Psalm 97:11). At least that’s how some English translations read. In Hebrew the same verse begins, “Light is sown for the righteous….” So while the Psalm celebrates the reign of God and the vindication of the faithful, in verse 11 we get an idea of how God’s justice will effect humanity. The light of God will dawn or be sown for the righteous, which tells me that God’s people are not necessarily going to see results quickly.

Planting and growing crops are activities not know for their swiftness. You do not farm in a hurry. It is the sort of work that requires diligence and patience. Much of the same can be said about faithful living. We who profess faith in God through Jesus Christ must live our lives with diligence and patience because the reign of God does not come quickly, does not reach its fullest expression in a hurry, and it certainly does not work on our schedules. But the growth is certain for this is what God does, and in God’s time all will come to fruition.

“The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” (v. 1), says the psalmist. We may add our voices to the chorus of praise because we know that the Lord rules, and that the reign of God is drawing ever nearer. It may not be moving as quickly as we’d like, but it is certain. And certainty is a very rare crop indeed.

Prayer: Lord of dawn and God of growth, give us the patience we need to live as your people, faithfully awaiting the arrival of your reign in its fullness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

He’s Been Everywhere

Acts 14:19-28

How does this sound as an itinerary? “The next day (Paul) went on with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch…Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed” (Portions of Acts 14:20b-26). Names of cities are flying around in this passage almost as fast as they do in the old Johnny Cash song, “I’ve Been Everywhere.” In it Cash sings,

I've been to:

Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika,

Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica,

Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield, Shreveport,

Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport,

Idaho, Jellico, Argentina, Diamantina,

Pasadena, Catalina, see what I mean-a.

While Cash’s song is lots of fun, we need to recognize the significance of the reading from Acts. The sort of evangelism in which Paul is engaged is not for the faint of heart nor for the weak of spirit. It is grueling work demanding nearly tireless efforts, boundless energy, and, yes, the willingness to move about. Paul might have found a comfortable spot somewhere under a tree beside a river and waited for folks to come by, but instead he went (nearly) everywhere in order to find those in need of grace and to call them to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Not all of us have that kind of energy or drive, not all of us are able to travel so extensively, but for those who are so blessed the ministry of evangelism is, in many ways, its own reward for it allows people of faith to see, firsthand, the gospel at work in ways that may not be imaginable otherwise.

So thanks be to God for those who are willing to travel and to witness and to share their faith with others. And may each of us find our own way to serve God.

Prayer: God of energy and movement, help us to serve you in whatever way you need us, but always according to your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Star Power?

Acts 14:1-18

“When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form!’" (Acts 14:11). This verse from today’s reading in Acts should sound familiar to us because it has been repeated over and over again in human history. We have become very adept at venerating other humans: athletes, musicians, politicians, entertainers, artists, TV personalities, authors. We collect autographs and pour over pictures of prominent people. We also absorb gossip and rumors about famous men and women. And though we would rather not admit it, much of this behavior echoes the words of the Lycaonians, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” We can become star struck and allow this condition to guide the way we live.

The problem is that when we allow ourselves to be distracted by the nature of celebrity it also means that we have taken our eyes off of the one God. Fame can be enticing, it can seduce us, and it can blind us to the reality of God’s presence in the world. But only God is Sovereign over all creation, and only God, the God, can truly address our lives with both judgment and grace. Movie stars may provide us with entertainment, musicians and authors may fill our lives with insight and texture, athletes may inspire us, but none of these are worthy of our praise the way God is. And while this is all seems so obvious, just reflect on how often we allow ourselves to be caught up in what amounts to idol worship at the expense of our attention to God’s will in our lives.

Enjoying the works of others, appreciating their efforts, following their achievements is all very appropriate. But once we take our focus off of God in order to be more attentive to mere humans we have fallen into the same trap that nearly snared the Lycaonians. Only God is God, and only God deserves to be worshiped.

Prayer: Lord, help us to remain focused on you in all we do so that we may live lives of justice and truth according to your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

On Not Understanding What You Understand

John 9:18-41

According to John’s gospel, Jesus’ words drew an interesting response from some of the religious leaders. “Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’” (John 9:39-40). These unnamed religious folks get the point that Jesus is making, but not really. They recognize what he is saying and that he is saying it about them. But they don’t believe it and they certainly aren’t willing to accept it as true.

