Grave Clothes and Glory
Text: John 11:25-26, 38, 40-44 (NASB)
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’… So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it… Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.’ When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth.’ The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’”
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John’s gospel is especially unique in that it contains many stories rich with deeper meaning. John’s account of Lazarus rising from the dead illuminates the power of resurrection life available through belief in Jesus. This is a prophetic episode depicting the new spiritual birth of those who turn to faith in Jesus.
Resurrection life does not begin at the time of our physical death. Our spiritual rebirth is an awakening to the resurrection life of the indwelling Christ. It begins at the moment we turn to Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 1:23). When we submit our lives to Him, we are given instantaneous access to anything and everything He is (John 1:16; Colossians 2:10). This is the mystery and wonder of the gospel.
In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a religious leader, that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are “born again.” John returns to this theme in John 11 through the Lazarus account. This episode is not only about resurrection - Lazarus is an allusion to spiritual rebirth.
The tomb of Lazarus represents spiritual death. Jesus calling Lazarus out of the tomb symbolizes the Holy Spirit drawing us toward Him, despite our unbelief (John 6:44). When Lazarus comes to life and walks out of the tomb, he is stepping out of spiritual death into spiritual life. This tomb could also be considered a type of symbolic womb that Lazarus emerges from. Lazarus symbolically becomes born again.
Lazarus still has his grave clothes on. Clothes in the Word symbolize the ideas, paradigms, and beliefs that drive our identity. Take, for example, this passage from Isaiah:
Isaiah 61:10 (NASB) “I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
Lazarus’ grave clothes symbolize our pre-Christ paradigms of thinking and believing. When we turn to Jesus, these beliefs do not always simply disappear. As we walk in intimacy with Jesus through the Holy Spirit, He reforms our beliefs and ways of thinking to bring them into alignment with His. This is the renewing of the mind, and will continue throughout all of eternity as we are progressively conformed to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29).
The renewing of the mind cannot happen alone. Jesus instructs those at the tomb to “unbind him.” God has designed His Body on earth to walk in fellowship and unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3-6). We need the gifts and abilities of others in the Body of Christ to grow personally and corporately. Fellowship in the Spirit provides us with encouragement and edification to pursue our high calling in Christ. It is an essential component in renewing the mind.
As the Holy Spirit renews our mind, we experience more and more the manifest resurrection life of the indwelling Christ. Our grave clothes fall off, the light of Christ shines through us in our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. We become more and more aware of the reality of the indwelling Christ. We are transformed into His image with ever-increasing, limitless, glory.
