Do you believe this?

 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb for 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

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "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."

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "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."  These things He said, and after that He said to 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 for four days.   My study bible explains that there was a rabbinical opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but that after four days resuscitation would be impossible.  We recall from yesterday's reading, above, that Jesus has intentionally delayed His travel to Bethany in order for His arrival to be on this day.

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.   Mourning began on the day of a person's death.  Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted one week.  General mourning lasted thirty days. 

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  We note, as in Luke's Gospel, the contrast in the character of these sisters, both of whom are beloved by Jesus.  Martha is the one inclined to active service.  She rushes out to meet Jesus, fulfilling the duties of hospitality.  Mary remains sitting in the house, which is appropriate to mourning, until she is called by Christ (v. 28-29).  Sitting is the traditional posture when mourning and receiving other mourners (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14). 

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."  My study bible explains that while Martha possesses great faith, her statements reveal a lack of understanding about Christ.  When she says, "If You had been here, my brother would not have died," Martha expresses the idea that she does not fully see that Christ is God.  She believes that He needed to be present to effect healings (contrast this with 4:46-54).  By saying, "whatever you ask of God, God will give You," she shows that she lacks understanding that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as he wills. 

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."  In order to correct Martha's misunderstanding about Him, Christ declares His divine authority to raise the dead at the last day as well as here in this world.  The power of His words is so profound that Martha is led immediately to a great confession of faith.  Do you believe this?, my study bible says, is a question that is not only directed to Martha, but to all 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. We observe Mary's obedience to Christ.  As in the story in Luke 10:38-42, Mary responds to Christ with an understanding that His word is above all custom.

I'm always intrigued by the characters of Martha and Mary, and grateful that the Gospels show them so clearly.  They are such different sisters.  Martha is consistently assuming the duties of hospitality in the incidents in which we see her across the Gospels, while Mary is the more contemplative, called to something that seems to be in contradiction to custom and to what is expected of her socially.  Yet, we need to understand, Jesus loves them both.  He gently corrects Martha when she wants her sister to be commanded by Christ to help her in Luke 10, and here she is also gently corrected as to His authority and her faith (to which she responds with a great confession of faith).  As such, He reveals to her His power and authority as God and divine, a tremendous revelation indeed.  In Jesus' love for these two sisters, so much is revealed to us.  His relationships with women are revelatory and contradict all custom.  We recall that John has also given us the story of the Samaritan woman in chapter 4, to whom Jesus first revealed Himself and the power of worship in spirit and truth.  Here in this story of Martha and Mary, we see His closeness to both of them -- how important He is to them, and how important they are to Him.  Indeed, John shows how important they are to the whole story of Christ and His ministry through this last seventh sign that will seal His fate with the authorities.  In His love and regard for these sisters, Jesus shows us that each of us have a pathway to our faith in Him.  It matters not at all that Martha is the one concerned with social service and hospitality, while Mary's character is so different.  Both must come to faith in Him and both are beloved by Him.  Neither does it matter, even in the traditional culture in which they live, that they are women.  Faith is for all of us, our relationship to Christ is equally strong and personal.  We are all called to the same confession of faith.  We must also comment on the relationships here with women, and recall that it was John the author of the Gospel who would become child to Mary, the mother of Christ, according to His word on the Cross (19:26).  John's revelation to us of Christ's own expression of identity to the various women in this Gospel is important in this light; it tells us about the relationship to Mary, and her traditional role in the Church as one who fully and first of all accepted faith in Him.  John illustrates this with her role in the first sign in the Gospel, at the wedding in Cana (2:1-12).  There, Mary's faith is fully evident in her promptings to the stewards and to her Son; she needs no convincing nor education as to His identity.  Let us consider the variety and richness and wisdom we receive in the Gospel.  As each of us is to receive Christ, let us understand that our Church is not to be one that produces cookie-cutter followers.  The saints of the Church emerge as individuals with unique personas and a myriad of expressions of full faith, an ongoing revelation of the Holy Spirit and Christ's ministry in the world, male and female and from all walks and ways of life.  It is the ongoing revelation of holiness in the world.  Do you believe this?