Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her

 

 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."   And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

 

- Luke 10:38–42 

 

Yesterday we read that a certain lawyer stood up and tested Jesus, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'   So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  

 

  Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."   And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."   Mary and Martha are the sisters of Lazarus, the one whom Jesus raised from the dead (see John 11:1-44).  My study Bible comments here that Martha is not rebuked for serving, but for complaining and for being distracted, worried, and troubled.  In following Christ, it says, we serve in order to facilitate the spread of the gospel (see Acts 6:1-4).  

 

Martha and Mary have much to offer us in their story.  First of all, there is the commentary of my study Bible, that the object of service is Christ and the spread of His gospel in following His command.  But no character study would be remiss for looking at these two sisters, and their different personas and the ways in which they address the world.  Consistent throughout the Gospels (especially within the story of the raising of Lazarus in John 11), Mary is the one inclined to more contemplative behavior, while Martha is a model of hospitality.  Although here Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen that good part,  we should not be dismissive of Martha's hospitality.  In the story of Lazarus and Christ's seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the same character traits are on display in Martha and Mary.  When Jesus comes to Bethany, their hometown, Martha goes out to meet Him on the road to their house, true to her character of hospitality, while Mary remains seated in the home with others who mourn, the proper attitude of mourning in her time and place.  Martha is the more outgoing, while Mary is the one who is observant, we could say.  Hospitality, in Christian tradition, is one of the most important virtues of what it means to practice our faith, for hospitality is one form of active love.  Of course, as my study Bible comments, this is done not to be ostentatious, to impress, or simply to follow custom; but ultimately we seek to serve Christ in all that we do.  Here, according to that commentary in my study Bible, Mary has chosen the better part because she sits at the feet of Christ, listening to His word, while Martha is worried and troubled about many things.  The passage in St. John's Gospel that tells us of the raising of Lazarus also teaches us how much Jesus loved both of these sisters and their brother (John 11:5).  In some sense, we could also look at Martha as the one fulfilling her social role, and doing what is expected of her, while Mary sits at Christ's feet -- perhaps with the other, male disciples.  But again, as our Lord indicates most clearly, it is she who has chosen that good part, and even those who choose "outside the box" in following Christ are the ones He praises in this context.  Perhaps one of the most important things we can take from this understanding of these two quite different sisters is the compatible and complementary way that these women fit into Christ's supporters, and those who surround Him in His ministry.  It tells us that there is room for all to fulfill their places as followers of Christ, for to serve Him and to serve the spread of His gospel does not require that we each all be "the same," for there is no such thing as a cookie-cutter saint, so to speak.  That is, saints are called to serve each in their own way, just as we each have our own unique cross to bear in terms of how we serve and the ways in which our lives are transfigured by faith in Christ.  Mary has chosen that good part, setting us an example, but Martha also serves, and supports, and is loved by Christ.  Today, let us note that it is her distracted, worried, and troubled countenance that Christ takes an issue with, but Mary has chosen to hear His word.  Let us follow what this teaches us, and choose to put the good part first in whatever we do.  

 

 

 

 

 

Loose him, and let him go

The Raising of Lazarus.  12th century, St. Katherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai

 

 And when she had said these things, se 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.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  

 

Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  

 

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  

 

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

- John 11:28-44 

 

Yesterday we read that 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 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, se 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.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."   Once again, we observe here the difference between these two sisters.  In yesterday's reading (above) we observed Martha, one more inclined to active service, and her efforts at hospitality (similarly to the story found at Luke 10:38-42), as she greeted Jesus while He was still on the road approaching their home, while Mary remained in mourning, in the traditional posture inside the home.  Now that Mary is called by the Teacher, Jesus, she arose quickly and came to Him.  The Jews who were with her in the house are those who have come from Jerusalem and have some connection with the ruling classes of the temple.  They likely reflect that Martha, Mary, and Lazarus are from a prominent family.  

Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  Here Mary approaches Christ with the identical words used by her sister Martha (see yesterday's reading, above).  While Jesus engaged Martha with words, my study Bible notes, here in today's reading He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother from the dead.  John emphasizes that Jesus wept and groaned in the spirit.  These show that Christ had fully taken on human nature, and that He was subject to grief as any human being would be.  Weeping, my study Bible says, is the natural human response to the tragedy of death.  Today is Lazarus Saturday, and in the Compline service in the Orthodox Church, it is sung, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."

 

 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Although Martha's faith had increased, she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power, my study Bible comments.  The spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time.  In many icons of the raising of Lazarus one can observe bystanders depicted covering their noses, which illustrates both the reality of Lazarus' corrupted flesh and the fact that many did not believe that Christ could raise the dead.

 

 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  To show that His divine will is one with the Father's, my study Bible says, and that His human will was freely subject in every way to the Father's, Christ prays aloud for the sake of the people.  

