Martha and Jesus

Martha had a special relationship with Jesus. When Lazarus got sick, Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus to let him know. Only instead of coming right away, Jesus tarried for two days where he was.

By the time Jesus made it to Bethany, Lazarus had died and been buried in a tomb for four days. The sisters were busy with friends and family who came to grieve when them. 

When Martha heard Jesus had arrived, she hurried to meet him. She said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” (John 11:21-22)

When Jesus told her Lazarus would rise again, she nodded in agreement. She understood he would rise again in the resurrection on the last day.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (vs. 25-26)

She affirmed that she believed he was the Christ, the Son of God who’d come into the world. 

Martha was the practical one, but she was also a thinker. Jesus knew this. Though she was a woman, he recognized that she comprehended his ministry better than most. He talked to her on a level most of his followers couldn’t understood. 

We often judge Martha unfairly, comparing her to her sister Mary. But Jesus recognized Martha’s strengths and appreciated her for who she was. 

May we serve God using the gifts he’s given us.

Read about Martha: John 11-12

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