109.John 11:17-27-A Conversation with Martha

Biblical Text

17 So when Jesus came, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away.

19 And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother.

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 

Martha (her name from Aramaic means “mistress” or “lady of the house”) is presented in this passage in a very positive and mature way. As the older sister and the one responsible for the household, she is the first to go out and meet Jesus. This action alone reveals her character: Martha knows how to act even when there is pain and loss within her.

She finds the strength to step beyond her personal grief for the sake of movement and a deeper conversation with Christ. Her pain is no less than Mary’s. The sisters speak the very same words: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” This shows that they share the same sorrow. Yet it is Martha who takes the next step—she adds words of trust, confessing her faith in the power of Jesus even after Lazarus has died.

Martha demonstrates mature faith, patience, and a solid theological foundation. Her patience grows out of her belief in the resurrection of the dead on the last day—an expectation not of a quick solution, but of God’s timing. This breaks the common stereotype of Martha as a distracted housekeeper who supposedly missed everything important Jesus said. On the contrary, we see a woman who is able to serve, to understand, and to grow in her faith at the same time.

We often hear that prayer and Bible reading require silence, solitude, and a calm atmosphere. This is truly valuable. But experience shows that such conditions are not always available.

The realities of life are different: children are shouting, relatives are demanding attention, the phone keeps ringing, urgent tasks need to be handled. Sometimes circumstances are even harsher—noise, chaos, tension, danger. In such moments a person has a choice: to wait for more favorable conditions or to learn to live out a full Christian discipline right in the middle of stress and lack of time.

This is where real faith-life begins: listening to a sermon while cooking soup, studying biblical materials at a bus stop, praying on the way to the store. Martha knew how to combine things. That is why we see such depth of understanding and such steady faith in her.

At the same time, it is important to be honest: multitasking does not suit everyone equally well. Some people truly need solitude and full concentration. People differ in how easily they can switch between tasks, so we should not judge someone who cannot do everything “on the go.”

Martha and Mary are not competitors in spiritual life. They simply have different styles of faith. Jesus understands and loves them both.

Here an illustration from dog training is helpful. A dog is considered truly trained not when it can obey commands like “sit” and “down” in a calm environment, but when it can do the same while cars are passing by, cats and squirrels are running around, and a favorite bone or toy is lying nearby.

My encouragement is this: in times of stress and lack of time, do not be afraid to increase the “Martha level” within yourself—to act and to fully trust Christ even in tense situations. For it was precisely in such a state, amid pain and responsibility, that Martha was granted to hear directly from Jesus one of the most important biblical truths: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).