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"   My study Bible notes that Christ calls Lazarus forth, not in the name of God the Father, but by His own authority.  What it shows to the people is that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself.   This event is a fulfillment of Christ's words from chapter 5, spoken to the religious authorities who questioned Him, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29). 

 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."   My study Bible comments that the detail that Lazarus was wrapped in his graveclothes is seen as significant in patristic literature.  Many Church Fathers view this as an indication that Lazarus will need them again, that his resurrection continues an earthly life which will once again end in death.  By contrast, it notes, the Savior's graveclothes would be left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike the resurrection of Lazarus, Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature.  Jesus will never die again.  My study Bible further comments that this sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but in the words of the hymn for the day, it also "confirmed the universal resurrection," proving Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise again (Ezekiel 37:1-13). 

 

 It seems that we don't get a proper sense of the significance of Christ's power without the awe that would accompany this scene, of Lazarus walking out of the tomb in his graveclothes, four days dead, and even smelling of death as well.  Awe may combine vast respect, admiration, fear, wonder, and even terror, and it seems that this event would combine all of those things for the people who witnessed it.  Awe is a product of exposure to something incomprehensible, outside of our realm of experience, unexpected, and belonging to something much greater than ourselves and our lives.  When Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life" in yesterday's reading (above), it is easy to take His words, as they have become familiar to us, as statements declaring an identity for Christ in an intellectually descriptive way.  But in this scene of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, we find the discernible elements of just how astounding -- and perhaps terrifying -- those words really are.  For they imply a kind of power that none of us can imagine nor encompass, but are clearly signs of the miraculous and the presence of God -- something much greater than we are or our experience can hold.  We don't have this power, much as we would like to believe that perhaps medical science can provide it to us.  For the people who are mourning with Martha and Mary, one can only imagine the impact of this experience as witnesses, and what a story they have to tell in Jerusalem.  Such is the visceral power of this scene that we have seen it used by others in novels and movies of the horror genre over and over again.  The story of Frankenstein draws on similar motifs of the dead walking again, bodies coming out of the grave and given life.  Inspired by archaeological interest in Egyptian tombs of the past century, films have given us stories of Egyptian mummies walking out of their tombs still wrapped in the bandages of graveclothes -- thus drawing upon this timeless text in John's Gospel, which does not fail to hit its mark and make its impact.  As my study Bible points out, Jesus responds to His friend Mary with action, a demonstration of the power of His identity as the resurrection and the life, as He told Martha in yesterday's reading, above.  Perhaps especially for those of us who have lost loved ones, this story touches upon the terrible mystery of death.  It should open up for us the importance of prayer for those who have passed as we consider that it is only our prayers which can reach into that mystery.  For it is Christ alone who has this power, who will release the captives of death and set the prisoners free; only Christ who has this power of life and death and judgment and resurrection.  When Jesus says about Lazarus, "Loose him, and let him go," we can also hear these words as the ones He will say in the realm of the dead, and for all the dead.  For, as we know, judgment is also about the power of resurrection, which we may note as we revisit His words from chapter 5:  "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29).  To Christ who has solely been entrusted with this power, we may pray for our loved ones and all who have passed, with a reverence that is appropriate to this image of resurrection in today's reading.  For, as He hears the pleas of Martha and Mary, and experiences so deeply their love and their loss, so He is the one who can also hear ours.

 

 

 

Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her

 

 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." 

 

- Luke 10:38–42 

 

Yesterday we read that, behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Jesus, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." 

 

 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."   My study Bible comments that Mary and Martha are the sisters of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead (John 11:1).  It says that Martha is not rebuked for serving, but for complaining and for being distracted, worried, and troubled.  In following Christ, it notes, we serve in order to facilitate the spread of the gospel (see Acts 6:1-4).  

