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
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