Mary and Martha's dinner and the Death of Lazarus (Part 1)

I am sure you are all familiar with the story of Mary and Martha found in Luke 10:38-42. Martha works hard in the kitchen while Mary sits at the feet of Jesus. Martha gets frustrated that Mary is not helping and goes to Jesus and tells Him to basically send Mary into the kitchen to help her. Jesus tells her that Mary has chosen the right thing. Was Martha wrong for being in the kitchen? Was Mary wrong for not helping Martha? Was Jesus getting on to Martha?

So what is this story really about? For me I don't think we can get a full understanding of this story without looking at the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, also. The two stories are intertwined and go hand in hand. It takes one to understand the other. So this blog will cover both stories.

Let's do some digging.

Jesus is intensifying his training of His 12 disciples. He has just sent them out on their own and told them not to take anything. They have returned to report the healing of people and casting out of demons. Then the five thousand are fed. The transfiguration occurs and the disciples witness it and want to build three monuments: one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. God speaks from heaven and tells them to listen to Him. A demon is cast out; the disciples argue over who is the greatest; Jesus rebukes them. Seventy other apostles are sent out. They report their happy results of all that they were able to do in His name. He pulls the 12 aside and encourages them. Then we have the story of the good Samaritan. Stuck right in the middle are five short verses, the story of Mary and Martha and then Jesus goes right back to His teaching of the disciples where He teaches them how to pray.

vs. 38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a certain village;

Even though Bethany is close to Jerusalem there is nothing in scripture that I have found to suggest that  Jesus and His disciples had been there before. So most likely this is their first visit to this small village. They will return there again later, at least once. We will look at that in a minute.

...and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

This was not a planned visit. But it was customary in this day for people to invite people of interest, dignitaries and other important travelers into their homes. We see often that Jesus was invited into the homes of others as he traveled around. In Luke 7:36 He dined in a Pharisee's house, in Luke 19:7 He stayed in the home of Zaccheus, just to name a couple. It actually was considered an honor to have someone of importance to come to your home. Martha has requested that Jesus and His disciples come to her home obviously for dinner and rest from traveling. If you invite someone to dinner, the polite thing to do would be to fix dinner. I believe that Martha may very well have had the gift of serving after she was saved but I don't think she has accepted Jesus as her personal savior yet. I will explain why in just a second.

vs. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who moreover was listening to the Lord's word, seated at His feet.

Mary was exactly where she was supposed to be. We know that because Jesus will tell us that in just a couple of verses. Mary was listening to Jesus and seated at His feet. What a beautiful picture of where we should be. The only thing important to her was Jesus. Obviously that was a good thing. But does that necessarily mean that Martha was doing a bad thing or the wrong thing? I think we often think she was because of her over reaction and our misinterpretation of what Jesus said to her. First lets look at her reaction.

vs. 40 But Martha was distracted with all of her preparations;

First of all Martha was busy doing what she felt she needed to be doing. She was distracted. Many a pastor has compared her distractions to our own distractions that pull us away from spending time with God. This is a great analogy for us to apply to our lives but I don't think this is the main focus of this story. The Bible says she was distracted with all of "her distractions" those things that she felt were important. Those things that mattered to her. She could not just simply say I will forget about those and sit down, they were important to her. After all she had an important dignitary and his followers in her home for dinner. Someone needed to prepare the meal. To sit her down now and say listen to Jesus would be like asking a new mother to sit and listen while her baby was crying in the other room. She would be distracted and not able to pay attention and Jesus knows this. Martha begins to feel overwhelmed with all that needs to be done and reacts in the flesh, which is typical of anyone who does not know the Lord.

...and she came up to Him, and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me."

Lord is used as a title by her not as referring to the Lord. She questions the Lord and basically says I'm working my fingers to the bone in here, tell Mary to get off her bottom and help me. In other words if you want to eat, I need some help. I think Martha has wallowed in self pity so long that it has finally bubbled to the top and boiled over. She has kept her peace as long as she can and now she has actually directed her anger at her guest and indirectly at Mary. Isn't that how we so often act when we react to something in the flesh. We lash out, and often times try to hurt the ones we love. Also I think it is worth noting that often times when we are doing what the Lord wants us to do, it is family members who rebuke us for doing it. Mary was doing what the Lord wanted her to do and Martha is rebuking her for it. So how does the Lord respond to her outburst. Does He get on to Martha? Does He make her feel bad? Or does He simply give her something to think about?

vs. 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and bother about so many things;

Jesus looks into her very soul and her character and says to her you are worried and bothered about so many things. It was her nature to worry and to be bothered and Jesus knew that and is telling her that He knows that. He is getting her attention. Pulling her attention away from all of her distractions and causing her to focus totally and completely on what He is about to say...

