The authentic Martha

“But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” John 11:22

We are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha, because Mary sought Jesus while she was at Jesus' feet, while Martha was busy preparing a meal and complained about her sister Mary not helping. You've probably heard the saying, "Be Mary, don't be Martha." 

Martha is maybe prone to complaining; for example, when her brother Lazarus died, Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” I found Martha was quite frank about her thoughts in her conversations with Jesus, an indication that she was comfortable with sharing her feelings with God. In other words, she probably had a close relationship with God, which allowed her to be comfortable with her genuineness in front of Jesus.

As a woman was traditionally expected to prepare meals at Jesus' time, Martha did what was expected of her culture. Mary was out of cultural context and sat at Jesus' feet. Instead of holding grudges secretly or imposing silent treatment, Martha went straight to Jesus to share her thoughts with Him. Jesus used it to teach us a profound lesson about seeking Him first. He also showed His care and love for her by calling her "Martha" twice. Martha provided an example of how we can find Jesus for any problem even if He doesn't answer as we expected. 

The episode of Lazarus' death made Martha stand out, in John 11:20, Then Martha, as soon as she heard Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Martha ran to Jesus, knowing that Jesus loves the family and had the power to heal her brother; Martha didn't lack faith, she said the key verse today, “Whatever you ask of God, He will give you.” By saying this, Martha proclaims that Jesus is the son of God. With her faith, Jesus performed one of the greatest miracles of all time: the resurrection of the dead. 

Martha was obviously troubled by worry and was not perfect. Isn't it true that we resemble Martha at some point? We're not perfect either, and we get carried away by the world. However, Martha is quite authentic in her relationship with Jesus, and she knows how to turn to God right away, and Jesus does not favor Mary only, in verse 5 says that "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." Although we aren't Mary always, Jesus still loves us despite our imperfections and He can handle our real emotions.

Blessing prayer: Let's cultivate an authentic relationship with you. Help us to turn to you when problems arise and have faith like Martha that whatever you ask, it will be done. In Jesus' Name, Amen