To the Girl with Passion, Compassion, & Conviction–It’s Go Time
Do you feel a call on your heart in this new year? To the girl with passion, compassion, & conviction--it's go time. It's time to walk in the fierce calling God sets before you. I’d love to have coffee with Martha & Mary. Besides hearing about their fascinating conversations with Jesus, there’s something I’d like to ask them … Concerned for their brother’s life, Martha & Mary sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill." because surely Jesus would come and Lazarus would be healed. Surely. But things don’t always happen as we believe they should–and God’s love is magnified in more extraordinary ways than we can fathom. Jesus purposefully delays His arrival–because sometimes what doesn’t make sense in temporal ways makes sense in eternal ways. When Jesus finally makes His way to the outskirts of Bethany, Martha hears He is near. She slips out of her home, where many had gathered to comfort the sisters, and went out to meet Him. Martha says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21). How often do we tell the Lord what He already knows? But we should tell Him because although He knows our hearts, He wants to hear our hurts straight from our own lips. That Whole “Martha/Mary” Thing … It’s interesting to me that Martha was the one who left her guests to meet Jesus. We’ve met Martha & Mary before–in Luke 10. We learned Martha busied herself with hospitality while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. This time, it was Martha who drew near. In the Luke 10 account and in Martha’s defense, she was fulfilling the cultural expectations of Jewish customs. It was expected that women should tend to domestic responsibilities. Mary ignores this custom by sitting at Jesus’ feet, and Jesus throws out customs and expectations to teach us that sitting at His feet is better than meal prep--or anything else. Of course, I’d probably dash to the kitchen to prepare lasagne if He showed up at my house, and hospitality is a beautiful thing, but it’s just not the best thing. Spending time with Jesus is. Why bake bread when you have the Bread of Life sitting in your living room? Back to the Story–Jesus Calls for Mary Perhaps Mary was too bereaved to leave the house. Perhaps Mary was too hurt that Jesus did not arrive sooner. We don’t know her thoughts, but we do know one of the sisters had to stay behind. In Jewish custom, the bereaved were to stay at home for a week after a loved one’s passing. When Jesus calls for Mary, Martha journeys home to bring her sister back to Jesus. That warms my heart like melted chocolate on a S‘mores because Jesus calls for us too–by name. We are called to lay down what is customary to dwell in the midst of our Savior. The Exact Same Words Mary hurries to meet Jesus at that same spot and says the exact same words Martha said: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” The sisters knew… They knew Jesus could have healed Lazarus. It was no coincidence Martha and Mary said the exact same thing to Jesus and perhaps had the exact same thought… Jesus, you’re too late. Where were you? But Jesus is never too late. He calls for the stone to be taken away and then calls Lazarus forth–and out walks a guy who’s been dead in a tomb for four days. Martha & Mary may have known Jesus raised others from the dead,