Lessons I didn’t learn in Sunday School – Lazarus, Martha, and Mary
Most Christians are familiar with the most popular stories taught in Sunday School. But as adults, what can we learn from those lessons?
The story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is a common Sunday School story and takes place in John 11 shortly before the crucifixion of Jesus, but we meet Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, early in the ministry of Jesus in Luke 10 where Martha receives Jesus into her house. While Martha is serving the food, Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to his teachings. Martha complains to Jesus that Mary should help her serve.
Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things; But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Luke does not reveal what happens next. Does Martha go back to serving? Does Mary help her? Or do both sisters sit and listen to Jesus teach? I think that Martha joins Mary and listens to the teachings of Jesus because of what is revealed in John 11.
John tells the reader that Lazarus, Martha, and Mary live in Bethany, which is just under two miles east of Jerusalem. John identifies Mary as the woman in Matthew and Mark who anointed Jesus with precious ointment and wiped his feet with her hair soon before his death. This happens after Lazarus is raise from the dead.
In chapter 3 Lazarus is sick and Mary and Martha send word to Jesus that “he whom thou lovest is sick.”
In chapter 5 it states that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus after stating in chapter 4 that “this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
Jesus waits two days before traveling to Bethany. He tells his disciples Lazarus is sleeping and he will awaken him, but then clarifies that Lazarus is dead. He is performing the miracle to convince his disciples he is the Christ. His teachings for the past three years are coming to an end, and the disciples still have trouble understanding his message.
Lazarus has been in the grave for four days. This is important because the body was inspected for three days after death. This is why Jesus waited to prove Lazarus was dead and not in a coma-like state. The timeline appears to indicate that Lazarus may have died the same day the messenger told Jesus of his friend’s illness.
Martha hears Jesus is coming and goes out onto the road to meet him.
In verse 21 Martha says, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.”
Martha doesn’t appear to be blaming Jesus as some interpretations imply. She is simply stating facts. If Jesus had come before Lazarus had died, Jesus would have been able to heal him. Martha also reveals her faith with verse 24. “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus replies in verses 25-26, “I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
Martha says in verse 27, “I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” This shows Martha’s faith, which is greater than the disciples. This is why I believe she also listened to the teachings of Jesus with Mary and believed.
Martha declares her faith and then goes to Mary and tells her secretly that Jesus called for her. She goes to Jesus where Martha had met him on the road. Mary also tells Jesus that Lazarus wouldn’t have died if he had been there, which reveals her faith. This is a family of believers and their actions reveal their faith.
Mary is weeping and the other mourners are weeping. Jesus reacts “he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.”
The death of Jesus is imminent and this compassion reveals the why of his sacrifice. He saw the pain of death and felt the loss personally. They go to the grave and in verse 35, “Jesus wept.”
Lazarus is in a cave with a stone upon it. This is similar to the grave Jesus was placed in after his death. Jesus asks for the stone to be removed and then prays so others will believe that God sent him. “He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth.”
Lazarus comes out bound hand and foot in burial clothes and has to be loosened. The hands and feet were wrapped to keep the small bones together as the body decayed. The jaw was also tied to the skull and Lazarus has a napkin covering his face.
This miracle proves that Jesus can raise people from the grave. It is also a foreshadowing of his own resurrection. We also see that salvation is personal. Martha and Mary profess their own faith. They don’t have to go through Lazarus or a priest or a saint. They go directly to Jesus and he promises them life eternal.
After this event, the pharisees plot to put Jesus to death. He travels to Ephraim with his disciples to avoid capture, but the priests and pharisees know he will attend Passover and order anyone who knows where Jesus is to tell them so they can arrest him.
In John 12 Jesus returns to Bethany six days before the Passover, and he has supper with Lazarus and Martha serves. Mary takes a pound of expensive perfume, spikenard, and anoints the feet of Jesus, and she wiped his feet with her hair. The house if filled with the scent of the ointment. Judas Iscariot wants to know why the ointment wasn’t sold for money and given to the poor. But John reveals the heart of Judas who kept the money bag and stole from it.
This reveals the motive for Judas to betray Jesus. Money was more important than understanding who Jesus was or even defending him as one of his disciples.
This same incident is mentioned in Matthew 26: 6-7 when Jesus goes to Bethany and is in the house of Simon the leper. But we know Mary and Martha are there. Jesus is eating, and Mary pours ointment over his head. Judas is upset because as treasurer he wanted the money they could have received from the sale of the ointment. Jesus rebukes him and says the ointment is for his burial and people will remember Mary for this act.
John also reveals that the priests wanted to put Lazarus to death because many believed in Jesus because he raised Lazarus from the dead.
Think about this. They know Lazarus died and Jesus raised him from the dead but they want any evidence destroyed, including Jesus and Lazarus. They want to preserve their own religion no matter what the costs.
Is it good or bad to defend your beliefs?
Should someone be open to new teachings?
How does someone determine what beliefs are the truth and what may be lies?
