John 11-12 • Mary and Martha, Jesus satisfies your heart with LOVE

John 11-12: Mary and Martha-Jesus satisfies your heart with LOVE
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How confident are you that Jesus loves you? Do you need assurance that He loves you? When Jesus met Mary and Martha, they needed a relationship with Him and assurance of His love for them more than anything else. In this post, we will look at how Jesus demonstrated His love for them in different ways for each of them. Their hearts were satisfied. Jesus satisfies your heart with love, too. This is post #8 in our New Testament Women series.

Listen to this post as a similar podcast from our two Bible Studies of New Testament women: Live Out His Love and the shorter version Satisfied by His Love:

Getting to know Mary and Martha

One day, Jesus and His disciples entered the village of Bethany, a small village on the southeastern slopes of the Mount of Olives about two miles east of Jerusalem on the Jericho Road. The Mount of Olives is about 2 miles long and has three peaks. The modern road from Jericho to Jerusalem still passes along its southern slopes. Rising about 100 feet above Jerusalem, it gives an unforgettable view of the city to the west.

They were met by a woman named Martha who opened up her home to them. The Bible says that Martha had a sister named Mary and a brother named Lazarus (John 11:1-2).

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

Martha opened her home to Jesus and His disciples. This was a large group, requiring quite a bit of preparation to feed and house them. Then, Martha got distracted from her welcoming attitude and literally “stepped up to and burst upon” Jesus in her frustration.

Martha was complaining. Some would say that she was whining. Whining about life is not very effective for changing anything, is it?

Angry at her sister Mary, Martha made a demand of Jesus. In His love, Jesus confronted Martha with her wrong priorities. His focus was on this opportunity for both she and Mary to learn from Him. She needed to let go what was distracting her (and others) from that. “Stop the whining, Martha. Make better choices. Seek what I want more than what you want.” Taking our complaints to Jesus and asking Him to help us think His way about that issue is called lamenting. There is a difference between whining and lamenting. Jesus didn’t let Martha get away with her whining and encouraged both women to learn from Him.

Jesus’ love in action

Mary and Martha were not suffering from illness, demonic possession, or sinful reputation when Jesus first met them. They apparently were not destitute, needing Him to provide for them. But, believing that Jesus could be the promised Messiah, they still needed and wanted a relationship with Him. Even people with incredible character and lots of good deeds on their resume are not born again until they meet and trust in Jesus. That was true for both Mary and Martha. In their story, we get to see Jesus’ love in action.

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. (John 11:1-5)

Through the presence of Jesus in their home and village, Mary and Martha began a relationship with Him that led to love for Him. And He loved them back. They knew it. They had assurance of His love for them.

But love isn’t soft.

Love doesn’t always make it easy on the one loved. Jesus didn’t make it easy on Martha and Mary and Lazarus even after Martha let Jesus know that Lazarus was sick.

So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” … After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” … So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” (John 11:7, 11, 14-15)

Jesus knew what was going on in the lives of His friends. Lazarus was deathly ill and soon died. Jesus let it happen! He could have done something about it. Martha was confident in His love for them and in His power to heal. Jesus could have healed Lazarus from a distance the moment He received the news. He had done that several times before this. Yet, He did not heal Lazarus from a distance.

Jesus chose to do something different, even better than what anyone could imagine. But His choice caused pain and suffering to those He loved and a lot of waiting, too. He allowed these friends whom He loved dearly to endure pain and suffering for several days because there was a greater good they could not see at the time. Jesus loved them and hurt right along with them.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:20-27)

Martha’s confession of faith is similar to Peter’s in Matthew 16:16. In fact, what Martha says is even more amazing because she makes her declaration with her brother dead now for four days, already in the grave! Her response to Jesus’ question, “Do you believe this?” is a firm, “Yes, Lord.” The emphasis in the original language is that this is her firm and settled faith.

Martha told her sister Mary that Jesus was asking for her. Mary got up quickly and went to Him.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. (John 11:32-35)

Jesus wept for His friends. He identified with us as humans so much that He could express deep human sympathy from His heart with Martha and Mary. Sorrow had touched those close to Him.