...but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Only a few things are necessary, only a few things really are important, we don't need anything fancy to eat just something simple is fine. But if you want to get right down to it Martha, there is really on one thing that is important and Mary has found that today. She has chosen the one thing that can never be taken away from her. And that is all He said. He teased her. Right now Martha is wondering what is it that Mary has chosen, what is it that I have missed. Did Martha sit down and listen or go back to the kitchen. We don't know because that is not what is important. The focus of the story is not that Martha was doing something right or wrong but that Mary had found Jesus, the one thing that could never be taken away from her. Now Martha has time to think about it, ask questions about it when she was not distracted. God works in His own time and so often we try to force salvation on someone when they are not ready. God must work in their life for the grain to ripen before the harvest. For some the ripening time is short, for others it is longer. It is our job to be obedient and present the gospel and let the Holy Spirit do his job, to bring that seed to a harvest. Sometimes God may use us to harvest a seed that someone else planted but some times God may use us to plant the seed. Either way it is not our job to decide when a person should decide about when they should accept Jesus. This story is a beautiful example of how God gave Martha the time she needed to realize the decision she needed to make. How do we know that? Turn to John 11, the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus to get the second half of this story.

Mary and Martha's dinner and the Death of Lazarus (Part 2)

John 11:1-45 and John 12:1-3

vs. 1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and sister Martha. 

vs. 2 And is was the Mary who later anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother was Lazarus was sick. 

vs. 3 The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick."

Obviously Jesus knew or remembered Mary and Martha and based on this statement and the statement in vs. 11 Jesus and the disciples have had a relationship with Lazarus. There is nothing in the scripture to indicate that Jesus has spent any time with Mary and Martha other than the previous dinner but may have kept up with them through Lazarus. Or they may have met on numerous occasions we don't really know. We do know that Jesus and the disciples knew Lazarus well and Jesus loved both Lazarus and his sisters.

vs. 4 But when Jesus heard it, He said,"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

Jesus refers to it as a sickness but also that it does not lead to death. But Lazarus dies. Was Jesus wrong? Hardly, Jesus is saying this sickness will not result in the permanent death of Lazarus. When looked at over the course of his life this will not be the time when he died. Jesus does say that it is for the glory of God so that the Son of man may be glorified. The glory of God is the manifestation of Christ becoming all God wanted Him to be. It was Gods desire for Jesus to come to this earth and live as a sinless man, die on the cross, rise from the dead, therefore defeating Sin that entered the world back in the Garden of Eden and become the sin payment for all. So how does the death of Lazarus, a mere man, play into the plan of God having Jesus become all God wants Him to be? How is Jesus glorified by the death of a man, even if He does raise him from the dead? For the fame or notoriety? I don't think so. Jesus could have raised an entire grave yard from the dead. Why was this one man in this small town so important to God and to Jesus and to God's plan for Jesus on earth. Because Jesus knew him? Obviously not, it has to be more than that. The only way the Son of man could be glorified is by Him becoming the glory of God and becoming the payment for the sin for others. But first they must accept Him as there savior. Verse 5 gives a glimpse at the secret to the mystery as to why and who Jesus came to Bethany for.

vs. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister and Lazarus.

Typically a writer during this time period would list people in the order of importance, not necessarily the order of age or other status, but rather in order of importance to the story. In verse 1, Mary is listed first because she is used as a reference as to who this story is about. Here Mary is not listed by name because the story is not about her. It is about Martha. That is why she is listed first and just in case we missed that Lazarus is listed last because even though Lazarus is raised from the dead the important thing is what is about to happen to Martha. That is why Jesus did not get in a hurry to get to Bethany but hung around where He was for a couple more days. He was waiting on the timing to be right to talk to Martha.

vs. 6 When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was.

vs. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."

The disciples are a little surprised that Jesus wants to return to Judea because the last time they were there the Jews were seeking to stone him.

vs. 8 The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?"

vs.9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

vs. 10 "But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." 

I am sure about now the disciples are looking around and saying what is He talking about? But Jesus is explaining to them the importance of this mission. We know that Jesus is the light, John tells us that many times in many different ways. Here Jesus is saying that those that are in darkness need light and He is the light that abides inside a person who has accepted Him. And there is someone who is in the darkness that needs the light. And then he tells them that Lazarus is dead in versus 11-15.