The stories of Martha and Mary are among my favorites in the Gospels.  They are always true to character, regardless of which Gospel tells the story.  In John's Gospel, when Jesus raises Lazarus, their brother, from the dead (John 11), Martha and Mary play roles similar to the ones we read here:  Martha is the one of active hospitality and service, while Mary is the more reserved with what we might call a more interior focus.  Certainly today's story shows us that.  Martha, Mary, and Lazarus lived in Bethany, which is near the approach to Jerusalem.  In Luke's Gospel, although we've been told that Jesus has set His face to go to Jerusalem in Monday's reading, we're not told of His entry into Jerusalem until chapter 19.  Perhaps when we read of the teaching, preaching, and healing Jesus will do in the intervening several chapters, we might consider all of it as preparation (for us and for the disciples) for that time of His Passion and all that follows.  In that sense, we can look at today's reading as teaching us something essential for the Church that is to come, and in understanding the gospel message.  Martha and Mary are quite different, and yet each is beloved by Christ (as the story in John's Gospel tells us clearly).  Here He responds to each with love, but differently.  For Martha, there is a gentle teaching, that her worry and trouble and distraction are not helping her, but also that Mary has chosen a good part, and it will not be taken away from her.  Martha fills a traditional role expected of her, and an important one.  Hospitality, in the tradition of the Church (and especially of monastics) is extremely revered.   We might call Mary unconventional, in that she is not serving the guests.  Instead, she sits at Jesus' feet, listening to Him, hearing His word.  Perhaps this is a place occupied by men who are His disciples or who listen to the Teacher, but Mary is nonetheless there.  Jesus describes it as "that good part" that she chooses.  It teaches us about Christ's ministry and the mission of the Church to come, that although our prayers (such as the "Our Father") are communal, and yet Christ also sees us and knows us as individuals who are each a part of the whole and each may contribute in one's own way.  We are not "cookie cutter" products of the Church, or cutouts of one another.  There is a place for each.  St. Paul writes very eloquently that we are "many members, yet one body."  He says, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many" (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-27).  In the stories of Martha and Mary, Jesus shows His love for each of these quite different sisters, but perhaps nowhere more explicitly embracing their differences than in this one found in Luke.  It gives us a type of blueprint for the Church, the many in the one body, and Christ's love for each.  Let us take up the wisdom my study Bible gives us, everything is to facilitate the spread of the gospel.  In the Cherubic Hymn of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, it is sung, "Let us now lay aside all earthly cares that we may receive the King of all."  Let us also listen to His word.

For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always

 

 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him. 

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

 

- John 11:55—12:8 

 

On Saturday we read that many of people from Jerusalem who had come to Mary when mourning Lazarus, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him (see this reading for the raising of Lazarus).  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

 

  And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.   My study Bible tells us that, because Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the connection between the Passover, when lambs were slaughtered to save the Jews from death (Exodus 12:1-13), and the death of Jesus, which saves humankind from sin and death, is continually emphasized.  This is the third Passover of Christ's earthly ministry, and it is the final year of His earthly life. 

 

 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Jesus comes early toward Jerusalem as pilgrim for the Passover, and arrives in Bethany which is east of Jerusalem, and the home of His friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.  (See John 11 for the story of the raising of Lazarus, Christ's seventh and final sign given in John's Gospel.)  As noted above, this is the third Passover mentioned in John's Gospel (see John 2:13; 6:4), and frames the setting for the final week of Christ's earthly life (Holy Week).  The following week will be given to us in careful detail.  My study Bible comments that Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words; at this stage it remained for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection.  Note that Martha served, in keeping with the consistent portrayal of her character in the Gospels.  Lazarus is now a person who is the object of tremendous attention from both the people and the religious authorities (as we will read in tomorrow's lectionary reading); here he sits at table with Christ, clearly alive and well.

 

  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  My study Bible comments that the other disciples said to the same thing Judas said, but with a very different motive (see also Matthew 26:6-13).  Judas spoke from greed, it notes, while the others spoke from the virtue of charity.  That Jesus had put a thief in charge of the money, it says, shows that by every means Jesus attempted to save Judas:  He fulfilled his lust for money; He allowed Judas to exercise apostolic authority (John 6:11; see also Mark 6:7); He washed Judas' feet with the other disciples (John 13:5); and He allowed him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper (John 13:26).  But Judas could never overcome his greed.

Given our recent readings and commentary, perhaps the first thing we might notice is once again the contrast between these two sisters.  Martha, the one consistently portrayed by the Gospels engaged in active service, serves her guests at the table.  But Mary is silent in today's reading; she's not reported saying a word but takes a pound of very costly oil of spikenard in to the place of this supper.  One might suppose that a pound of such costly ointment would truly be very high in value; however, it is more the quantity that seems quite impressive here.  An entire pound of any type of essential oil is a very large quantity, and there is no doubt of that the fragrance surely filled the house.  Spikenard, according to this article, is made from a type of plant related to honeysuckle.  Mary's astonishing act needs no speech; it is so eloquent that it speaks for itself.  But Jesus does speak up for her, and declares that "she has kept this for the day of My burial."  To save an anointing oil for burial must have been quite an act of love in and of itself, a testimony to the depth of friendship among these people, and to Mary's reverence for Jesus.  For such oils were used to prepare a body for burial, a final loving act.  Indeed, the first ones to receive the good news of Christ's Resurrection will be the women who come to Christ's tomb to anoint His body for burial, and they are known as the Myrrh-bearing women to us in the Church.  But this Mary, perhaps knowing already what is to come (perhaps she is aware the religious leaders already plot against Him), and that it is the result of His raising her brother Lazarus from the dead, anoints His body with this oil she has been saving for the day of His burial.  Wiping His feet with her hair, she enacts the great pose of giving Christ supreme honor, showing that she understands who He is, and perhaps even a sense that He will die for the love of them all.  Theodore of Mopsuestia comments that Mary’s act of love should be seen for what it was, an honor given to our Lord, who would not be long among them, rather than pitted against the idea of caring for the poor, which (according to John's Gospel) was not really Judas’s primary concern.  St. Ambrose comments that Judas valued Mary's act of love at a much higher price than he would be paid for the very life of Christ, writing, "O traitor Judas, you value the ointment of his passion at three hundred pence, and you sell his passion at thirty pence. Rich in valuing, cheap in wickedness!" (On the Holy Spirit).  Clearly Christ Himself pronounces this extravagant act of love on the part of Mary to be quite precious, saying, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  And so it is, and so we understand.  May all our generous acts of love be as precious and, indeed, priceless -- and so very graciously received as by the author of grace Himself. 

