Tiffanie Villasana
John 11: 21-53
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”  Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

When 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.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.  Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”  Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  So they took away the stone.

When he said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Reflection:
Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is a well known resurrection story in the Bible. Not only does the resurrection in and of itself make for a great story, it also seems like a dress rehearsal for the later resurrection of Jesus. While the resurrection of Lazarus is great, I can’t help but focus on Martha’s redemption during the story–probably because I have Martha-like tendencies through and through. 

We know that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were special to Jesus. In Luke, we see Jesus spend time in the home of Mary and Martha where Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listened to his every word, and was her primary focus. Martha on the other hand was distracted by “all the preparations that had to be made.” So much so that Jesus tells her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”

Later when Lazarus becomes ill and dies, Jesus made his way to Bethany. This time Martha (the busy one) is the one who left the house (and with all her obligations to do in it) and went straight to meet Jesus. Jesus assured her that her brother would rise again after she met him saying, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus replied in verses 25 and 26 saying “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” When Jesus later asks for the stone covering Lazarus’s grave to be rolled away. Of course, Martha with all of her worrying says “but Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Again Jesus replies saying “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the Glory of God?” We know how it ends–Jesus ordered Lazarus to come out and he did–alive and well. 

I love that we get to witness Martha’s faith in this story! Martha seemingly gets shamed at times for her busyness and her worrying so I love that we get to see that Martha, in addition to her willingness to always serve others, had tremendous faith! I also love that she remembered the constructive criticism Jesus had given her in the past and dropped everything and went straight to him instead of growing bitter or resentful as a result of his criticism. 

Eleven years ago I celebrated after finding out I was pregnant with a baby boy.  The Martha in me immediately started my pregnancy to-do list–I had a nursery to design and a list of names to come up with. That celebration was cut short when we found out he had a very rare congenital heart defect. Many doctors told me that he would likely not survive after birth. All the fun and special planning that I dreamed about came to an abrupt halt once we received my son’s diagnosis. The Martha in me was used to controlling everything and preparing all the things. I found myself lost mentally, physically and spiritually at that point. 

During those months of carrying my son, there were definitely moments of sadness, self-pity, anger, and, like Martha, lots and lots of worry. I can remember wrestling with God during this time. I can remember friends showing up with scripture, praying over me, and people sharing dreams they had where they saw visions of my son playing and running around as a toddler–happy and healthy. At some point in my wrestling with God I realized that God indeed was present with me. Trusting and believing that God was with me and with my son moved me forward and took my faith deeper. This was my real-life version of Jesus asking me the same question he asked Martha–“Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the Glory of God?” 

Those were the hardest months of my life, but I learned to trust and to believe when there wasn’t anything tangible to believe or trust in. I found myself letting go of my Martha-like tendencies and found myself more like Mary during this time. From worrier to believer. From multitasker to simply resting at the feet of Jesus just as Mary did. And while I’m not always perfect in this, I now know and understand the difference. I also know that Jesus loves us Marthas just as he loves the Marys in the room. At the end of the day, we’re all privy to the same faith in a very gracious God!

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for my son, his well-being, and for the life lessons that helped shape me as a Christian through his life. Help us to trust in you and believe in you as the one who is all sufficient. Help us to not fall victim to the noise and the worry of the chaos in our lives, but instead help us to rest at your feet, listen, and believe. Amen.