Help Me With These Bindings

Mummy movies are pretty cool. Some great talents have played the role of the undead. Boris Karloff was the first in 1932. And then there was Lon Chaney Jr. in three separate movies in 1942 and two in 1944.

But between them, in one of the more creepiest, or even scariest, was Tom Tyler in the 1940 The Mummy’s Hand. Many attribute this to the post-production change where they removed his eyes, thus creating a true horrific nature.

You had two play a mummy in the Brendan Fraser trilogy, two by Arnold Vosloo and one by Jet Li (yes, Jet Li). In the Tom Cruise retelling, the mummy was a woman, Sofia Boutella.

However, my favorite mummy movie was in 1955 and was the one where Eddie Parker had the title role. Eddie came in with experience but being the double for Lon Chaney. The Movie? Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy.

But as fun and tempting to talk about, I want to discuss a mummy that was written about 2000 years before Abbot & Costello … Lazarus.

Lazarus was sick. The Teacher, Jesus, who loved Lazarus and was loved by Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha … Jesus could have healed him, but Jesus lingered long enough that Lazarus died before Jesus arrived. But Jesus knew what He was doing. He was showing His power. Jesus walked to the grotto, the cave where Lazarus had laid for 4 days. He had the stone rolled away and He called out loud for Lazarus. Lazarus came alive and walked out of the cave, still wrapped by the grave clothes. Still covered in the balm, oil, and beeswax. Did he smell? We have no record of words from Lazarus.

Then Jesus told the crowd, who were probably standing around, jaws dropped, scratching their head and just taking in what they had witnessed. Jesus told the crowd to help Lazarus remove the grave clothes.

They had to help him. He was alive. He was breathing again. But He still had the old grave tire still binding him.

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Let’s bring this to today … when we come to Jesus, when we receive His gift of new life, becoming a new creation in Jesus … we still have the bindings …

• the same hurts
• struggling with the same temptations
• still strained relationships
• still living in the consequences of past decisions

And we, even though a new creation, need to remove the grave clothes. He could have had Lazarus come out completely re-clothed. He could have made Lazarus remove his own bindings. But He choose to use those around him. One author said it this way …

As God’s people, we are to help others remove the bindings …. not in judgment, for we too had and may still have bindings we are dealing with … not in casting blame … for we too have been forgiven … but in acceptance and humility, for we to have found acceptance in Christ.

This is my Monday musing … as a new life, mummy like still removing my bindings. Sometimes I need help … sometimes I need to be helping someone else.

Do you still have bindings? Find a loving church family. That’s one of the reasons God created us.