Three siblings, two sisters and one brother, were followers of Jesus. It is a beautiful thing to watch whole families love God and seek to serve Christ. The ministry of Jesus was busy to say the least. Each day Christ taught to huge crowds and individuals as no one else had ever taught; healing the sick and infirmed as only the Messiah could. His message found a resting place in the hearts of these three people. This is evident from the accounts in the gospels when they opened their home and offered food and rest to the traveling group of disciples, along with their Rabbi. All three have a different story to tell when we read about them in the New Testament. There was one thing that would bind them forever to Jesus. The Gospel of John 11 & 12 shares this incredible story and it should be a challenge to us. Let’s look at each of these siblings and see how this one truth transformed their lives.
Mary: One of the fascinating things about Mary is that she is often found at the feet of Jesus worshipping. She listened intently to Him speak. She was so focused on Christ that when He was around, nothing but Christ mattered. She had a prized possession, and it was costly. Three hundred pennyworth is the amount attached to it. That is almost a one-year salary. How long had she had the bottle of perfume? We don’t really know. Perhaps she’d saved her earnings for a long time with the hope of breaking it on her wedding day. It is possible that she thought it would be used if she died early in life. We know that Lazarus, her brother, died and was wrapped with spices and ointment then buried. Do you not think that the temptation was great to use that nard for her brother’s funeral? She didn’t, even though the pressure would be intense. Jesus resurrects Lazarus and she has an epiphany. Six days before Passover, there is a supper planned at the home. As the evening begins to unfold we see Mary with that special flask of expensive perfume sitting at the feet of Jesus. She breaks the top and begins pouring it on the feet of Jesus. Her worship is criticized. Often the people of God are misunderstood, but don’t allow that to stop you from being a worshipper of Jesus. Her thinking could have been, “If Jesus can raise my brother from the dead and He calls Himself the resurrection and the life, I don’t need this bottle for myself, I’ll give it to Jesus. Didn’t He say just a few days ago whoso liveth and believeth in me shall never die?” Mary was a worshipper.
Martha: It would be safe to say that many women today would identify with Martha. When you see this woman on the pages of the Bible we see her working and working some more. Working is an admirable trait in the life of God’s people, but it isn’t about work alone. We see Martha in John 12 working like a Trojan six days before Passover. Christ is already in the home with His disciples and being a good hostess, Martha wishes to be gracious with meals each day as Passover nears. She’s tired, then sees her sister sitting at the feet of Jesus and in her mind doing nothing. She’s been left in the kitchen to do the work alone when Mary ought to be helping her. Luke 10 adds more detail to this event. Jesus tells her that she is “careful (anxious) and troubled about many things.” No doubt she is the older of the sisters, and she’s doing her best to think about the list of things that need to be done and the priority of those things on that list.
A second time we read about Martha is back in John 11. Martha tells the Lord, “If you would have been here my brother wouldn’t have died.” Grief and hurt can cause us to say and do things we regret. Jesus knew her frailty and might I add He knows ours also. Jesus gives her comfort with one of His I AM statements. “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” I believe at that moment Martha became different. She’d been a follower for a while, but now she was a follower living on resurrection ground. Martha is a worker, and we need people to work but not to the exclusion of worship. We must all strike a good balance as we travel this pilgrim’s pathway.
Lazarus: There are two men in the NT that are named Lazarus. One is tied to the rich man in Luke 16 that went to Hell while Lazarus died and was in Abraham’s bosom. This second is the brother of Mary and Martha. He lived in Bethany, a small town about 6 miles from Jerusalem. Lazarus is a Christ follower. His desire is to help Christ any way possible. He is just as committed as the sisters are to the cause of Christ. He gets sick. The family has seen Jesus help hurting people and now they are in great need. Hurriedly, they send word for Jesus to come because Lazarus is sick. Jesus waits two more days before coming to Bethany. Once he arrives, Mary accuses him of not caring. “If thou hast been here my brother wouldn’t have died.” The shortest verse in the Bible is found in this narrative. It simply says, “Jesus wept.” Even others listening close by blamed Jesus. “Could not this man that opened blind eyes have caused this man not to have died.” Jesus groaned within himself, goes to the cave and says, “…take away the stone.” The two-day delay, the death, and now the coming resurrection are all about two things. One, the glory of God and two, increase the faith of the followers. Jesus calls Lazarus and out he hops bound hand and foot with a napkin across his face. Loosed from his mummy wrap, Lazarus becomes an even greater witness for the Lord. Until he was resurrected from the dead, it doesn’t tell us anywhere in the Bible that people wanted to hear what Lazarus had to say. But after the resurrection, people came from everywhere to see him and listen to him tell his story (John 11:45). You and I were once dead in our trespasses and sins. But when Jesus came into our lives we were resurrected, made alive, given eternal life. A Christian that lives on resurrection ground always has a greater influence than those that live after the flesh. Everyone won’t be on your side though. The Jewish leadership sought to kill him. They couldn’t argue with the miracle, so they plotted to kill, to destroy the evidence, Lazarus the witness.
This family should be an example to all of us with family. Each member had their own strengths, and each served God in their own way. Mary worshipped, Martha worked, and Lazarus’ witnessed. All made possible by the power of the resurrection. A power you also have if you have trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is the abundant Christian life available for those that truly want it.