“Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:38-44”
When I was in high school one morning I was walking through the hallway and I came up to my cousin who also attended the same high school. Her last name was Liederbach as well. I came up behind her and the circle of friends she was talking to and overheard their discussion. Her friends were asking her, “You know that guy Gary Liederbach, are you related to him?” My cousin answered, “Oh no! We have the same last name but we are not related.”
The high school I attend at the time was the #1 in the state in drug sales. Ambulances came weekly to the school to get students who were overdosing in bathrooms. Students got off the bus in the morning and went straight to the smoking area to get high before going to classes. And I was one of the big reasons why for this problem. I was a dealer and sold drugs throughout high school. I used drugs, used people, used women; stole, lied, and cheated to get what I wanted. I caused my parents and my family pain. I taught my younger sister and brother how to weigh-up pot and cocaine, quaaludes and others drugs and sell for me as well. The police knew me well. Teachers and school authorities knew me well. And they did not like me. They told other kids to stay away from me. Don’t hang out with me. I was bad news. I was rotten to the core. There was a stench about me. And they were right.
The passage above has a personal meaning to me. In the passage, Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Jesus, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” There would be a stench from Lazarus because he had been dead for four days. I was dead for over four years. Satan used me for evil and my drug life style was destroying kids lives. There was a stench that was coming from me. However one day like Nikodemus in John 3 I came before Jesus on my knees, repented and said I was born wrong, give me that new birth. And he did. And the stone in my heart was rolled away and I got up from my knees and walked out of the grave of a life I had been in and my life has never been the same.
I am a living testimony that you can never be to dead for Jesus to bring you back to life. You can be 6 feet under trapped in a grave of living hell and Jesus can roll away whatever the stone is to free you. There is no stench to rotten and disgusting that the blood of Christ cannot wash away and make you completely clean again.
Lent is a holy season where take time to reflect on our life. To repent from things we need to stop doing, recenter our lives on Christ and start doing things we should be doing. As we near Holy Week, near the cross, near Easter, I want to remind you that is never to late repent and return to Jesus. There are times in my life I had to repent from majors sins. Daily I have to confess and repent of lesser sins. But every time I do I hear the voice of Jesus saying, “Gary come forth!” And like the prodigal son in Luke 15 who is climbing out of a pig pen filthy and covered in crap Jesus does not run from me, he runs to me. And he puts a robe around me, a ring on my finger and declares to the universe, This is my son! He was lost and now he is found!
My family, I do not know what sin, what grave, what stench may be coming from your life. But you like I, can never be to dead for Jesus to bring back to life. I have been there I know. I want to help you and there are people around you as well who jump down in the pit you are in and help you claw out. I pray you will reach out to me. (256-302-3785) Reach out to them! Fall on you knees and reach out to Jesus! Holy Week is the time more Christians around the world go to confession and confess and repent of their sins, not to receive shame, but new life. I pray you will join them, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you me friends!
Please share you thoughts and reflections on this blog in the comment box below.
Attached is another short 6 minute Youtube video from NT Wright in which he reflects on this passage as well for Lent
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