Martha! Martha! ... Growing in her Faith: Lesson 5

Martha, Martha! … Growing In Her Faith

Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; John 12:2

By Patsy Norwood © 2024  All Rights Reserved!

Lesson 5

In lesson 4 we left ourselves with the question of ‘did Jesus show up when Martha and Mary sent word to Him that their brother Lazarus was sick?’  Did Jesus leave immediately and come to Lazarus’ side?

Let’s find out …

Verse 4 … But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”

“But when Jesus heard this” … Jesus has received the message via a messenger sent by Martha and Mary, but instead of leaving with the messenger to return with him to Bethany He said instead …

“This sickness is not to end in death” … did this mean ‘don’t worry, Lazarus is not going to die,” we know that’s not so!  So, what did it mean?  It meant that death would not be the end of the matter, that it would not be permanent.

That can be a bit confusing, so let’s continue and see if we can get some clarification.  The Bible is its own best commentary.

“but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it” … so, Lazarus’ sickness is going to bring glory to Jesus!  That’s a profound thought, isn’t it?  Let’s continue on …

Verse 5 … Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

It’s almost as if Jesus is saying, ‘even though it might not look like love, it is … just trust Me.’

That trusting can be hard when we’re scared and fear the worst, can’t it?  Did Martha and Mary wrestle with similar fears and anxiousness?  The Bible doesn’t tell us, but it’s likely that they did.

Verse 6 … So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.

Jesus, the One Who had the power to heal Lazarus …

Jesus, the One Who was good friends with Martha, Mary and Lazarus …

Jesus, the One Who had enjoyed Martha, Mary and Lazarus’ hospitality numerous times …

Jesus, the One Who loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus …

… stayed where He was two more days!

Why didn’t He leave immediately and go to Lazarus?

Because Jesus had a higher purpose in mind!

When we’re hurting and we don’t understand the why, could it be because God has a higher purpose in mind?

When we’re pleading with God for an answer and none comes, could it be because God has a higher purpose in mind?

When the answer comes and it’s not the one we wanted, could it be because God has a higher purpose in mind?

God sees the bigger picture, He knows the higher purpose and just as He did in the case of Lazarus’ sickness, He wants us to trust Him and His timing.

Next week, it’s time!  You’ll have to meet me back here then to find out what that means!

I hope you enjoyed today's lesson.  Don't forget to leave a comment and if you're enjoying this study, please share the link with other ladies who you think might enjoy it as well. 

Until the next class …

patsy @ From This Heart of Mine

Sources used for this study:

Various translations of the Holy Bible

Various commentaries

Dictionary of New Testament Background, Editors: Craig A Evans & Stanley E. Porter

Archaeological Study Bible

All the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen

Daughters of Eve by Lottie Beth Hobbs

Halley’s Bible Handbook by H. H. Halley

Martha, Martha! ... Growing in Her Faith! ... Lesson 4

Martha, Martha! … Growing In Her Faith

Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; John 12:2

By Patsy Norwood © 2024  All Rights Reserved!

Lesson 4

In lesson 3 we saw Martha take a giant step in her spiritual growth and this week we’re going to see some of the results of that growth.

Let's leave the book of Luke and head over to the book of John ...

John 11:1 … Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

This verse sets the background for the rest of the chapter.

Bethany: a village some 2 miles outside of Jerusalem on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives. 

Sisters: Mary & Martha

A certain man:  This certain man was named Lazarus.  There were several men named Lazarus during this time, but we know from John 11:21 that this Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary.  Also notice the specifics about Lazarus’ location.  It was if the writer didn’t want there to be any question about which Lazarus he was talking about which also nailed down which Martha and Mary he was talking about as well.  It seems all three names were common ones at the time and it was important to get their identities correct.

Sick: one is led to think that Lazarus sickness was severe, otherwise the sisters wouldn’t have made the following choice …

Verse 3:  so the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

The sisters sent word:  notice this was not just Mary, but Martha also.

