His Glorious Gifts

My sister and I are not alike.  We were raised in the same house, by the same parents, yet our personalities are distinct. There are definitely similarities, but we lead different lives and react differently to life events.

Mary and Martha were sisters with different personalities too.  In John 11:1-44 we read the story of their brother Lazarus, who died before Jesus got to their house to save him.  Jesus was a friend of the family, surely he should have hurried to help them.  But he allowed other distractions to slow his journey.

And isn’t that the way we often feel?  We need help, it’s urgent, but Jesus takes his good, sweet time getting around to us.  

When Jesus arrived, we see that Mary and Martha had similar thoughts, but different reactions.

Martha marched right out to Jesus and confronted him.  “If you had been here our brother wouldn’t have died.”  Martha was practical, she took charge, she got things done.  Jesus told her that Lazarus would be raised.  Her response?  “Well of course he will, at the end of days when we all are raised.”  Even when they walked to the tomb and Jesus told them to open it, she still didn’t understand.  Her response there was, “The smell will be terrible.”  There’s that logical Martha again.

We often miss the true meaning of what Jesus tells us because we filter his words through our preconceived ideas, our circumstances, or our past experiences.  Even when He takes us right up to the truth, we can’t see past our own ideas of what we think will be.

Mary had a different reaction to Jesus’ arrival.  She stayed inside, grieving with the other mourners.  Jesus came to find her.  Her initial thought was the same as Martha’s.  “If you had been here our brother wouldn’t have died.”  She was tender-hearted, emotional.  I picture her as walking along half-heartedly to the tomb with Jesus, just following the crowd.

When we are broken hearted, when we are bound by grief or adversity, when we feel like we can’t move…Jesus comes to find us.  When He does, He is not offended by our sadness.  He carefully leads us to a place where He has something better to offer.

When the tomb was opened, both women were met with a joy they never imagined was possible.  Jesus called, and their brother, Lazarus, walked out.

Mary and Martha both knew who Jesus was, that He was the Messiah.  Martha followed him to the tomb even though it didn’t make sense to her.  Mary followed because, in her grief, she didn’t know what else to do.  Both received the same gift.  The important thing was that when Jesus showed up they both looked at Him, talked to Him, and followed where He led.

Sometimes a delay is necessary to reveal the full glory of what God plans to do.  When we choose to put our own agenda aside and follow, we are given the opportunity to share in that glory.

Mary’s encounter with Jesus left her changed.  Later, she sat at Jesus’ feet, anointing them with perfume, soaking in every word He had to say.  Others judged her for wasting precious resources.  Martha was annoyed that she was wasting time when preparations needed to be made for dinner.  Jesus shut down those judgements.  She had discovered what was important.  

There will always be other things to do, other demands of our time and resources. But when Jesus starts speaking, we should stop, sit down, and listen.

How many times do we see God at work, and then just go about our lives in the same old way?  An encounter with Jesus should leave us changed.  Change can be frightening, but in this case don’t be afraid to lean into it.  Let go of what was, embrace what will be.  His glorious gifts are beyond your wildest dreams.