Jesus asked Martha: “Do you believe this?”
Let’s look at the background for the Gospel. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, he waited several days to go to Bethany. Why would he do this?
The Jews believed that the soul hovered around the body for three days after a person died. After three days the soul left the body and could not be reunited with it. In those days, the body was not embalmed. When a person died, the body was prepared for burial and buried immediately.
When Jesus arrived, Lazarus was in the grave for four days. Therefore, raising Lazarus from the dead was to do the impossible. This was to help his disciples believe in him more fully.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming to town, she went out to meet him. Martha was a person of action. She was the one who worked while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. Now, Martha takes the initiative to go looking for Jesus.
“Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”
Martha expressed her faith that God would give Jesus whatever he asked his Father to do. Jesus tells Martha that her brother will rise. Martha confirms her belief that her brother will rise at the resurrection on the last day.
Jesus tells Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” That’s when Jesus asks Martha “Do you believe this?”
Martha replies: “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” What a proclamation of faith!
Martha went and secretly told Mary that Jesus was asking for her. Mary went to meet Jesus and said the same as Martha. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Seeing Mary and the others who were with her weeping troubled Jesus. When Jesus saw the tomb, he wept. We know that Jesus suffered in his Passion and crucifixion, and we know that despite the suffering Jesus did the Father’s will. We think of Jesus coming to earth to accomplish his mission. We seldom think of Jesus having close friends that would be considered family. When Jeus wept we see a different side of him than we are used to seeing.
The Jews said: “See how he loved him.” However, some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?”
There are always people who will criticize, who will say “you could have done more”, who will say you were wrong, or you didn’t follow the correct procedures. If they did it to Jesus, the same type of people will say it to us today. We do our best to serve and help others carry their heavy burdens of life. Regardless of how hard we work at helping others, there are those who will complain that it was not enough, that there was more that we could have done.
There is always more to do. Jesus said that the harvest is great, but more laborers are needed. When we see the amount of work that needs to be done, and hear the voices of criticism, it’s easy to become discouraged. That is not what God wants for us. He wants us to say, like Martha, that we believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God.
Through prayer and spending time with God each day we receive the strength to help others to know God better. We can share our faith; that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Yesterday ninety-seven students, from several parishes in our area, were confirmed by Bishop Senior. It took a lot of work by a lot of people to make that happen. The parents, the catechists, sponsors and the students themselves. They confirmed their faith on their own when they renewed their Baptismal Promises. Like Martha, they said that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Our young people committed themselves to the faith of our Church in the Baptismal Promises yesterday. We must pray for them that they will be able to share that faith with their family and friends, especially those they know who do not know God.
There will be those who criticize them for their faith. It will be a difficult road to walk at times, just as it is for us. On a previous visit, Martha worked while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening, learning, worshipping. Martha’s proclamation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God tells us that she understood who Jesus really is, that she understood that Jesus is the Son of God.
Martha’s proclamation of faith gives us an example to follow to share Christ with everyone we meet. We must believe it in the depths of our heart. Otherwise, when we hear criticisms and derogatory remarks, we will be hesitant to share our faith with those around us.
By following Martha’s example of sitting with Jesus, studying the Scriptures and spending time in prayer with him, we will have the strength and courage to share our faith with others.
Let us pray for our young people that they may be like Martha acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. May they be strong in their faith that they can share this belief with others. We must also give our young people an example to follow by how we live our lives and how we share our faith.
Through scripture study, prayer, and seeking God’s will in our lives, we can say like Martha, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
Jesus asks each one of us today: “Do you believe this?”