 

See how He loved him!

 

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

- John 11:30-44 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read that when Jesus came to the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus in Bethany, He found that Lazarus 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.

 

  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."   My study Bible points out that Mary approaches Christ with the identical words Martha used (see yesterday's reading, above).  It notes that while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother from the dead which is to come. 

 

 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"   My study Bible comments that John emphasizes that Jesus wept and groaned in spirit, in order to show He had fully taken on human nature, and He was subject to grief as any human being would be.  It says that weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  At Compline of Lazarus Saturday, the Orthodox Church sings a hymn that declares, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."  Once again, we reiterate that the term the Jews is most often used in John's Gospel to indicate the religious leaders.  In this case, these are people who have come from Jerusalem, likely among prominent families, to mourn with Martha and Mary. 

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Although Martha's faith has increased, my study Bible says (compare to yesterday's reading, above), she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  It notes that the spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time.  In many icons of the raising of Lazarus, we see bystanders covering their noses, which illustrates both the reality of his corrupted flesh and the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead.

  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  In order to show Christ's divine will was one with the Fathers, and that His human will was freely subject in all ways to the Father's, my study Bible says that Jesus prays aloud for the sake of the people. 

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  My study Bible cites the passage in John 5:25-29 for reference here.  It notes that Christ calls Lazarus forth, not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority.  This shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself.

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  That Lazarus came out bound in his graveclothes is frequently seen in patristic literature as an indication that he will need them again; in other words, Lazarus' resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in death.  Christ's graveclothes, by contrast, will be left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike that of Lazarus, my study Bible says, Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature.  He will never die again.  My study Bible adds that this seventh and final sign of John's Gospel prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection.  But in the words of the Orthodox hymn for the day, it also "confirmed the universal resurrection," proving Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13). 

Today's passage gives us a number of indications of Jesus' deep feelings of love for Martha and Mary and Lazarus.  We're told of Jesus' encounter with Mary, who fell down at His feet.  We're told that when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  The shortest verse in the Holy Bible is Jesus wept.  Those who have come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters say, "See how He loved him!"  As Jesus approaches the tomb of Lazarus He is groaning in Himself.  Each of these things are indications of love, and moreover they are indications of compassion and also empathy.  How do we discern if these are Christ's human emotions, or they also encompass His divine persona?   The Gospel doesn't seem to distinguish a difference.  At any rate, we know that our Lord has experienced all of what it is in our human context to feel anguish at another's pain, to experience mourning and sorrow and all the effects that death has on community and family.  We can see His response to the weeping of His friend Mary, and that He groaned in spirit and was troubled, and groaned as He went to the tomb.  These things indicate turmoil based on His friend's death and the mourning of the others.  But then He says, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  This seems to indicate that what transpires, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, is done at Jesus' request of the Father.  It indicates a deep love between Father and Son that goes both ways, and a deep gratitude on the part of the Son, Jesus Christ.  This final astounding, decisive sign in John's Gospel, which will more or less effectively complete Christ's earthly ministry is an act requested by Christ, and fulfilled by the Father who has put all authority and the power of life in Christ's hands.  We know once and for all who He is, and so do the religious leaders who will now plot to kill Him.  His is the power of life, as He has said to Martha, in yesterday's reading:  "I am the resurrection and the life."   In human terms and earthly life, it has been conventionally observed that "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely" (Lord Acton).  But in our Lord, we see something entirely different.  Christ has the power of life and death, and He has it absolutely, because it has been given by the Father.  But in Jesus, we see compassion and love, we see a man moved by grief because His friends whom He loves are suffering, because His friend Lazarus has died.  And in terms of the use of His power, it is used to express compassion and love, and to proclaim to the world the truth about who Jesus is, and that He is sent by the Father.  We faithful are left with an indelible understanding of Christ's power of life that reigns over all, of His love, and His deep and touching tenderness and compassion for human suffering -- and His capacity for the bonds of friendship.  In these we take heart and place our trust.

