Not Yet 3

Back to the topic of when Jesus stays put somewhere seemingly outside of our periphery…we see that often, not only it looks as if we do need someone to come and fetch us…to get us moving, but implied in the act of moving is the act of dropping whatever we are doing…

Let’s back up a little again, and remember the scene: Lazarus is dead and buried. The sisters are left behind, desperate and alone so

19 “…many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.”

Then,

20 “When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.” John 11: 19-20

We have examined how Martha jumped right to her feet and went to meet the Lord. Let’s look a bit more at Mary now. She made a choice again, this time, to stay. Curiously enough, this choice does not bring her closer to Christ. She could have joined Martha and run to Jesus as soon as she heard He was nearing town, “but Mary stayed at home…”

Intriguing…

On the other hand, after Martha is done talking to Him, Jesus also chooses to stay since we see that once Martha leaves Him, 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. John 11: 30

He stayed put where Martha left Him. He did not keep going. He could have, but He chose not to…hmmm…

In the meantime, of course, Martha, as we have seen, went around the world in thirty seconds! She becomes the line that ties her sister to Christ. 28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”
And, as we will see later, the dust hasn’t settled yet, when Martha is back by Jesus’ side. But I’m jumping ahead.

Mary’s choice kept her at home, surrounded by mourners, deeply consumed by her grief. Jesus is right outside of town, but she hadn’t noticed, or worse yet, she ignored Him. She did not follow Martha when she rushed to Him the second she heard He was near. She stayed put too, like Jesus…hmmm...

Why did she stayed home?

Was she too exhausted? Was she so physically and mentally spent to even move at the sound of Jesus’ name? As we know, grieve is draining and often one feels as if energy has left the body forever. So, Mary might have been just too weak to move. Or, was she, perhaps, too comfortable to move? Had the pain and suffering become a crutch she was hanging on to? Had the pain of loss blurred her vision? Was she too busy being sad? Was she settling into a rut that would lead to an emotional paralysis out of which she would have a hard time escaping from later on?

Whatever reason made Mary stay home rather than go running to Jesus, is not going to be the solution to her situation. This time Mary is not to find comfort at home. This time, she is not to find healing in the midst of those friends and relatives who have come to mourn with her. Nope! Mary will not find the comfort that heals for as long as she keeps hanging on to whatever it is that she is hanging on to in her corner of the house.

Let's ponder on this and continue tomorrow...