What was Jesus saying about the Pharisees? He was holding them up to judgment, he was pointing out that while they had every opportunity to grasp the will of God and to follow it they had instead turned in another direction, one of their own choosing. Now, even though their eyes were open and their minds were free to function, they had become hostile to the truth of Jesus’ message. “Surely we are not blind, are we?” they asked him. So these leaders recognized the claim that Jesus was making, but they were unwilling to accept him and the good news he offered. They understood, they just didn’t get it.

I wonder how much I understand but don’t “get,” how much I believe about God but am unwilling to put into practice. I’m a minister, I study scripture, and I am charged with certain religious responsibilities, all of which sets me very close to the position that the Pharisees held in their day. Do I hear the words of Jesus and then go on about my business, following a path of my own creation? Am I vulnerable to judgment for my spiritual blindness or hardness of heart? I certainly hope not, but all of us must remain prayerfully attentive to what Jesus is saying, must open our hearts and our minds with humility, so that we do not miss the true message of the gospel. We must also resist the temptation to assert our own perspective as the only valid one, for it is at that very moment that we become most prone to misunderstanding.

Live today with hearts and minds open to God. Live today with the confidence that in turning to Jesus Christ you may be guided along God’s way and not down a path of your own choosing where blindness will lead you to stumble and fall.

Prayer: Loving God, grant us the humility we need to live as your people and to follow your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Crazy Good News

Acts 12:1-17

James, one of the twelve, had been put to death. Peter had been arrested and placed in prison. Things were looking bleak for the early church. But then an angel from the Lord led Peter from the jail and set him on his way in freedom. What follows, according to our reading from the book of Acts, is a rather comical scene. "When (Peter) knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, 'You are out of your mind!' But she insisted that it was so. They said, 'It is his angel.' Meanwhile Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed" (Acts 12:13-16).

This isn't the first time in the New Testament that a woman has tried to share good news only to be doubted. The women who carried the joyous news of the resurrection were scoffed at, too, until Jesus appeared and authenticated their story. Here a maid named Rhoda announces the presence of Peter, but the others think she is crazy. I understand. Sometimes the news is so good that we can hardly believe it so instead we take a cynical approach. When will we ever learn? This is the gospel we are dealing with, the good news of Jesus Christ. Are not all things possible in and through him? Is God not capable of raising the dead and of freeing the prisoner? What else might God be doing in our world that cries out for our trust? What messages of grace do we miss simply because we don't believe?

Rhoda the maid is one of my favorite minor characters in scripture partly because she adds levity at a very serious moment by being so real and authentic. But she is also a favorite of mine because she believes, and in believing she allows herself to experience great joy. Today I want to believe! Today I want to experience the joy that comes from faith in what God is doing! Today I want to go beyond the cynicism and doubt of the world, it's institutions and it's agents, and to embrace the goodness of what God's work in Jesus Christ as best I can. Who's with me?

Prayer: Lord, open my heart to your good news and help me to receive it with joy, for it is in Jesus' name that I pray. Amen.

A Hope-filled Letter of Complaint

Psalm 88

There really is no end to the sorrow and despair of Psalm 88. From the first verse to the last there is only anguish and pain, and that might surprise us that the psalmist would spend an entire Psalm and say almost nothing positive to God. And yet this Psalm does offers hope because, as negative as it sounds, it begins with the words “O Lord, God of my salvation…” (Psalm 88:1).

Imagine a letter you might right to a customer service department to complain about a faulty product. It might begin something like, “Dear Sir or Madam, I wish to call to your attention the problems I have experienced with my new remote-controlled toaster and ask you to help me solve the issues.” There would then follow a list of all the ways that the taster is defective: for example how, when you use the remote feature, not only does it toast bread, but it also opens your garage door and turns on your television, or how the toaster itself keeps blowing the fuse in your kitchen. The letter would be one of complaint, but it would also be one of hope because it is addressed to the people who can do something about the problem, either by fixing the toaster, replacing it, or by giving you your money back.

For the psalmist, God is the one who can do something about the problems of life. God is the Lord, the God of salvation. If there were no hope, if God were unable or unwilling to meet the needs of God’s people, this Psalm would never have been written or sung. But God is able and is willing to come to our aid, and we are free to complain and to moan out loud––if that is how we feel––because God listens. Ours is a God who is big enough and gracious enough to take all of our anger, all of our disappointment, and all of our complaints and go right on loving us and caring for us. Ours is indeed a “God of salvation” to whom we may freely address our darkest concerns, trusting in God’s help.

Prayer: Gracious God, we lift up our deepest fears to you this day, knowing that you hear and respond, because you are our God and we are your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.