He whom you love is sick: such a simple and humble statement!  No demanding or even asking that Jesus come and do something, just a simple statement.  Was there expectation imbedded in that statement, I’m sure there was but there was also a silent surrendering to Jesus’ will.

The word love here means love for a close friend.  This makes sense as Jesus had been blessed by Martha, Mary and Lazarus’ hospitality in their home many times.  There is closeness and love that comes from such a relationship that’s binding in a special way.  My husband and I have such a relationship with a family that has been our Martha, Mary and Lazarus numerous times. We have a special bond and love for them that would bring us to their aid at the drop of a hat if they needed us, so it’s easy for me to understand the bond that was between Jesus and Martha, Mary and Lazarus. 

By Martha and Mary sending their message to Jesus they knew that if He knew they had a need, He would come.  Let that sink in …do we take our needs to Jesus?  Are we confident that He will come to our aid as well?

They left the handling of their family emergency in Jesus’ hands.  How hard would that have been?  What faith they must have had!  Do we have that kind of confidence in our Lord?

Notice in closing that throughout these two verses we are no longer reading only of Mary’s love for Jesus, but the word ‘they’ indicates that Martha’s love for Him was on display as well.  It wasn’t only Mary sending word to Jesus, it was ‘they,’ Martha and Mary.

Martha seems to be living the lesson she learned in our study last week …

Jesus first … always and in everything!

Next week we’re going to see Jesus’ response to Martha and Mary’s message.  Did Jesus show up?  Was Martha and Mary’s confidence in Jesus misplaced?  We’ll find out in our next lesson.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today's lesson.  Don't forget to leave a comment and if you're enjoying this study, please share the link with other ladies who you think might enjoy it as well. 

Until the next class …

patsy @ From This Heart of Mine

 

Sources used for this study:

Various translations of the Holy Bible

Various commentaries

Dictionary of New Testament Background, Editors: Craig A Evans & Stanley E. Porter

Archaeological Study Bible

All the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen

Daughters of Eve by Lottie Beth Hobbs

Halley’s Bible Handbook by H. H. Halley 

Martha! Martha! ... Growing in Her Faith: Lesson 3

Martha, Martha! … Growing In Her Faith

Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; John 12:2

By Patsy Norwood © 2024  All Rights Reserved!

Lesson 3

In lesson 2 we left Martha having an outburst of emotions that caused her to confront Jesus demanding that He make Mary get up and help her.  Let’s pick up there and see what happens as a result of Martha’s actions … how did Jesus respond?  Let’s find out …

Verse 41 … But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;

The double use of Martha’s name here is regarded as an admonition, a gentle reproof, a pitying love kind of admonition, but never-the-less an admonition.

‘Martha, Martha’ … can’t you just hear the sadness in Jesus’ voice?  He wanted her to stop, be still, and lay aside her preconceived notion of what He wanted.  He didn’t want her to prepare a big fancy meal, a simple one would have met His and all their needs.  In so doing it would have given her time to do the most important thing which was sit at His feet and learn.  Jesus wanted Martha to take this opportunity to spend time with Him.

Isn’t that one of the things He still wants of us today?

‘You are worried and bothered about so many things’ … Can’t you just see Him trying to get her to understand, His words seem to imply something along the lines of … “My child, you have it all wrong!”  What you are doing is good, but right here and right now, it’s not the most important thing!

Verse 42 … but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Jesus wanted Martha to understand that there would be plenty of time and opportunity for housework and fancy meals later, but time with Him was most precious.

Little did they know how precious and limited time with Him was as He was approaching the last days of His life here on earth.  Had Martha known I’m sure she wouldn’t have concerned herself with all the things that were occupying her mind.

Martha was not yet the spiritually mature believer she would be, but this was an opportunity for her to grow and make progress in her spiritual walk.

Through Jesus’ loving admonition, Martha saw the error of her ways.

