When Jesus Doesn't Come When You Call

I’ve been covering the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible. If you missed my first post in the series, we ended in their living room. Jesus was reminding Martha about being in His presence, rather than being worried and upset.

But that’s not where the story ends! There’s more to come…

Life for Mary and Martha doesn’t stay comfortable for long. The next chapter of their story brings heartbreak, and one of the greatest displays of who Jesus really is.

Have you ever prayed? I mean really prayed. Fervently, with all your heart. And then nothing happened the way you expected it to?

That's where we find these two sisters in John 11. Their brother Lazarus is sick. They send word to Jesus. And Jesus...

Waits.

Jesus stayed where he was…for two more days!

It’s hard for me to process it. Because I know that when I receive word that one of my loved ones is sick, I drop everything and go to them.

Yet Jesus did the opposite.

Mary and Martha’s hope was probably that Jesus would return immediately and heal their brother before he died.

But He didn't.

Jesus says the illness won't lead to death, and so He stayed where He was. In the disciples' minds, that would make sense. If Lazarus isn't going to die, then there's no hurry.

By the time Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has died and had been in the tomb for four days.

This verse is challenging for me on the surface. Because from Mary and Martha's perspective, there's no explanation after sending word. Only silence as the person they love gets worse and eventually dies.

Both sisters are now mourning. As soon as Martha hears that Jesus is coming, she goes and meets Him. But Mary stays home.

And Martha is quite transparent with her frustration and disappointment. Her pain is raw and honest. Yet she's holding her grief in one hand and her faith in the other.

Martha wasn't confident that Jesus would raise her brother. She was simply saying she would still trust Him despite her disappointment. What a remarkable thing to say while grieving.

I've been there all too often. It’s like I’m waiting and waiting, and I can’t see what God is doing. It’s like my prayers aren’t being answered. And so I get frustrated.

Jesus isn’t going to abandon us in the struggle. But He might let the struggle stretch a little longer... because what He's about to do with it is going to be way greater than if He'd just fixed it right away.

That doesn't make the period of waiting any easier, but that should give me comfort.

Silence isn't the same thing as absence.

This is one of Jesus’ seven "I am" statements in John’s Gospel. It’s a declaration of who He is.

Martha's confession here is a defining moment. She declares Jesus as Messiah, Son of God, while her brother is still in a tomb.

Note that Martha is still grieving, her faith is alongside her grief. She doesn't have to choose between pain and belief.

Coming back to my first post, it always seemed like Martha was the “lesser” sister in this story. Martha was the one who got distracted in the kitchen. Martha was the one who complained.

But Martha is doing something I still aspire to, she’s being completely honest with Jesus about her pain, yet trusting Him anyway.

Even amidst her loss, she knows who He is.

After her conversation with Jesus, Martha goes back and tells Mary that the Teacher is here and is asking for her.

Martha and Mary said the exact same words to Jesus. But while Martha went to meet Him and spoke to Him, Mary fell at His feet.

It’s the same posture she had in the living room, except this time she's weeping.

Both sisters carry the same pain (they both lost Lazarus!), yet the expressions of their pain are different in His presence.

And here we have the shortest verse in the entire Bible.

Yesterday, I spent several hours crying after learning about the sudden and unexpected loss of a dear friend. It was (and still is) gut wrenching to process.

Jesus sees the weeping, and the burden of sorrow at Lazarus's death starts to affect Him too.

We remember that Jesus was a man. He ate. He slept. He had compassion for the suffering and He loved His friends.

When I first read the Book of John, I skimmed right past this verse to get on with the story. Ok, how does it end?

Yes, Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, but that didn't stop Him from experiencing the heartache of his death. He didn't rush past the pain to get to the good part. He, too, was deeply troubled and was weeping with them.

Our grief, sorrow, and suffering is real, and our Lord and Savior knows and feels it. That's something I want to remember the next time I'm tempted to skip past someone's hurt to rush to healing mode. Jesus weeps with us.

So…which one are you? Are You More Like Mary or Martha?

Perhaps the question looks different now than it did before.

In the living room, it was about busyness vs. presence. Here, it’s something else.

Both Mary and Martha experience the same absence. The same “Lord, if you had been here.” They grieve the same loss. And they bring it to Jesus in completely different ways, one with a bold confession, one collapsed at His feet in tears.

Jesus met them both exactly where they were. He met Martha with a declaration of who He is, and He met Mary in tears. He didn't ask them to grieve the same way. He doesn't ask us to, either.

Both women stayed faithful to Him through difficult times. And He stayed faithful to them.

That's what I didn't understand when I first heard the question, which one am I? I see now that it’s beyond a personality type. It’s that even when Jesus was seemingly absent, they both came to Him anyway.

It’s so hard to wait for things and wonder why things aren't moving the way we thought they would. But I hope that you are encouraged, as I am, in knowing that Jesus weeps with those He loves. He is always faithful.

Now, are you ready for a miracle? If yes, then see what happens by reading my next post in this series!