 

 

 

 

 

The Teacher has come and is calling for you

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that 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 four days. We recall that in yesterday's reading, the Gospel told us that Jesus had delayed His coming to Bethany by two days; in this way Jesus did not arrive before Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.  My study Bible explains that there existed a rabbinical opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but after four days resuscitation would be impossible.  

And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.   In Jewish practice, mourning began on the day of a person's death.  My study Bible notes that weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation for one week; and general mourning lasted 30 days.  Here we see the prominence of this family, as John's Gospel most frequently uses the term the Jews to denote those among the Jewish ruling classes of the temple in Jerusalem.  Bethany, the town of Martha and Mary, was nearby, to the east of Jerusalem.  

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  My study Bible asks us to compare this description of the two sisters and their different reactions to Christ arrival, with the passage in Luke 10:38-42.  They respond consistent with their characters as described in the incident recorded by Luke.  Martha is inclined to active service, and she rushes out to meet Jesus.  Mary remains in mourning until she is called by Christ.  Sitting, my study Bible says, was 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."   Even though Martha possesses great faith, nevertheless her statements indicate a lack of understanding about Christ.  My study Bible notes that in saying, "if You had been here, my brother would not have died," Martha reveals she does not fully see that Christ is God, believing that He needs to be present to heal (compare this with the healing of the nobleman's son, at John 4:46-54).  When she says, "whatever you ask of God, God will give You," she shows her lack of understanding that Jesus as Son possesses full divine authority to act as He wills. 

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."   Jesus teaches, "I am the resurrection and the life."  My study Bible comments that in order to correct Martha's misunderstanding, Christ declares His divine authority to raise the dead at the last day, as well as here in this world.  It notes that such is the power of Christ's words that Martha is immediately led to her great confession of faith.  My study Bible adds that Jesus' question, "Do you believe this?" is a question 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.  Once again, we are led to observe the consistent difference of character between these two sisters, beloved and dear friends of Christ. 

The contrast between Martha and Mary is important, if only so that we understand how God calls us to live our faith.  As these two sisters are both loved by Christ, along with their brother Lazarus (see yesterday's reading, above), we must come to understand how He calls and relates and loves each one.  Each sister expresses herself in a different way.  Martha is consistently portrayed in this story, and also in the passage in Luke (Luke 10:38-42) as one devoted to hospitality, and outward expression of service.  In going out to meet Jesus, she expresses the deep hospitality practices of the region, receiving an honored and beloved guest.  But Mary is the more reserved, and perhaps we may call her studious, in some sense.  She remains in the house, also following tradition, but in the position of mourning due to her brother's passing.  Note that she has also remained with the guests and friends who have come to join and comfort the sisters in their mourning.  Each one in her own way expresses her character, and each is serving in roles fitting to their religious tradition.  Each is beloved of Christ.  While Jesus takes the time to explicitly teach Martha something about Himself and the reality of His divinity (just as He taught her something important about the faith He preaches in the Luke passage), Mary has awaited Christ's call to her.  But as soon as Martha secretly tells her, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you," she arose quickly and came to Him, just as she devotedly sat at His feet and heard His teaching in the passage in Luke, in which Jesus taught Martha that Mary had chosen "that good part."  So each one has her part to play.  It seems to me important that we observe that Christ never teaches these sisters that one has to play the same role as the other.  He never says to them that one has to be more like the other.  He doesn't teach Mary that she should be more hospitable, but He also defends Mary when her sister Martha demands that He tell her to help serve the guests in the passage from Luke.  Neither does He, in that passage, demand that Martha also sit and listen to Him.  But this teaches us how Christ loves and guides each of us.  We will each be called with a particular role to play that suits the uniqueness of our creation by the Lord Himself, for He calls us as we know Him and are known by Him ("My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" - John 10:27).  While most certainly we follow traditions and practices in the Church, sharing the things given to all of us as Christians in community, honoring the saints in the great communion of saints, and knowing the teachings of Christ about Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, there is also a sense in which God's great creativity extends to each one working within this great collective harmony of service in salvation.   The Church in its broadest sense is made up of people from all backgrounds.  St. Paul writes, "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him" (Romans 10:12).  This doesn't mean that people cease being Jewish or Greek, but faith in Christ makes of us a new entity in which everything works in synergy for renewal; grace is always at work but expressed both within us and among us (Luke 17:20-21).  If we look at the dynamism of the Church in her myriad saints, we see that there is no cookie-cutter pattern that each fits in terms of expression and persona.  What saints share in common is a deep devotion to faith and love of God, and God's grace working through them.  Each one, no matter how unique their life circumstance, no matter from which time period, teaches us something about our faith.  And this is what we must take from these stories of Martha and Mary, both of whom Jesus loved and they loved Him.  For the Gospels tell us how different and unique each were, yet each was devoted and a friend to Christ, and each grew in faith.  Let us pay close attention to how we are called by the Teacher.