She learned that her perspective was not always God’s perspective …

She learned that there are times when less is more …

She learned that “‘man does not live by bread alone’ but by every word that proceedth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)

Aren’t there times when we could all learn from Martha’s lessons, I know that there are for me!

Next week, we leave this scene in Martha’s home and find her in another setting that clearly shows she has taken the lessons she learned to heart.  Join me next week as we hop over to the book of John and get a glimpse of an improved Martha who has a better understanding of what the most important thing is.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today's lesson.  Don't forget to leave a comment and if you're enjoying this study, please share the link with other ladies who you think might enjoy it as well. 

Until the next class …

patsy @ From This Heart of Mine

 Sources used for this study:

Various translations of the Holy Bible

Various commentaries

Dictionary of New Testament Background, Editors: Craig A Evans & Stanley E. Porter

Archaeological Study Bible

All the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen

Daughters of Eve by Lottie Beth Hobbs

Halley’s Bible Handbook by H. H. Halley

Martha! Martha! ... Growing in her Faith, Lesson 2

Martha, Martha! … Growing In Her Faith

Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; John 12:2

By Patsy Norwood  © 2024  All Rights Reserved!

Lesson 2

In lesson 1 we were introduced to Martha as she played hostess in her home to none other than Jesus.  We concluded that she did all the right things in making Jesus comfortable, but and there was a 'but', wasn't there ...

That's where we're going to pick up this week beginning with verse 39 ...

And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word.

Let's look at this verse closely and get a picture in our mind of what's happening from Martha's perspective.  Martha is playing hostess, likely moving around the house setting things in order for a meal and Mary, her sister is not helping.

40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself? Then tell her to help me.”

Can't you just see Martha getting more agitated as she works to get everything that she deems necessary done ... by herself ... with no help from Mary.

From Martha's point of view, Mary should have been helping her ... after all this was Mary's home and responsibility too!

Maybe inwardly Martha was wishing she could be sitting at Jesus’ feet with Mary, but then she would have also realized that somebody had to prepare the meal which would have fit with Martha’s ‘take charge, get it done’ personality.

It was a great day in Martha, Mary’s and Lazarus’ home when Jesus came for this visit, and I think we can safely assume that Martha was eager to please with the very best she could do.  So, she rushed and fussed and cooked and when she couldn’t stand it any longer, she marched herself into the Lord's presence and let all her frustration towards Mary and her seemly rude and lazy behavior burst out in one question … “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself?”

Can't you just hear the anger in that question or maybe the pleading?  She's not only complaining about her sister and casting her in a bad light, but she's insinuating that the Lord doesn't care about her!  It seems that she’s really worked herself into a tizzy!  She allowed herself to get caught up in her emotions instead of looking objectively at the situation.  She let her sense of being ‘wronged’ take priority in her heart.  In essence, she made this about herself.

And then she dares to tell the Lord to tell Mary to help her!!!

Let's just sit on this for a few minutes ...

Martha wants the Lord to call Mary out and make her do what she (Martha) thinks she (Mary) SHOULD be doing!

Martha, Martha, Martha … good and faithful Martha …

Can’t we all just see ourselves in her at times?

So focused on what we want …

So focused on what we think should be done …

So focused on our perspective of what’s going on …

So focused on the business of life …

That we momentarily forget the most important thing.

That’s where I’m going to leave you in this lesson, next week, we’ll see Jesus' response to Martha's outburst. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed today's lesson.  Don't forget to leave a comment and if you're enjoying this study, please share the link with other ladies who you think might enjoy it as well.

Until the next class …

patsy @ From This Heart of Mine

Sources used for this study:

Various translations of the Holy Bible

Various commentaries

Dictionary of New Testament Background, Editors: Craig A Evans & Stanley E. Porter

Archaeological Study Bible

All the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen

Daughters of Eve by Lottie Beth Hobbs

Halley’s Bible Handbook by H. H. Halley

Who’s Who in the Bible by Philip Comfort & Walter A. Elwell

Martha! Martha! ... Growing in her Faith, Lesson 1

Martha, Martha! … Growing In Her Faith

Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; John 12:2

By Patsy Norwood  © 2024  All Rights Reserved!

