Come Out to Meet Him

Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. (John 11:20)

But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' (Matthew 25:6)

At first this may seem very strange, to put these two verses together in such close proximity. But then again is it really? If we were to look at these circumstances through the eyes of heaven as Jesus always did, then in reality it was with intense anticipation that Jesus approached Bethany that day.

But darkness, gloom, sadness and great disappointment shrouded the emotions of those in Bethany. In addition there was a background of fear produced by the threats and hatred of the Jewish leaders against Jesus. All of these dark emotions obscured a correct view of reality as Jesus saw it and prevented people from sharing in the perspective they could have had in faith like what Jesus enjoyed. A most wonderful and joyful event was just about to transpire and nearly everyone was assuming that the very opposite was unavoidable.

Not only was Lazarus about to be reunited with his best Friend and his sisters but joy was about to energize the lives of everyone who believed in Jesus. But ironically the Jews who had come to purportedly console the sisters but with ulterior motives to insinuate doubts and questions about Him, would react quite differently. After the performance of this crowning miracle of Jesus' ministry just before His sacrifice, these men would so harden their hearts against the light of this unmistakable sign of His divinity that they would not only determine to kill Jesus but would also seek to bring about another death for Lazarus. Now how insane can that be? Lazarus has just been delivered from the grip of death and these men in the name of religion wanted to send him back to the grave again because the testimony of his very life weakened their grip on political power.

Indeed, Martha made the right choice when she decided to go out to meet Jesus alone. Without consciously realizing what she was doing she was in fact going out to meet her Bridegroom, the very one who had come to earth to save all who would respond to the wooing affections of God. In her intense pain and sorrow and surrounded by dark suggestions of the Jews seeking to implant evil thoughts about Jesus in her heart in her most vulnerable moments, Martha chose to leave that negative atmosphere and go out of the village to meet Jesus. Yes, she made the better choice this time to move into the presence of Life Himself rather than continue to grieve and mourn and sink into deeper darkness and depression among others feeling the same way.

Previously it had been Mary who had chosen to break out of the mold of the expectations of society to remain close to Jesus clinging to His every word and soaking up God's affection for her. Martha had become so incensed with Mary's refusal to cooperate with her expectations that she had publicly shamed her and even demanded that Jesus rebuke her sister only to be gently rebuked herself. Yes, Mary had chosen the best option that time even though to everyone else it seemed out of place.

But Jesus' words to Martha in that encounter had accomplished their intended effect and Martha's heart had changed. Now she saw the importance of coming close to Jesus even if life didn't make sense and her questions remained unanswered. It was Jesus Himself that was most important, not conforming to the customs and expectations of society. This time it was Martha that chose to break out of the mold and seek out the presence of Jesus while Mary in her intense grief and pain remained back home among those who only reinforced the temptations toward doubt and bitterness.

I perceive a vital lesson for my own heart in these verses. There are times when I cannot see any answers that address the deep pain in my own life. No matter how I try to figure things out, how much biblical knowledge I may have or how long and hard I pray, it sometimes seems that things only get worse and more confusing. My heart is tempted to throw in the towel, to give up trusting in this invisible God who seems to let me down when I need Him most. Doubts press in on every side and my friends send me mixed messages about what God thinks about my situation. I don't know what to do or which way to turn and I am tempted to simply take the path of least resistance and try come up with my own solutions while turning my back on Him.

But I have been learning that when there seems to be no answers, the most important thing I must do is to simply come into the presence of Jesus and press closer and closer to Him even when it feels irrelevant or absurd. Everything screams that I need to work more on fixing my problems, yet something inside keeps prompting me to focus on spending extra time in the presence of Jesus and giving Him the benefit of the doubt.

As I meditate over the next few verses detailing the interchange between Jesus and Martha my own heart is warmed with increased affection for Him. Martha makes a choice contradictory to all that she is feeling and expresses as much confidence and faith in Jesus as she can muster. Even though her 'friends' from Jerusalem are insinuating that Jesus has let her down and that He does not come through when things get really tough, Martha chooses to give Jesus the benefit of the doubt. Because of her expression of confidence in His heart for her even though she could have expressed many angy, painful feelings and questions about Him, Jesus took up her words of faith and drew her out to connect even more deeply with His heart.

Because of her choice Martha had the privilege of holding communion with Jesus that Mary missed. Because of her choice to prefer His presence over that of the mourners and commiseraters back home, she was able to begin to experience hope much sooner than anyone else in this story including Jesus' own disciples. Jesus responded to her words by making her an offer that was far better than what her own heart had dared to express. But in the process He also reinforced her confidence in the Word of God and in the truth about the resurrection lifting her mind above the despair and pain that was currently blinding her mind. By connecting her back to the sure foundation of the Word of God and reminding her of the truth about life and death, He laid a foundation for a further revelation about His own purpose for coming to this earth. Through her willingness to dialogue with Jesus in her pain Martha created an opportunity for Jesus to voice some of the most promising words in Scripture that millions have since benefited from.

The Bridegroom was coming to town, but unfortunately the bridal party with Him failed to share in His anticipation of what was about to happen. The Bridesmaids also were in a stupor of grief and misapprehension of what Jesus was all about and so Jesus worked with what He had and took advantage of the small opening that Martha's words offered Him to inject joy and hope into the darkest day of her life.

I can't wait to unpack the next few verses because I have already seen some very exciting insights waiting to be explored there. I too want to change the way I think about Jesus, to embrace hope and encouragement and new life while surrounded by insinuations and distortions about what God is all about. I want to spend more time in the presence of Jesus and turn away from the dark views of God promoted by religious people or the world. I want to dialogue with Jesus personally and give Him opportunities to share His heart directly with me and lift me out of my depression and sadness and fears. I want to learn the lesson of going out to meet Him in my own life and turning my back on what is familiar and expected. I want to spend my time in the presence of Jesus so He can convey to me the truth about reality and His love for me as He knows it instead of what I assume.