Smelly Cave, Grave Clothes ♡♡♡

 

"Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.". Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" - John 11: 38-40

"But Lord, said Martha the "sister of the dead man" <------- This amused me greatly. Err folks, just incase you missed that really important information "she is the sister of the dead man also" I love it. Martha tried to warn Jesus, about the bad odor that was likely to ooze from the cave, where Lazarus had been laid. - "But but but....says the sister of the dead man?" - At least that is how I read it. I don't think that Mary or Martha, the sisters to the "dead man", imagined Jesus willing to get down into thier brother's stench. I don't think that it ever crossed thier mind, how far Jesus would go to bring thier dead brother back to life. Dang! That is the part that got me. Yo what stench?!!!

Lazarus had died. Scripture tells us that though Jesus loved this family, upon hearing this heart breaking news, He stayed back two more days. Huh?! Infact Jesus went ahead to tell the disciples, to accompany Him to Judea. As we read further down the text, we find that the disciples didn't fully understand at first, that Lazarus was now dead. I mean, "..Lord if he sleeps, he will get better" [John 11:12]. I imagine Jesus too composed, unruffled, cool, calm and collected. Not until he let's them know plainly, that Lazarus had died [John 11:14]. Then Thomas also known as Didymus, has this super random weird response "...Let us also go, that we may die with him" huh? I love the disciples, they remind me a lot about the world we live in and the people in it. Me, you, all of us. Many may have seen a dead and stinking situation, but Jesus saw an opportunity. Jesus always sees opportunities. Jesus always sees possibilities.

"But Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

Ladies and gentlemen, please take a moment. Inhale and exhale Jesus's response ------->  "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"  POWOW! Another way of saying "what stench?". Guys, Lazarus was already dead 4 days. Jesus didn't ask for a towel to tie around his nostrils. He didn't ask for air freshener or call in the "dead body experts" to salvage the situation before He goes on to do His thing. Jesus was fully present as they rolled away the stone. Jesus was willing to get in the murk.

"..Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the graves clothes and let him go" - John 14: 43-44

This gave me chills. Jesus went straight down to business. He got his hands in the dirt. Right down in Lazarus's cave. Right down in the graves. I think about times in my own life where I felt like a lost cause, hopeless in my sin maybe. Impossible situations before me. Issues I never thought I'd overcome. "..this dead girl came out, her hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around her face. Jesus said to them, take off her grave clothes and let her go". He can do the same for you. He can do the same for anyone no matter how long they've been in a cave, and in those stinking grave clothes - 

"Take off the grave clothes and let him go" Jesus said. And Jesus is willing to do this for anyone else who chooses to believe.

Love 

SR