Joh 11:32 | KingComments | STEP | Martha seems to feel, as it were, that what the Lord has said is beyond her spiritual comprehension, but that Mary has a feeling for it. In His words she has heard things of which she feels that Mary may understand better than she does. It is also as if the words of the Lord are a call to Mary to come. This is how Martha seems to have understood them, because without a special command from the Lord she is going to call her sister Mary secretly, i.e. without the others noticing. She does so with words that reveal Mary’s special relationship with the Lord Jesus. He is the Teacher and has authority. He calls Mary to Himself. Mary’s heart and feet respond immediately, just as anyone who lives in fellowship with the Lord will respond immediately when He calls. It is as though she has been waiting for that. She is not concerned with her grief, but with Christ. What a wonderful attitude it is to be so waiting for Christ and receive a word or a command from Him and move once it comes. The Lord has still not arrived in the village, but is still at the place where Martha met Him. There she has heard beautiful things from Him, in which Mary was not present. That does not mean that she has to miss it, because she will come to the same place and will see the reality of His revelation to Martha. The Jews did not hear what Martha said to her sister, because she said it secretly. If the Lord has a word for a single person, it is meant only for that single person. Others do not hear it. Others see the effect of it. So here too. The Jews who are in the house with Mary and console her, see Mary’s reaction to Martha’s words. When they see Mary leaving, they go after her. They think she is going to the tomb to weep. Mary, however, is not busy with a deceased Lazarus, although she is full of grief about her brother’s death. She is busy with the Lord Jesus. She is not going to the place of death, but to the place of life, to Him Who is Life. She comes to the place where He is and sees Him. She speaks the same words as Martha, and in her confession of Christ she goes no further than Martha. She too believes that He could have prevented their brother from dying. But she utters those words as she lies at His feet, indicating how impressed she is by His glory. Further she says nothing and He says nothing to her either, contrary to what He did when He met Martha. Between people who live in close fellowship with each other not many words are needed to understand each other. We always see Mary at the feet of the Lord. First for her education ( ), then here where she brings her need to Him and finally to worship Him ( ).

‏ John 11:32

Mary at the Feet of the Lord

Martha seems to feel, as it were, that what the Lord has said is beyond her spiritual comprehension, but that Mary has a feeling for it. In His words she has heard things of which she feels that Mary may understand better than she does.

It is also as if the words of the Lord are a call to Mary to come. This is how Martha seems to have understood them, because without a special command from the Lord she is going to call her sister Mary secretly, i.e. without the others noticing. She does so with words that reveal Mary’s special relationship with the Lord Jesus. He is the Teacher and has authority. He calls Mary to Himself.

Mary’s heart and feet respond immediately, just as anyone who lives in fellowship with the Lord will respond immediately when He calls. It is as though she has been waiting for that. She is not concerned with her grief, but with Christ. What a wonderful attitude it is to be so waiting for Christ and receive a word or a command from Him and move once it comes.

The Lord has still not arrived in the village, but is still at the place where Martha met Him. There she has heard beautiful things from Him, in which Mary was not present. That does not mean that she has to miss it, because she will come to the same place and will see the reality of His revelation to Martha.

The Jews did not hear what Martha said to her sister, because she said it secretly. If the Lord has a word for a single person, it is meant only for that single person. Others do not hear it. Others see the effect of it. So here too. The Jews who are in the house with Mary and console her, see Mary’s reaction to Martha’s words. When they see Mary leaving, they go after her. They think she is going to the tomb to weep.

Mary, however, is not busy with a deceased Lazarus, although she is full of grief about her brother’s death. She is busy with the Lord Jesus. She is not going to the place of death, but to the place of life, to Him Who is Life. She comes to the place where He is and sees Him. She speaks the same words as Martha, and in her confession of Christ she goes no further than Martha. She too believes that He could have prevented their brother from dying. But she utters those words as she lies at His feet, indicating how impressed she is by His glory. Further she says nothing and He says nothing to her either, contrary to what He did when He met Martha.

Between people who live in close fellowship with each other not many words are needed to understand each other. We always see Mary at the feet of the Lord. First for her education (Lk 10:39), then here where she brings her need to Him and finally to worship Him (Jn 12:3).