When we first meet Martha in Luke’s gospel she is too busy with the work to come sit at Jesus’ feet. She is upset with her sister Mary who is ‘just’ sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him teach. Are we sometimes like this version of Martha? Too busy to see wh or what God places before us? Of worse yet, do we see it yet think we are too busy and rush right past to get to what we think is a more important meeting, event, project, task..?
But sometimes we are the Martha we find in John 11, the story of Lazarus’ resurrection. Martha comes to Jesus in her grief and acknowledges Him as the Messiah, the Son of God. She professes that Jesus and God are connected, that God will do whatever Jesus asks. But I don’t think that Martha is thinking Jesus will resurrect Lazarus at this point. I think she is making this profession because she knows her faith is what will get her through this difficult loss. Most of us have been there. After questioning why God has allowed something to happen, we turn to Him and acknowledge His Lordship in our lives. Our faith carries us through. Yet it is a faith that is always there.
At times we display this rock-solid faith displayed by Martha. We truly know Jesus as Lord of our life. We acknowledge that all we have and all we are is His. As we draw near to Easter, when we celebrate Jesus’ victory over death, may we have faith like Martha – fully walking with God, living in that faith that is always there.