Chastise

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” (John 11:19-27)

Mary sat home.  How many of us do the same?  We do not go out to meet him.  We should be like Martha who heard Jesus was coming so she went to meet him.  And what did she do?  She chastised Jesus for not being present; hence, her brother died.  

She looks at Jesus, likely in the eyes, and then she acknowledges: "You are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”  We do the same, or at least we should.  He our Savior – the one who does save us when we faithfully pray the Lord’s Prayer, and then live by what we pray, such as be delivered from evil and forgive those who have trespassed against us.

Like Martha, all of us should feel free to chastise Jesus.  Expressing our disappointment in him when we or our loved ones suffer is okay.  Yell at him if it eases our pain in some way.  He understands.  Like the prodigal father, he embraces us even when we resist and try to push away.  That's the definition of love.

Deacon David Pierce