What are Mary and Martha saying to Jesus?

Sounds to me that they are almost blaming Jesus for Lazarus’ death.  If Jesus would have come right away and not delayed Lazarus would not be dead.

Have to wonder how many times Mary or Martha looked out the window of their home, looking to see if Jesus was coming down the road.   How many times did they say to each other, "Where is Jesus?" "What’s keeping Him?" Perhaps they wondered if Jesus had gotten the message.  Maybe even feared that something happened to Jesus which prevented Him from coming.

The point I am making is that Mary and Martha were no different then you or me.  We fret when someone is delayed.  I remember my mother would often say, when someone was delayed in getting to our house,  "I hope nothing happened to them." I remember my grandmother getting all upset if my grandfather was late in coming home from church on Sunday morning.  "Where is he?" she would say, "Everything is ready for dinner. It’s going to be over cooked.  He knows I wanted to eat at 1 p.m.."

Let’s be honest nobody likes delays or being delayed.

I don’t care if you are waiting in traffic, a doctors office, an airport. Whether you are waiting for a tardy mailman or paper boy.  It does matter if you are standing in line at the bank or the cash register.  Being delayed does not bring out the best in most people.

For us delays are most often a matter of inconvenience.  In our scripture story this morning, delay is more than an inconvenience, it is an issue of life and death.

Its the type of profound waiting a war bride experiences as they wait for their spouse to return from war.

Its the type of profound waiting a laborer experiences as he or she waits to see if they are among those getting a pink slip.

Its the type of profound waiting a patient experiences as they are waiting for an ambulance, in an emergency room, or for a doctor to call back with test results?

Chances are you have experienced the type of profound waiting that Mary and Martha experienced.  Their brother was dying.  They sent an urgent message to Jesus, expecting an urgent answer.

What they got was a two day delay.

When Jesus did arrive He was greeted by both Mary and Martha. Neither Mary or Martha accused Jesus of their brother’s death, but they certainly implied that His delay resulted in Lazarus’ death.

"Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died."

I find it interesting that while Mary and Martha couldn’t understand why Jesus delayed in coming. Jesus' disciples couldn’t understand why Jesus would go back to Judea.  They may have been empathic about Lazarus’ condition, but they were more concerned about their own well being.  The fact that Lazarus was dying did not seem as important as the fact that last time Jesus was in Judea the Jews tried to kill Jesus.  Going back to Judea was like walking in front of a firing squad.

If it made no sense to them to go back to Judea when Lazarus was sick, you can imagine what they must have been thinking when Jesus told them Lazarus was dead and that they were still going back to Judea.

I guess by then the disciples were resigned to the fact that nothing they could say or do could change Jesus mind.  Resigned to the fact they were going back to Judea,

Thomas said to his fellow disciples,
"Let us also go,
that we may die with Him."

Their response is so similar in nature to Mary’s. All, with the exception of Martha lacked insight. They could only see with their eyes and not with their faith.  If the disciples had seen with their faith, they would have gone with Jesus to Judea, expecting to see the manifestation of God’s glory. After all Jesus said to them,

"This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory,
so that the Son of God
may be glorified through it."

And then Jesus said,

"For your sake I am glad
I was not there,
so that you may believe.
But let us go to Him."

Yet they left for Judea expecting to be stoned to death.

If Mary had seen with her faith she would have seen what Martha saw.  Lets look at Martha’s complete response to Jesus.

"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
BUT
even now I know that God will give You whatever you ask."

Martha was grieving her brothers death, but she was not without hope.  Martha’s waiting was different from Mary’s.  Mary’s waiting is characterized by inactivity, resignation and defeat. Martha’s waiting is characterized by an active persevering and positive faith.  Martha’s faith is exactly the response Jesus desires from us.

It is the response of the Psalmist which we read this morning,

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits
and in His Word I hope." (Psalm 130:5)

It is the kind of response James calls us to,

"Whenever you face trials of any
kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing
of your faith produces endurance,
and let endurance have its full
effect, so that you may be mature
and complete, lacking in nothing."
(James 1:2-4)

Mary said,

"BUT even now I know that God
will give you whatever you ask."

Instead of impatience with delays, we must allow God to teach us what He taught Mary and Martha.  His delay taught Mary and Martha about:

God’s timing.  While it appeared Jesus was too late, what God had in mind was something so far beyond their thoughts and experience, their hopes and their dreams that they didn’t even think to ask for it. God may seem slow, but He’s never late;

God’s purpose.  Jesus not only had the power to raise Himself from the dead, but He has the power to raise others.  Jesus who is life can restore life. Jesus said,

"I am the resurrection and the life."

So you see, delays provide
you with a choice.

You can respond
as one often does
with complaints

OR

You can respond
as one who allows delays to teach oneself about themselves
and about God.

amen