“Loose him, and let him go!” John 11:44
It would be impossible to somehow list the
miracles of Jesus from being the least significant to the most dramatic. Each
time we read about the Son of God doing something in the realm of the supernatural,
it reminds us of the unique and wonderful qualities of this God-Man, as He
lived a humble life marked by His unlimited authority.
He turned water into wine at the suggestion
of His loving mother. He blessed and broke a little boy’s lunch and fed over
5,000 men (not counting the women and children). He calmed troubled waters by
speaking to the howling wind, “Peace! Be still.” He anointed blinded eyes with
mud made from His own spittle, and those eyes began scanning the wonder of
God’s creation with 20/20 vision. He caused the rotting, putrefying flesh of
the isolated leper to become as soft and beautiful as a newborn child. The leper’s
song was changed from “Unclean, unclean” to “Jesus Loves Me” as he ran
excitedly back home to embrace his family. And He stood against the enemy of
our souls, casting out those fallen spirits who occupied and were destroying
the lives of those who had been demon possessed. These are but a few examples
of the authority of Christ displayed for us in the Gospels. Yet there are three
miracles that truly must captivate our attention when we consider the greatness
of His power, and they all have to deal with the trauma of death.
In Mark 5:21-43, we have the account of a
twelve year old girl, the daughter of Jairus, one of the rulers of the
synagogue, probably Capernaum, where Jesus had established his ministry
headquarters. We do not know the reason for her sickness, but it was severe enough
that this man went looking for Jesus as He was returning from a trip across the
Sea of Galilee . Jesus immediately began to go with this
man to his home, but the journey was interrupted by a diseased woman with an
issue of blood. When word came that the girl had died, Jesus would not allow
the sad news to prevent Him from going to see her. Ridiculed by those who had
gathered to mourn her passing, Jesus chose a few of His disciples, and along
with the girl’s parents, entered into the privacy of her room and called out her
name to a restoration of life! She who had been enveloped in death for a few
brief moments was alive again – Praise the Lord!
Looking at Luke 7:11-17, we find the story
of a frightened widow in the town of Nain who was burying her
only son. This young man would be the sole provider of financial security for
this woman, and now he was dead. Was his death a result of some horrible
disease, or the shocking reality of a violent accident? We do not know the answers
to these questions, but we do know the result of the Lord’s presence that day. He
stopped the funeral procession, put his hand on the open coffin, and spoke
softly to the young man, who immediately sat up and began talking to his
bewildered and excited mother. Death had been a reality for this young man
perhaps for several hours, if not overnight, and now was only a memory as he
danced again in the sunlight of divine love!
The testimony of Lazarus in John 11:1-44 is
a little different. This man was not twelve years old or in the maturing years
of early adulthood. Lazarus would have been considered middle aged, if not in
the beginning of his senior adult years. When Jesus finally arrived on the
scene, Lazarus was far beyond experiencing death for a few brief minutes or
even a collection of hours. Horrified when Jesus commanded that the stone
should be rolled away from the place of his burial, Lazarus’ sister, Martha,
protested that he had been dead for several days, and there would be a horrible
stink coming forth from his decaying corpse. Nevertheless, the stone was
removed, and following a prayer to His Heavenly Father, Jesus cried with a loud
voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” The Bible says that the man who had been dead
suddenly appeared in the opening of his death chamber still wrapped in his
grave clothes. Wow! Then the words of instruction from the lips of our Lord to
those who observed this incredible miracle, “Loose him, and let him go.”
Jesus was, and is, the giver of life. Divine
life springs forth from spiritual death when He calls our name in redemption.
But He is also the restorer of life. When our life of faith seems to have
experienced some sort of horrible disease or tragic accident, resulting in
death, He can call our names like no other. And when He does, life is restored.
My journey is not unique. Life can often be described as two steps forward, and
one step back. Since I began chronically telling of my personal adventure in
this format, more and more of His grace is being realized as I obey His
directives. During the month of February, I was privileged to be with a church
in North Carolina for a deacon and staff retreat, along with their spouses, and then a
revival campaign with the entire congregation. It has probably been at least
ten years since I’ve been so honored to lead such an important event in the
life of a church, and it was quite a thrill. Numerous decisions were made each
night as the Holy Spirit worked among many who were seeking Him.
Now I have begun a new ministry in my home
church as Staff Evangelist. I will be assisting our Pastor in numerous ways to
strengthen and grow our church family, including preaching during our Sunday
night gatherings when I am not on mission with Him in other locations. In some
ways, I sense the Lord’s voice has said to others concerning me, “Loose him,
and let him go!” I pray that the best is yet to come! AMEN!!