and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them in the loss of their brother.Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
7 sermons cite this verse
… Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming he went out to meet him. She went out to meet him but Mary stayed at home. And I feel like the hardest part sometimes of our faith isn't always believing that God can. It's trusting that he's going to do it even when we can't see it. So we see that in this passage in verse 21. Lord, Martha said to Jesus, it says, if you had been there, my brother would not have died. Lord, if you had. And you see this phrase, if, only. If you had shown up. If you had been here. If you would have accepted my share calendar request and known exactly what I needed on my Tuesday, Lord, that would have really helped me for the rest of my week. …
… We hear this little detail, which I love. Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. What is that? Well, you see it in Jewish community to this day. It's called sitting shiva. When someone has died, the friends and relatives come and they sit. And they commiserate and they share stories and they cry together and pray together. So it's a group of friends sitting Shiva with Martha and Mary over the death of Lazarus. But then this, and everyone, it would be hard not to identify with this scene. Martha hears the Lord has come, and so she runs out to meet him. Remember Martha, who's anxious and upset about many things, and she's always fussing with details of hospitality. So she's on the move to see Jesus. But then she says, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. A bland statement of fact? Hardly. Hardly. Can you enter into that scene, everybody? Can you feel the reproach in her voice? …
… When Jesus arrived he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem only about two miles away and many of the Jews who had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went to meet him. But Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you would have 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. Martha said to him, I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus told her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? She said, Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world. When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, The teacher is here and is asking for you. As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep …
… the tomb for, had been already in the tomb for four days. Now, Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed home. There is, let me be clear, there is no lack of faith on behalf of Mary or Martha in this text. They're wrestling with, how can this be? How come your timing's not our timing? Why didn't you come? That there is no lack of faith on their part. They are massively in love with Jesus. and Martha in all of her grief, if we could just click out of, I know this story, you know, I've heard it before at VBS growing up and understand the grief and pain that exists in the coming verses. These are two sisters whose brothers died. We don't know how old he was, but probably not too old and they're grieving the loss of their sister and what I want you to understand and what I want you to see in Martha is Martha runs to Jesus in the middle of her grief. …
… tomb for four days. Now Bethany, this town that Jesus knew well, was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed home. Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. Now that was, in my view, an amazing statement of faith. I don't think Martha was thinking that Lazarus was coming out of the tomb, because later when Jesus says, move the stone, she says, you don't want to move the stone, he's been in there four days, there's going to be an odor. But she knows that Jesus is a miracle man. He didn't make it to town in time to do the miracle, but she knows he's a miracle man. And I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask. …
And so when Jesus came, he found that he had already been in the tomb for four days. And 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. Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him, but Mary was sitting in the house. And 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? And she said to him, yes, Lord. …
And so it was really a short distance that could be walked easily. And so we read that many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. And so a multitude of Jewish people had made the trek up the Mount of Olives to Bethany to the home of Mary and Martha because obviously these people had a lot of friends in Jerusalem and must have been somewhat well known. In any case, now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house, and Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. So here is Martha who was desperate for Jesus to come to rescue her brother from His illness, and then when He died, her expectations were not met. And she was not only upset by the death of her brother, but also upset by the failure, obviously, of Jesus to do for her what she had expected. …