 

 

 

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus

 

 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."

 

- John 11:1–16 

 

Our recent readings have focused on Jesus' attendance at two festivals in Jerusalem; one was the fall Feast of Tabernacles, and the other in winter, the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah).  He has been disputing with the religious leaders, and performed the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel, the healing of a man blind from birth.  He has evaded arrest and stoning, and has been accused of blasphemy, for making Himself equal with God.  Yesterday we read that the religious leaders took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in our law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

 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."  In this chapter, we will read of the seventh and final "sign" given in John's Gospel, the resurrection of Lazarus.  We have been reading of Christ's disputing in the temple with the religious authorities, but this seventh and final sign will seal their decision to put Jesus to death.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  My study Bible tells us that Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar" which literally means "God helps."  

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."  My study Bible comments that this message is sent back to Mary and Martha in order to strengthen them so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in the words of Christ.  The Son of God being glorified, it says, mustn't be understood to be the cause of Lazarus dying.  This indicates rather that Christ will be glorified as a result of Lazarus' death (which occurred from a natural illness), and being raised from the dead.  

 

 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.  Christ delays His departure for Bethany so that Lazarus will be dead long enough that the corruption of his body sets in.  In this way, my study Bible explains, no one could doubt the miracle, and the might of the Lord would be clearly seen by all.  

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."   The disciples, warning Jesus, are referring to the events in Jerusalem covered in John 10:29-39.   During the Feast of Tabernacles, against the backdrop of celebrations of light (such as the giant lamps which illumined the whole city of Jerusalem on the last night of the festival) Jesus repeatedly spoke of Himself as the light of the world (see John 8:12; 9:5).  

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."  Regarding Christ's comment that Lazarus sleeps, my study Bible asks us to compare it with Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6.  It adds that Thomas's statement in the final verse here is an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  Moreover, it also illustrates the path that all believers must take -- that we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24). 

Jesus begins the journey to the accomplishing of the final "sign" of His ministry, the raising of Lazarus.  We can take into consideration the powerful courage and character it shows about Christ at this time.  First of all, it's interesting that John more or less opens this chapter by introducing Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair.  This is an event which will be described in the chapter that follows this one, and so what we understand of this verse is that it makes clear that Mary was an important figure in the early Church, and known enough regarding this event of anointing Christ that the Gospel's first hearers would already be able to identify her (see John 12:1-8).  Then John identifies Lazarus as her brother, and emphasizes the closeness of this family to Christ by making explicit the message of the sisters to Jesus:  "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  There is a great bond of love between these sisters and brother and Jesus, and this chapter's events will make that very clear.  So while John goes out of his way to establish the love of Christ for this family, we can take a deeper understanding of Christ's boldness and courage in delaying His trip to Bethany, so that Lazarus will be dead for long enough that his body is corrupted when Jesus arrives.  We only have to consider what confidence in the word of God the Father Jesus has in order to do so, since He clearly knows what He is going to do, affirmed by His words telling the disciples that "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  All of this is deliberate, and yet done, at the same time, with those whom He deeply loves.  This shows a type of detachment and strength of character most thoroughly perfected in Christ, but also belonging to the saints and the faithful throughout the history of the Church.  There is an interesting understanding of the words "meek" or "gentle" as used by Jesus.  For example, when He says, "Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5), or "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).  If we wish to understand meek or gentle as Christ uses these concepts, we're to perceive that it means strength under control.  This is a deep facet of strength, a strength perfected in its necessary dispassion for difficult times or actions.  In this case, the final sign of the Gospel, which will be so stupendous it will decisively lead the religious leaders to plot to kill Jesus.  Jesus shows that great strength of character that allows Him to fully feel His love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, and yet remain dispassionate enough to delay His journey, and confident enough to follow the Father to this greatest and most unexpected of miraculous works.  At the same time, He knows it will be the thing that convinces the religious leaders that they must kill Jesus, so that they plot for His crucifixion.  All of these attributes of Jesus, taken together -- love, courage, dispassion, strength, absolute confidence and faith in God the Father -- combine to teach us something about the fullest acquisition of character we might aspire to.  That is, we seek to be "like Christ," and here He exemplifies all the ideals we might aspire to for ourselves, and might acquire through faith and grace working in us to fulfill this image and potential.  There is a deeper echo of the courage involved here in the unwitting prophecy spoken by Thomas, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  For this also portends not only for Christ but for His followers, for the nascent Church that will be left in the world after Christ's Ascension.  So let us consider these aspects of what today's passage reveals to us, because they all tell us poignant things about faith:  about where it leads, the choices one may have to make, the strength of character that goes into the image of Christ to which we not simply aspire, but which faith and grace will hopefully make in us.  Let us not forget that these are forged in relationships of love.

