Having raised Lazarus from the dead, as Lazarus emerges from his tomb, Jesus exclaims, “Unbind him, and let him go!”
Insofar as we are bound by death, that command is for each of us: “be released from the wrappings of death, be free”.
We are each of us wrapped by the clothing of death in different ways: perhaps a trauma, old or new, that paralyzes and depresses us; perhaps learned patterns of behaviour that neither help ourselves nor others; perhaps an egoism that makes us not very interested in other people; perhaps anxiety or loneliness from the daily pressures of life or our personal situations.
When Lazarus is still bound, he cannot return to the fullness of life that Jesus has intended for him. He cannot reach out, he cannot walk, he cannot be reconciled to his sisters. He needs to be unbound.
One starting point of reflection on this Gospel, then, is its very end: for each of us, where are we still bound by death and sin, and are we willing to be unbound? Lazarus, I am sure, was more than happy to be unbound, to be back with his sisters again. But how are we to be unbound from the wrappings of death?
Jesus words, “Unbind him, and let him go!”, were directed, presumably, at Mary and Martha. They do so and become agents of Lazarus’ freedom.
We are, in short, through the grace of God, agents of each others’ release from the wrappings of death: through genuine friendship, listening, acceptance, encouragement, not being too quick to judge, forgiveness, refusing to regard those different from ourselves as an enemy “the other”.
Jesus’ words are directed to the plural “them”, Mary AND Martha: even the meditative Mary is put to work unbinding her brother from death. And they work together, not individually. And if there were others around, I am sure they pitched in too. And after such an adventure, I am sure Lazarus would have wanted to eat; and one can imagine the excitement of both Mary and Martha preparing that meal with Jesus and Lazarus.
Because the story is about Jesus’ raising an individual, Lazarus, from death, I have begun with ourselves as individuals and as a parish. Within this community, all of us are broken in one way or another; and all of us have the capacity to offer healing to each other in one way or another. No one is a lost cause. But we also need self-awareness of what is possible and what is not; and what is God’s call to us, discerned both by ourselves and the community of faith.
Healing may simply be a kind and encouraging word, or a small gift, or an embrace, or just a presence: saying to another: “You are important; it is important that you and I be freed from death”. And all that goes not just for ourselves but for our relations with all our visitors, and all whom we meet day by day. Warm hospitality to all unwraps the clothing of death and returns us to life.
I believe this story can also be extended beyond the relationships of individuals and the Christian community to all of global human society, including our political life. Unfortunately, much of the world seems fixated on greed and death: massive profits that disregard unemployment and the effects of excessive wealth by a few on the rest of the world; massive degradation of the environment for the sake of the wealth of a few; warfare often based on quick or eventual acquisition of natural resources; and corrupt governments around the world often based on the principle of resource-extraction. The effects all around the world include child labour, poverty, homelessness, human-made natural disasters and armed conflict.
Yet amidst all that global death, Jesus says to the world whom he loves, “Lazarus, come out!”. Come out from this death-centred way of life to new patterns of life-giving human society and behaviour. Support those who are seeking justice. If you invest, support companies and enterprises that are environmentally and socially responsible, not just those with the highest profit. Put pressure on corporations, such as banks, that have obscene profits but treat their employees poorly. Support political and social movements for justice and environmental sustainability, both locally and globally. We also have the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, which we do not support as well as we should, to address these justice issues.
Canada’s indigenous peoples are in a Lazarus-like situation, emerging from the grave, brought back from the death of colonisation to new life, but in many cases still bound by the wrappings of death. Jesus declares, as he declared to Mary and Martha, “Unbind them, and let them go”. Often our political structures seek more binding rather than freedom. Having learnt our lessons as a church about binding and death with the residential schools, we should now be on the side of freedom.
Finally, one has only to walk through Jackson Square, or hang around King and James Streets, to know that Hamilton has major problems with poverty, health, homelessness, drugs and racism. The steady stream of people at our John Street door for food vouchers, bus tickets and other assistance only makes it clearer. Gentrification intensifies many of the issues. The whole situation is an enormous challenge to our government and social institutions.
As Christians, put in Jesus’ place, we are called to offer life rather than continued death; and where people or organizations show signs of life-giving, to give support. Our political decisions are to reflect life rather than death. And where we can help others free themselves from the wrappings of death, let us do so. It may mean being present at City Hall to advocate for fair wages, good health care, low-cost housing, good public transit, responsible police and safe neighbourhoods.
Finally, following from the Gospels from John over the past few weeks, life is not just survival, just enough to get along on, but rich and abundant eternal life. As a parish, perhaps God’s call is to open our doors wider and offer, for example, a regular good free meal for those who are often short of food, perhaps just once a month. We have been very good with our food collection for St. Matthew’s House, that contributes to an abundance of life. But fellowship and eating together is also important. And the invitation needs to go out, simply to share and offer life, not just to think about the numbers of our congregation. If we flourish in abundant life with the poor of our neighbourhood and city, we shall flourish as a parish. Like Lazarus, freed from the wrappings of death, we shall be free to offer freedom and eternal life to others. We pray that God will grant us the strength to do so. Amen.
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