These three functions sum up church life-witness, work
and worship. We will note that in each
case there has been a change in their lives.
Such was the beauty of the occasion, that seventy years after the event,
John records the memory of it in vivid fashion.
He recalls:
#1 the extraordinary witness of Lazarus; #2 the exemplary work of Martha;
#3
the extravagant worship of Mary.
We shall see the power of resurrection life in all
three individuals.
The extraordinary witness of Lazarus.
He had always been a witness, but now he had
become public property. The story of his
resurrection had reached the length and breadth of the land. People were now flocking to him. The chief
priests and Pharisees wanted him dead, because he had become a threat-12v1; 12v9-11;
and 12v17. When rogue rulers seek to
bring you down, you know you are testifying to the Lord. The family were already popular in Jerusalem,
but now the influence spread. Many were
being lost to Judaism because of Lazarus. Crowds clamoured to meet Jesus because of him,
as the Pharisees declared, “the world is gone after Him-chapter 12v19. Even the Greeks came asking to see him. He became a drawing power for many; why? because
he was living the power of the resurrection!
Is that why our testimony is so weak, because people don’t see in us the
transformation that newness of life brings?
People flocked miles to hear the preaching of John the Baptist, for John
preached repentance. In Acts 5v14, the
church that were in the fear of the Lord, attracted many to them. In the church at Corinth, where good order
was observed and the unfettered power of the word was spoken, the effect was
that people who came in were convicted of their sins, and proclaimed that “God
is here in this place”. Real preaching
of repentance, a sense of the fear of the Lord, ordered gatherings where the
word of God is declared; this seems to be the way to attract people in. Perhaps our lives don’t match our lips; perhaps
we are not in the good of resurrection life.
The change in Lazarus is evident. During many occasions when the home at
Bethany was cited, there was never any mention of Lazarus, which was strange,
him being the male in the house. The
first we hear of him is in John 11v1 where it says he was sick; was he a sick
man, or had he just become sick? Also it
says that Bethany was the “town of Mary and her sister Martha”; in a
culture where women were considered secondary, these women were prominent. Yet now in chapter 12, he is very much the
centre of attention, and how he has come to the fore! In resurrection Lazarus went from obscurity
to public awareness.
· “Lazarus
was one of them which sat at table with Him”-12v2
· Crowds
of people came to see Lazarus who had been raised from the dead-12v9
· The
chief priests consulted that they might put him to death, he was now a threat
to them, as Jesus was-12v10
· Because
of him many believed in Jesus-12v11
· In
Jerusalem they were talking of nothing else, and this led to their adulation of
Jesus-12v17-19; because of Lazarus the Pharisees proclaimed “…the world has
gone after Him”.
· This
prompted the visiting Greeks to seek Jesus-12v21
Through this, Bethany was forever placed on the map,
as the place where Lazarus was raised from the dead; it was also the place
associated with the Ascension to heaven of Christ-Luke 24v50-51; therefore also
with His Coming again, for to this place He will return-Zechariah 14v4. Lazarus
thus becomes an associate of the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the Return of
Christ.
The exemplary work of Martha It simply says “Martha served”. Martha was always serving, it was she who
ran the household, made the meals, hosted the visitors. We see in Luke 10v38-42 that the home where
they lived was used for hospitality, and Martha bore the burden of that. She was used to receiving many visitors,
including the Lord with His disciples.
The picture given back then was that Martha was left to do all the work
and she complained about it. It says
“Martha was cumbered about with much service”.
Cumbered means dragged all around,
distracted, pulled out, stressed. She
was left with too much to do on her own. She complained to the Lord that her
sister had left her to do all the work, and requested He bid that her sister
help her. Jesus answered, “Martha, thou
art careful and troubled by many things; careful is anxious or stressed-she was
also very irritated, pointing the finger at her sister. Martha was a tireless worker, but she was
stressed out, she wasn’t enjoying the task. She wasn't quite fulfilling the desire of the
Lord, that whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord. But now in chapter 12, there is a change. We note that it says “…they made Him a supper,
not only they made a supper, they made Him a supper. What made the difference was, that they were
both doing it, and doing it with joy. This time there was no complaining from Martha,
it simply says that she served. The stress had gone, the joy of serving Him was
paramount. She was serving Him in the
power of resurrection life. No
complaining, no irritation, just gracious, loving service. Here, the most menial service of serving
tables is elevated to highest ground. It
is when we serve in that spirit, the attitude and the atmosphere changes. Martha
was always a worker, but now she was working at a different level. In
terms of church life there is endless work to be done. It is not all about praying or preaching. There
is the work of administration; of serving tables; of organising services; of maintaining
buildings and finances; of preparing for special occasions; of providing
materials; of tending to the needs of different age-groups. On resurrection ground, how we serve is as
important as the service itself.
“Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men”-Colossians
3v23; “whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”-1st
Corinthians 10v31.
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