JOHN 11:1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it." 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.
I would like to point your attention to vs 5 "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" There are a LOT of Marys mentioned in the Bible, so I would like to identify this one. We can gain an insight on her personality and get a glimpse of this family that Jesus loved so dearly.
Notice in vs 6, Jesus didn’t take off right away. Don’t you ever feel like that? Hey, Jesus! I need you NOW! This is another example of the way God uses things to effect as many as possible. If Jesus would have scurried over and simply healed Lazarus, then it would not have had the same impact that the raising of the dead had. If fact, we see doubt already creeping in...read on vs 7Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 8"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" 9Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. 10It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." 11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Boy, that Thomas! We all read that and think about Thomas like "how could he have witnessed all the miracles Jesus performed and still was so skeptical?" I ask you the same question....You’ve seen God work miracles in your life and in the lives of others. How can you have ANY doubt that God can fix whatever problem you have? Ye of little faith!
If we read this text on down, we see a couple of things here. Martha seemed to have a stronger faith than Mary. Look at vs 21"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Martha had FAITH! She didn’t care what had happened....she knew that God was in control! She even said hey...if he doesn’t rise now, he will on teh day of ressurection (vs 24). Sometimes it seeems that things just spiral out of our control...and they ARE out of our control...but they are NEVER out of Gods! Remember, most of the time, God is just waiting for you to give Him your problems...and let Him take care of you.
Look at Mary though! Vs 32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Quit a different reaction, wouldn’t you say? You might expect Jesus to get angey with Mary and say "where is your faith? What’s wrong with you? You know who I am!" But He didn’t, did He? So what was His reaction? Vs 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. and in vs 35, the shortest verse in the Bible, Jesus wept.
He was moved by Mary, and I’m not sure that part of the reason He weeped was not because He saw in Mary a lack of faith. But this should show you that Jesus loves you and has compassion on you....even though you aren’t always what you should be, maybe you don’t have the faith you should have....but instead of being angry.....Jesus wept.
Mary and Martha lived with their brother Lazarus at Bethany, a village not far from Jerusalem. They are mentioned in several episodes in the Gospels. Luke 10:38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"Look at Jesus’s answer: 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." .Quit worrying about the small stuff! God has everything under control, and if you are under His control...that is, submitting to His will in your life, you have nothing to worry about!
Look in JOHN 12:1Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5"Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages." Now, look at Jesus’s answer again....vs 7"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."
Boy, that Mary! Always in trouble! Seems like she just couldn’t please people, no matter how hard she tried! She DID, however please someone, didn’t she? Jesus saw Mary’s heart....through all her imperfections, she loved Jesus! And He loved her....just as He loves you and I, even when we do something that others may think is "dumb" or "stupid". It doesn’t really matter what others think...it’s what God thinks! Even Jesus said that Mary was supposed to save the purfume for His burial! Mary jumped ahead of Him, didn’t she? Sound familiar?
This story of Martha and Mary can be looked at several different ways...Martha seemed to be the one always prepared, always ready. Wants everything to be perfect! My wife likes it that way. Nothing wrong with that! Martha obviously enjoyed great faith! She seemed to be the one always hustling and bustling, eager to help in any way possible! She wanted the best for Jesus’s visit!
Mary, on the other hand, was probably more dis-organized (like me). Didn’t really plan good, did things spur-of-the-moment....free-spirited, you might say! Sometimes she even doubted her own faith...but Jesus loved them both! If I were to say what would kind of personality would we need the most, I would say probably somewhere between Martha and Mary’s. Trouble is, most of us lean one way or the other a little too much....but it’s ok, Jesus loves you anyway!
Luke 10:40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. Listen....don’t be distracted by the things of this world. Yes, there are things that must be done, but keep everything in perspective! Sometimes we also get so busy living life, that we forget the really important thing...God! We are busy working, taking care of our family, watching grandkids, helping out someone with THEIR problems (need to let God do that!), working overtime to get extra money for vacation....MAT 6:24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
It doesn’t matter how well dressed you are on the outside....the inside is what God sees! And He certainly saw the inside of Mary’s heart! Don’t get distracted by things that aren’t going to matter in the end! On down in MATT 6:33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Don’t let life’s worries distract you...keep your eye on the prize! By the way, do you know the meaning of the name "Martha?" It means "bitterness." God loved Martha, but if you let too much worry come over you, it is hard to NOT become bitter....how’s your life? Is it cluttered? Lots to worry about? (Old song we used to sing) Turn your eyes upon Jesus....Turn you eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face; And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.
