+ Martha, and her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus were among Jesus' most devoted disciples and closest friends. Jesus needed a place to visit, unwind, relax and enjoy some peace and quiet after a hectic day doing his salvific work among the flock! We know that on one occasion, Martha was concerned about the details of hospitality: the cooking, the table setting, and the candle-lighting; while Mary simply sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to what he had to say, very lovingly and attentively!
When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping her with the duties of hospitality, Jesus looked at her with love and probably gave her a heartfelt grin and told her that in this case, Mary had chosen the better part – because "listening to the Lord when he first comes into your house is the better thing to do." He did not withdraw his love from Martha, but Mary was given credit for her sense of priority. Lazarus was not mentioned here at all; perhaps he had not yet returned home, chances are he would have gravitated close to Jesus as well.
And so: the lesson for us is that during the day when for any reason at all the Lord enters the recesses of the home of our hearts and sits with us for a while: we need to as quickly as we can, stop what we are doing, if only momentarily and converse with him and enjoy his company! He will most likely leave again and then return again: and so we must be alert always for his next arrival, and o so grateful for the one that has just occurred! He will always have something very special for us to hear just at the very moment he chooses to come to us in a more intense way!
Martha more than made up for her faux pas later on when Lazarus had apparently died and Jesus came to be with them. This is when she made her great "resurrection acclamation!" Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he wanted to make sure that she understood that resurrected life will ultimately come to all of us directly from him: so he tells her: I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE: whoever believe in me, even if he dies, will live! Do you believe this? Martha said to him: YES LORD I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, THE ONE WHO IS COMING INTO THE WORLD! I BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, AND THE LIFE EVERLASTING! Each of us must make that statement as well: sometime in our lifetimes: or else we will not inherit the Kingdom prepared for us! BELIEF IN CHRIST & HIS MESSAGE IS OUR PRIMARY WORK IN LIFE!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life – and it will lead right into the glory of the world to come!
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