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:38-40)

As you already read in John 11:4 and 23, Jesus planned from the first hearing of the news to let Lazarus die then to restore his life to him. Their present hurt would soon be healed. They would see God’s glory in a spectacular way. If Martha insisted on having her way, she would have missed out on seeing God’s glory!

Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. (John 11:43-45)

After 4 days of being dead, Lazarus was brought back to life, and good things happened. God’s goodness showed up. Lazarus had his life restored. His sisters saw their now healthy brother returned to them. The disciples witnessed an amazing work of God. And many people now believed in Jesus who had not yet believed in Him.

Responding to His love

After the raising of Lazarus, Jesus left for a short stay in Ephraim (15 miles away). He returned to Bethany to stay for His last week. One evening, He attended a dinner given in His honor at the home of Simon whose life had also been changed after Jesus healed him. Four people whose lives are undeniably touched and changed by Jesus gratefully honored Him.

Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:2-8)

Martha responded to Jesus’ love through serving Him and His disciples without whining. Mary responded to Jesus’ love through giving to Him her most precious possession. Mary perceived with her delicate woman’s intuition what the apostles failed to understand though repeatedly and plainly told to them by Jesus—His impending execution. Jesus accepted Mary’s act of worship and said that Mary did what she as a woman in her culture with her resources could do for Him. Both women responded with gratitude and worship.

When Jesus met Mary and Martha, they needed a relationship with Him and assurance of His love for them more than anything else. His love didn’t allow Martha to stay focused on the wrong things when she got overwhelmed with her tasks. He stopped her bad thinking and redirected her toward what was truly important. Jesus’ love protected Mary from unwarranted accusation from her sister as well as from His own disciples. He gave her respect and commendation instead.

Jesus’ love allowed both Mary and Martha to learn from Him. When Lazarus died, Jesus assured Martha and Mary of His love by going to be with them and to cry with them. His love promised them hope, then fulfilled that promise when He raised their brother back to life. He had done something similar for the widow of Nain.

Jesus accepted their different ways of thanking Him. Mary and Martha could serve Him, love Him, and worship Him in different ways—all equally as valuable. That is the same for us, too. Isn’t that wonderful? We don’t have to be alike to be able to love and serve Him.

Jesus, as fully God and fully man, truly loved Mary and Martha. Their satisfied hearts basked in the assurance of His love. They could now say to themselves with confidence, “Jesus loves me. Jesus knows what is going on in my life. Jesus can do something about it. I can trust His goodness in whatever He chooses to do.” And you can have that assurance of His love in your life, too.

Jesus satisfies your heart with love.

The Bible teaches in John 3:16 that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so anyone could believe in Him and receive eternal life. You are part of the world that God loves. And once you accept His gift of eternal life through your faith in His Son, you get even more of God’s love for you.

Paul wrote this in Romans,

… God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)

Don’t you love that word picture? God is pouring His love into your heart through the Spirit. As a believer in Jesus, you can have the assurance that your God loves you. He pours out His love into your heart so you can experience that love. You can count on this truth — God loves you.

How confident are you that Jesus loves you? Do you need assurance that He loves you?

Here’s the truth: You are dearly loved by God. And God’s love for you is unending. I am convinced of this. God wants you to know this. Paul also wrote in Romans this fantastic promise to you and to me:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Nothing. You can’t do anything nor can anyone or anything else separate you from God’s love for you because you have believed in Jesus. Jesus loves you consistently, constantly, and completely. Be assured of this. If you think that you are suffering because you’ve done something wrong to make God stop loving you—that’s a lie! Erase it from the “auto-fill” workings of your mind. Replace it with these four truths you can count on:

  • Jesus loves you.
  • Jesus knows what is going on in your life.
  • Jesus can do something about it.
  • You can trust His goodness in whatever He chooses to do.

He may not bring back your dead loved one or heal your sickness or make everything right. But you can trust His goodness and love to do whatever is best for you, for others, and for God’s glory.

Jesus Christ satisfies your heart with His love. As the Bible promises,

He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. (Psalm 107:9)

A satisfied heart can go forward with complete assurance that your God knows how to love you well.

You can learn about how Jesus satisfies your heart through our two studies of New Testament women: Live Out His Love (11 lessons) and the shorter version Satisfied by His Love (6 lessons).

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