Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

- John 11:17-29

In yesterday's reading, we began John chapter 11. Jesus has gone to the area beyond the Jordan where John the Baptist was first baptizing. This is after confrontation in the temple with the authorities, who now seek to put him to death for blasphemy. Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha are good friends of Jesus, and there is much love between them. They live in Bethany, close to Jerusalem. John's Gospel refers here to an event which it will report further on in a later chapter; that is, that Mary the sister of Lazarus is the one who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair. The sisters sent to Jesus, telling Him, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." John tells us that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, and when He heard the news, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. He then told the disciples they should go again to Judea. The disciples asked, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" 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. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." He told them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him." Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. My study bible says, "There existed a rabbinic opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but from the fourth day on there was no hope of resuscitation." Therefore we conclude that this makes Lazarus' death a certainty; there could be no doubt about what was to happen.

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Again, my study bible explains the customs of the time: "Official mourning began on the same day as death and burial (immediate burial was necessary in warm climates). Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted the rest of the week; general mourning lasted 30 days following death. During this time mourners constantly came and went from the home of the deceased."

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." As in Luke chapter 10, the two sisters Martha and Mary show different personalities. Martha is the one who is, as my study bible puts it, "busily responsible for the duties of hospitality." She goes out to meet Jesus. Mary is sitting in mourning in the home. My study bible notes, "Sitting is the correct posture when mourning and greeting mourners (see Job 2:8, 13; Ezek. 8:14)." The pressure is on Jesus from the ones who love Him: if He had been there, He's told by Martha, Lazarus would not have died.

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Martha believes Jesus is referring to the final resurrection. As so often happens in John's Gospel, Jesus' truth will unfold through the things His hearers believe He's saying.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." Here are two very powerful statements, whose impact for the Gospel can't be denied. It's the occasion of Jesus' seventh sign in John's Gospel, the final sign that will seal His fate with the authorities. But it's for the glorification and revelation of God, and here is the revelation: that He is the resurrection and the life. It is an occasion for another testament to faith, Martha's confession: "Lord I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." Not only have the disciples confessed, but in John's Gospel, Jesus first reveals Himself to a woman who is also a Samaritan, and here it is His friend Martha who confesses. Through John, we know the Father is at work in men and women equally, and calls as His children each one of us.

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. It is not just Martha who greets Jesus in such an important meeting, but Mary is called by Him. She is the one, John has already noted (in yesterday's reading), who anointed Christ with fragrant oil before His death, wiping His feet with her hair. She's also the one that Luke told us about, who chose the "good part." She does not let duty or convention stand in the way of a call from the Lord.

Let's talk about the women in John's Gospel. It all seems to be here in this story, this final and seventh sign in the Gospel. There's a special relationship to women told all through it, and it's startling - even for today. The first person to whom Jesus revealed Himself as Christ was a woman, and a Samaritan woman at that! She led her fellow Samaritans to belief that Jesus was the Christ. Here we have the story of Martha and Mary, His good friends. He loved Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus. The Gospel will also tell us of the many women who were a part of His ministry, and followed Him from Galilee. Many are called "Apostles to the Apostles." Through the other Gospels, too, we also know of these relationships to women and the place they held in His ministry, even to be the first to whom the Resurrection will be announced. But there's a very special woman connected to John the Evangelist, and that is the Mother of God, Mary, Jesus' mother. I can't help but feel her presence in the pages of John's Gospel, especially in its great emphasis on love. In today's reading and the readings surrounding this seventh sign, we will be able to understand much of the love between Jesus and His friends. Jesus is not a faraway Lord, but One who loves, and loves deeply, as we shall read in tomorrow's reading. Let us be grateful for the tremendous love we're given, the tenderness that is here, the relationships we're shown, and the true faith of those whose hearts are open to it.