In verse 20 we have the re-introduction of Martha into the story.

vs.20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house.

vs. 21 Martha therefore said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

vs. 22 " Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

Martha comes to meet Jesus and says to Him if you had only been here then God would have saved my brother. I even believe that You are so connected with God that God could work a miracle through you now. She was probably thinking of the others that she had heard that Jesus had been able to raise from the dead. There is just one problem. She doesn't believe that Jesus is God. Jesus knows this and knows that now the time is right to talk to her.

vs. 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother shall rise again."

Jesus baits her a little and she takes it.

vs. 24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."

Obviously Martha has been listening to some of Jesus' teachings and she had a good understanding of how things would play out for the saved. But was it something that she had made personal? Had she accepted Him as her personal savior? When Jesus answers her He does not tell her that He is about to raise Lazarus from the dead but rather how a person can be saved. Is He being mean or right the opposite. He is concerned about Martha. 

vs. 25 Jesus said to her," I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,

vs. 26 "and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?

Jesus plainly lays it out for Martha. Only through Him can true salvation occur. And then Jesus boldly asks her, do you believe this? Martha gives the answers she knows he wants to hear but it is not heart felt.

vs. 27 She said to Him, "Yes Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.

One of the key words here is the word "believed". Here the tense of word suggests that this is an event that has occurred in the past but has continuing results. So here it would suggest that she is starting to believe that He is who claims to be. And is believing more and more all the time in her mind but maybe not at all in her heart.

vs. 28 And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, "The Teacher is here, and is calling for you."

Martha gets uncomfortable with Jesus and His questions and exits stage left. And then runs off to her sister and tells a little fib to get the heat off of her. And just to make sure nobody hears her little lie she tells her secretly. She tells Mary, hey sis Jesus is asking for you. While Martha gets her composure Mary runs for Jesus.

vs. 29 And when she heard it , she arose quickly, and was coming to Him?

vs. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.

Obviously Martha left Jesus in a hurry and did not even offer Him to come home with her. She must have been "distracted" as was her nature. Jesus on the other hand was still in the same spot when Mary came to find Him. That is how it is today for us. He is still were we or someone else left Him, just waiting. Waiting for us to accept Him as our personal savior, waiting on us to spend time with Him, waiting on us to get back to Him.

vs. 31 The Jews then who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 

vs. 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

Mary says almost the same thing that Martha said to Jesus but Jesus had a totally different response. Why? Because Jesus is looking at the heart. Mary knew that Jesus was who He claimed to be and Martha did not. Notice that Mary is at the feet of Jesus again.

vs. 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled.

vs. 34 and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."

vs. 35 Jesus wept.

Seeing Mary weeping and the seeing the Jews weeping broke Jesus' heart. Not about Lazarus, a man that He knew He was about to raise from the dead, but about Martha. She still did not get it. His heart was breaking for her and for all the Jews and all the others who would not accept the Glory of God. That  would not accept Him.

vs. 36 And so the Jews were saying, "Behold how He loved him!"

Notice John is not telling us that behold how much Jesus loved Lazarus but rather that is what the Jews are saying about his weeping.

vs. 37 But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?"

vs. 38 Jesus therefore again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

Their comments and unbelief sounded just like Martha's. It wounded Him again.

vs. 39 Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days."

Martha has crept back up to the grave site and hears what the Lord is about to do and reveals her unbelief. If she truly believed that He was the Son of God and that He could raise the dead would she be worried about the smell of a decaying corpse. Obviously her faith was only lip service and not of the heart. Jesus stops what He is doing, because this, this woman named Martha is why He is here, and she needs his attention. He turns to her...

vs. 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the Glory of God?"

The key word in this verse is again "believe". This time it means a simple act that has not yet occurred. Martha has not yet believed in Him, and Jesus knows that it will take the raising of her brother from the dead to get her attention. What will it take to get your attention. Jesus raised many from the dead and even raised Himself from the dead and became the Glory of God, all that God wanted Him to be. The payment and fulfillment of all sin, if only we accept Him.

vs. 41 And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank thee that Thou heard Me.

vs. 42 "And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me."

So what was the purpose of Jesus coming to raise Lazarus from the dead. So that those who did not believe, namely Martha, would believe.

vs. 43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth."

vs. 44 He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

vs. 45 Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him.

So what about Martha, did she believe? Actually the scriptures do not spell it out clearly for us. But if you look closely in the next chapter we find our answer.

John 12:1-3

vs.1 Jesus, therefore six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

vs. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.

vs. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 

This is a beautiful picture. All is well, Lazarus is reclining at the table with Jesus, Mary is at the feet of Jesus and Martha is alone in the kitchen serving. But this time with a changed heart. No complaining, no grumbling, no distractions simply serving the Lord with the gifts He has given her and the entire house is filled with fragrance of sweet perfume.

Well, at least until Judas opens his mouth. But that is for another day.