 

 

 

But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her

 

 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sad at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."   And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

 

- Luke 10:38–42 

 

 Yesterday we read that a certain lawyer stood up and tested Jesus, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."   

 

  Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sad at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."   And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."   We know from John's Gospel that Martha and Mary are the sisters of Lazarus, whom Christ raised from the dead (John 11:1).  My study Bible explains here that Martha is not rebuked for serving, but for being distracted, worried, and troubled about many things, even as she was providing hospitality for Jesus.  But the one thing that was needed was for her to listen to Christ, to hear His words, a priority which does not exclude serving Him.   In following Christ, it explains, we serve in order to facilitate the spread of the gospel (see Acts 6:1-4).

As we have observed in various places, hospitality is something very highly praised in the history of Christianity and also in Jewish tradition.  If we look at the story of the woman who anointed Christ's feet with oil (see this reading), Jesus complains of the lack of hospitality shown Him by His host, the Pharisee who asked Jesus to dine with Him.  The great love of the woman, a known sinner who anointed His feet with oil, was praised and even shown as an example of the great hospitality that the Pharisee lacked.  But if we look at these two stories, we see a similar thread that has to do with the place in which we hold Christ -- and through Christ, of course, His teachings and commandments, and the place of God in our lives.  This is where we really need to start to define all priorities, even what love is and how we live love.  This is what Mary is doing, despite Martha's great efforts at hospitality for the Lord.  She sits at His feet -- the same feet bathed and anointed with perfumed oil as well as the sinful woman's tears -- paying close attention to what is that good part, which will not be taken away from her.  In Monday's reading, Jesus taught about the rigors and demands of discipleship, and we were given examples of those who asked to honor family duties before following Christ as disciples.  One said to Christ, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Another asks of Him, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But both of Christ's responses to what sound like very reasonable requests, no doubt, to hearers of the Gospel then, and now, are almost shockingly negative, and sound harsh.  He says to the first, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  To the second He replies, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."  There is an important common theme here about what the top priority is, what comes first that defines all else, including necessity.  It is these relationships in the Kingdom that come first, and that define all other relatedness as priority.  If we find that complicated and difficult, let us consider yesterday's reading, above, in which the two greatest commandments in the Law, as approved by Jesus, are in this order: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind," and "your neighbor as yourself."  This is a definition of how priorities and "right-relatedness" are settled.  We begin with love of God, and within that umbrella comes love of neighbor.  That is, how we are to love our neighbor.  Everything else is defined from this, for, as God is love, so we may learn love, appropriately, from God.  Love is not slavery nor slavish devotion to custom, but putting God first assures us that we will be guided in the proper way to honor what is meant to be honored by hospitality, for example, or family devotion.  In today's reading, Jesus does not seek to tear apart the tradition of hospitality, nor the relationship between the sisters!  But He is setting down a priority, and protecting Mary's devotion to God, putting the word of God first, that "good part, which will not be taken away from her."  We are reminded of Jesus' response to the devil during His temptation in the wilderness, when He quoted from Deuteronomy as rebuke:  "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3).  Here, Mary is not shirking duty, nor sisterly affection, nor the duties of hospitality, but is rather listening to every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.  In that, she has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.  Let us go and do likewise, allowing Christ's words to inform our lives, habits, customs, and choices.  For the Lord's word is that which remains and will not be taken away, even when heaven and earth pass away (Mark 13:31).

Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?

 

 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.

 

Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  

 

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  

 

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

- John 11:28–44 

 

Yesterday we read that 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 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.  We recall from yesterday's reading (see above) that Martha had come out to meet Jesus as He approached their home.  Martha is the sister who is more focused on acts of service, while Mary is the more contemplative sister.  Mary has been sitting in the home, in observance of mourning and receiving other mourners, according to the traditional religious practice (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14.)  As was observed yesterday, in chapter 11 of John's Gospel these two sisters remain true to character evidenced in Luke's Gospel, at Luke 10:38-42.  Let us note Mary's obedience to the word of Christ, the Teacher, as she arose quickly and came to Him.

Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."   "The Jews" are the people who have come from Jerusalem to mourn with Martha and Mary, an indication that these people are likely from among prominent families of the leadership of the religious establishment at the temple.  All of the people in this story are Jews, including Martha and Mary, and the disciples of Christ. 

Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."   Mary approaches Jesus with the same words used by Martha (in yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible comments that while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother Lazarus from the dead, which follows.  

