Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

Ordinarily, we do not want to conflate the Gospel accounts. We should not take the same scene from two different Gospels, merge the accounts, and try to make every detail fit into a single coherent historical event. Each Gospel was written fundamentally as a self-contained work with its own perspective.

Nonetheless, the Church received all four of them into the canon. So sometimes it does make sense to read across the Gospels, as long as they are showing us different moments.

With Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, we receive two different snapshots of their lives. John’s Gospel gives us this scene that ultimately leads to the raising of Lazarus. Luke’s Gospel gives us the scene in which the Lord enters the home of Martha and Mary. Mary sits at his feet, while Martha complains because Mary is not doing anything. Jesus, in a sense, rebukes Martha for her busyness and tells her that Mary has chosen the better part.

Very often, when we hear that preached, people try to soften the rebuke Jesus gives: “Well, he did not mean it exactly the way it sounds.” But I actually think he did. I think he meant pretty well what it looks like he meant: he was telling Martha to change.

And here in this Gospel, I think we see that Martha heard him that way, too. She actually did change after the Lord rebuked her. Rather than sulk about it, or become sad and do nothing, she embraced what the Lord said.

Now, in her next encounter with him, she is able to make a new affirmation of faith: that he is the Christ. She makes the same affirmation of faith that Peter makes. She has moved that far in her faith because she truly heard what the Lord said and took it to heart. And so she will always be remembered as the one who made that affirmation. It was not just Peter in the Gospel; it was also, in fact, Martha.

That is important for all of us in our spiritual lives. When the Lord speaks to us personally in prayer and perhaps gives us a rebuke, or when he speaks to us through the Scriptures and tells us, “Do not do this,” or, “Go and do this,” it is to our benefit to obey him.

We do not want to sit around sad. We do not want to sulk. We do not want to think, “Well, maybe I am the exception to this rule.” We should simply obey.

Because when we obey—when we actually embrace the change he is inviting us to make—we deepen our faith. We draw closer to him, and we truly come to know the living God. That was, in effect, Martha’s reward for listening to Christ: she came to know who he really was before many others ever realized it.

The same will be true for us. The more obedient we are to God, the closer we are drawn to him. The more deeply we know him, the better it is for us.

And so, if we truly wish to know and love God and live with him for all eternity, then we must follow him. Even in those moments when we do not want the rebuke, even in those moments when we do not like the direction to which he is calling us, simply following him and doing what he asks of us will lead us to the best possible outcome.