Lesson 1

Martha is mentioned three times in the Bible and throughout this study, we’re going to look at all three instances.

Let’s start with Luke 10: 38-42, verse by verse, here we go …

Verse 38 … Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

This scene most likely took place during a short visit to Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication and we know from last week’s lesson that the name of the village was Bethany and that it was located about 2 miles outside of Jerusalem.

Who are the ‘they’ mentioned in this verse?  In Luke 10:23, we see that Jesus’ disciples were with Him, did they accompany Him into the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus or did Jesus’ steal away for a visit with this trio?  The Bible doesn’t tell us.

What we do know is that Martha welcomed Him into her home and that’s where we get our first glimpse of her in action.

I wonder how she welcomed Him.  Did she greet Him with a smile and kind words?  Did she offer Him the most comfortable place in her home to sit and rest?  Did she follow that with an offer of something to drink while He rested and she went to prepare a meal, or maybe she provided a bowl of water and cloth for Him to wash His feet which was the custom at that time.  Traveler’s feet were often tired, dusty and dirty as walking was a chief mode of transportation.  It was considered an act of hospitality to offer items to the traveler to clean his/her feet when one visited in a home.  As to how Martha actually greeted Jesus, we don't know, the Bible doesn’t tell us, but we can rest assured it was done in such a way that Jesus felt like He could continue coming back again and again.

It all sounds so warm and welcoming, doesn’t it?  All of those things are very good and hospitable, aren’t they?  From someone who does a lot of visiting and traveling, I can tell you that the hospitable hostess is quite the blessing and might I add, a gift from God.  So, I think we can all agree that Martha is doing what Martha should be doing at this point.

For some being hospitable comes naturally; for others it’s a skill to be learned.  I Peter 4:9 tells us to be hospitable to one another without complaint.  Being hospitable is a whole other subject to study that we won’t do here, but I hope you can see the importance it plays in growing God’s kingdom as we continue in our study.

Secular history indicates that Martha was the oldest of her siblings.  As we will see her actions indicate that she had a lot of the attributes of a firstborn child:  take charge (note that Martha was the first one to welcome Jesus into her home), diligent, maybe a little bit of a perfectionist, leader, reliable, conscientious, responsible and a list maker/planner to name a few.

Obviously, Martha was doing a good job in her role as hostess as Jesus visited their home often.  Martha was doing what she had most likely been raised to believe was her responsibility.  She was doing what she thought was expected of her and she was doing it well.  Jesus knew He had a warm and welcoming place to come to whenever He needed it so let’s give Martha a high five for providing this most important place of refuge for our Lord.

However, sometimes the path to growing our faith takes us down roads that can be a bit hard to travel.  It seems Martha is about to start down one of those roads.

We can safely assume that Martha was a believer, but she had some growing to do ... as we all do at one time or another.

That’s where I’m going to leave you in this lesson, next week, we’ll move on to verse 39 and begin there. 

How do you picture Martha welcoming our Lord into her home?  I mean, He wasn’t just anybody He was the promised Messiah!

I hope you’ve enjoyed today's lesson.  Don't forget to leave a comment and if you're enjoying this study, please share the link with other ladies who you think might enjoy it as well.

Until the next class …

patsy @ From This Heart of Mine

Sources used for this study:

Various translations of the Holy Bible

Various commentaries

Dictionary of New Testament Background, Editors: Craig A Evans & Stanley E. Porter

Archaeological Study Bible

All the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen

Daughters of Eve by Lottie Beth Hobbs

Halley’s Bible Handbook by H. H. Halley

Who’s Who in the Bible by Philip Comfort & Walter A. Elwell