 

 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"   In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus (see above).  Here, Christ's weeping clearly emphasizes His love for this family, and the compassion experienced at watching Mary and the other mourners weeping for Lazarus.  My study Bible remarks that John emphasizes that Jesus wept and groaned in spirit (verses 33, 38) to show that He had fully taken on human nature, and was therefore subject to grief as any man would be.  It says that weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  An Orthodox hymn for the day of Lazarus Saturday (the day before Palm Sunday on the Orthodox calendar) declares, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."  Once again, we note that the term "the Jews" is used similarly to a political label in John's Gospel, most frequently indicating the leaders of the religious establishment.  Here, we presume it is used to indicate mourners from among those important families who have come from Jerusalem to mourn with Martha and Mary.  Therefore they are witnesses to the event that will presently take place.  

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  My study Bible comments that although Martha's faith had increased (verses 23-27), she still understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  The spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time, it notes.  In many icons of the raising of Lazarus, bystanders are shown covering their noses with their sleeves, which illustrates both the reality of Lazarus' corrupted flesh, and also the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead.

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  My study Bible comments that to show His divine will was one with the Father's, and that His human will was freely subject in every way to the Father's, Christ prays aloud for the sake of the people. 

 

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  Jesus calls Lazarus forth.  But He does so, not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority.  My study Bible notes that this shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself.  See also John 5:28-29. 

 

 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  My study Bible notes that in patristic commentary, that Lazarus came out bound in his graveclothes is seen by many as an indication that he will need them again -- Lazarus' resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in death.  Christ's graveclothes, by contrast, will be left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike that of Lazarus, Christ's Resurrection transfigures human nature; He will never die again.  This resurrection of Lazarus is the seventh of seven signs which are given in John's Gospel.  My study Bible tells us that not only did it prepare the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but in the words of the hymn for the day, it also "confirmed the universal resurrection," proving Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13).  

In today's reading we are given the seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  The seven signs are (1) changing water into wine (John 2:1-11); (2) curing the nobleman's son (John 4:46-54); (3) healing the paralytic (John 5:1-15); (4) feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14); (5) walking on water (John 6:15-21); (6) opening the eyes of a blind man (John 9:1-41); and (7), the sign given in today's reading, the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  My study Bible explains that John uses the term "signs" in order to show that these miraculous actions point beyond themselves to the truth that the Kingdom of God has come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ.  It is this final sign that will seal the religious authorities' decision to put Jesus to death (John 11:47-50).  Today's event takes place at Bethany, which is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  Lazarus,  my study Bible says, is the same name as Eleazar, which literally means "God helps."  As indicated by the notes in my study Bible, this sign is a manifestation of Christ's words in John's fifth chapter, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself" (John 5:25-26).  In John's Prologue, we read, "In Him was life, and His life was the light of men" (John 1:4).  So Christ's ability to have life in Himself -- which He is able to confer to others -- is also connected to Him as the light He brings, and His words (in the next chapter) that one must walk while we have the light, for in the darkness one does not know where one is going (John 12:35).  Therefore according to the Gospel, we both see by that light and live by that light.  But let us consider what this means spiritually for us.  In the raising of Lazarus, we see a literal example of Christ giving life to someone.  If we are to think in the "iconic" sense that the Scriptures give us, we might make of this seventh sign a visible manifestation of Christ's power and how it might work in our own lives.  While we may not experience anything as spectacular as this particular sign in the Gospel, there are countless believers who testify to the experience of being made "alive again" through the power of faith in Christ.  This takes myriad forms, whether it is help in recovery from a devastating loss, or possibly through an addiction crisis with the use of the Twelve Steps, or simply through the uplifting power of the experience of the love we find in Christ and the great cloud of saints we find in communion during prayer.  This revival of Lazarus, which foreshadows Christ's own Resurrection to come (and which we will celebrate on Easter/Pascha), tells us a story of what Christ does and who Christ is, and we cannot limit the things for which that serves as icon which may echo throughout our own lives.  Are you disappointed in a project or plan that seems to have failed?  Is a chapter closed in your life?  Is something broken, like a relationship, or a long-cherished dream?  It is Christ's life and light to which one must turn in such a time; and indeed, in all times.  For this is the light by which we see the way forward, the life that is the light of all people.  This is the truth in this sign, given us in the Gospel, and through the "spirit and life" in the words of Jesus.  It's no accident that in telling the story of the life and light of Christ, we are given today's powerful story in the context of Jesus' great love for Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus.  Moreover, we are given His great compassion, for as He sees the sisters weeping, together with their friends, Jesus groans in the spirit, and also weeps -- giving us this memorably short verse of the Bible, "Jesus wept."  For the life and light of Christ is couched in love, which is the essence of the Divine.  As John also tells us, "God is love" (1 John 4:8).  We need His light and life, and we need God's love.   These shape the qualities that make life even in this world precious to us, and good, and beautiful.  In them, we also may share in beholding the glory of God.  For they remain true even when the world offers us darkness and denial.