We can now realise the scene, and understand the mutual relations. The existing communities, the religious tendencies, the spirit of the age, assuredly offered no point of attachment – only absolute and essential contrariety to the kingdom of heaven. The “preparer of the way” could appeal to neither of them; his voice only cried “In the wilderness.”

Far, far beyond the origin of Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes, he had to point back to the original Paschal consecration of Israel as that which was to be now exhibited in its reality; “behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” If the first great miracle of Christianity was the breaking down of the middle wall of partition, the second – perhaps we should have rather put it first, to realise the symbolism of the two miracles in Cana – was that it found nothing analogous in the religious communities around, nothing sympathetic, absolutely no stem on which to graft the new plant but was literally “as a root out of a dray ground,” of which alike Pharisee, Sadducee, and Essene would say: “He hath no form, nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.”

(lengthy quotation from Sketches of Jewish Social Life, Dr Alfred Edersheim)

There are numerous tensions in Scripture; apparent contradictions which contain great truth and provide inspiration and motivation for the followers of Jesus Christ.

Two quotations from Revelation highlight this:

They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been. (Rev 6.10-11)

This is a prayer for justice, akin to many of the Psalms; longing for the righteousness of God to be victorious.

The divine response, ‘wait a little longer,’ is one of reassurance.

The second quotation is;  They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Rev 12.11)

We as believers share in the battle. We play a part in the defeat of Satan.

There is mystery here. 12.11 refers to action and commitment. 6.10-11 refers to prayer, dependent on God to act on behalf of His people. God has ordained that we will serve and pray as part of God fulfilling His word.

So with the final victory -although certain, we are drawn in to play a part; costly and therefore important. This point is not unimportant, nor cursory, nor token. It is real – God genuinely includes us in His plan to bring in His kingdom.

As Lazarus comes out of the grave, Jesus instructed those present to ‘take off the grave clothes and let him go’ (John 11.44).

Grave clothes were proper to death, to lying in a grave. Lazarus was now raised from dead – he had to put off those grave clothes.

Leviticus 18-19 provide a list of matters which the children of Israel were to avoid 18.24-28 describes that these were common to the nations living in Canaan, nations which would later be cast out of the land. The sins listed, probably not exhaustive, were indicative of how those people lived. The people of God were not to copy them. Indeed, in Israel’s later history, God frequently judged Israel for doing just that.

The NT seems to follow this pattern. Several times we are instructed to put aside something. The ways of living, which are common to those who do not believe – believers to reject them.

1 Cor 6.9-11 ‘such were some of you’ – Corinth was the home to much sexual perversion. Converts had previously been involved. They must now learn not to live that way.

Gal 5.16-18 ‘desires of the sinful nature’ – the old way of life. Paul lists in v19-21 – mixture of actions and attitudes.; common way of life; normal. By the Christian is to put off such things. The problem is not that believers have, for example, ‘selfish ambition.’ The problem is when Christians hold such an attitude. – take off those grave clothes.

Eph 4.17-5.21; Col 2.6-23. Although the letters to Ephesus and Colossae were written by the apostle Paul about the same time, he references to different elements of the local sinful culture. I heard testimony of a prevalence of fortune-tellers in Liverpool. It was commented that these are not so common in other major cities. We should expect different places to have differences, in culture, in trade, in art and music, and in sin. These two sections would appear to support that tentative conclusion.

Room 13.11-14. Christian discipleship means putting off AND putting on. Paul’s command in clear – we are to put on Christ; His character and way. He is truly our example.

Everywhere are cultural norms; common behaviours and attitudes. This does not mean they are right. In fact, common cultural norms are probably sinful!

A Jewish Rabbi commented to Max Lucado (see It’s not about me!) not to think of the letter (of a particular commandment or instruction) but to think lifestyle. So, take off those grave clothes and put on Christ.