Ensuring we enjoy abundant life in Christ
Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go” (John 11:43-44).
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36).
I knew a dear sister who, before she came to the Lord, was a chain-smoker. When she trusted the Lord, she never smoked another cigarette throughout the rest of her life. The Lord has the power to set us free from those things which can prevent us from enjoying the liberty we have in Christ. For this to happen, we need to exercise faith in Christ and allow His word to be our guide.
The name Lazarus is derived from Eleazar, a son of Aaron who was Moses’s brother and Israel’s first High Priest. His name means “God has helped”. Of all the people the Lord Jesus helped, there was none in such an impossible state as Lazarus. Death had stripped him of a life in which he was loved by his family and by the Saviour. Sin and death separate us from God and all His blessings. Jesus came to conquer death and give us life “more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Not long after Jesus had said regarding Lazarus, “Loose him, and let him go”, we read about the Saviour in the garden of Gethsemane. When the soldiers arrived, Jesus asked them, “Whom are you seeking?” and they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth”. Jesus simply said, “I am He” and they drew back and fell to the ground. Then Jesus allowed them to arrest and bind Him, whilst His disciples escaped. The Lord was not bound by the soldiers’ ropes in Gethsemane or the nails at Calvary: He was bound by divine love. At Pentecost, Peter fearlessly declared the resurrection of Jesus Christ: “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Acts 2:24). Christ’s love is stronger than death.
There was no doubt Lazarus was alive, but He was bound hand and foot. Even his face was covered. The process of releasing him from his grave clothes required Lazarus to be still and his friends to patiently and gently remove what hindered his new life. In chapter 12, we find Lazarus in fellowship with the Lord. Afterwards, we see him witnessing to and suffering with the Lord (John 12:2,9-11).
The question we have to address is the impact our old life has on the enjoyment of our new life in Christ. The Saviour did not only give us life, but He also enables us to enjoy and express that life. Just as we came to the Saviour to receive life, we must abide in Him, who is our life, day by day. We need the stillness of His presence and power of His word to deal with all that would hinder the power and joy of Christian living. We need the fellowship and help of fellow Christians who love and care for us and whom we trust. Lazarus could not release himself. He was forced to be dependent. Dependency is not weakness; it is a human condition. We either rely on ourselves in an uncertain and fragile world, or we live by faith in a risen Christ. By being released, Lazarus did not become independent; he became free indeed.
