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By Mike Caton

John 11:28, After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”

The Teacher is obviously a reference to Jesus. What did he want with Mary? He loved her, there is no doubt about that. Maybe it was as simple as he wanted to comfort her as well. He had spoken to Martha, now Jesus’ concern turned to her sister. Every one of us deals with grief and loss in a different way. And that is perfectly fine, it is how God made us. Counselors tell us there are various stages of grief, and as long as we are moving through those stages, as opposed to getting stuck, we are doing OK. Jesus cares for Mary and wants to show his love and support. I’m sure Mary knows this; that Jesus loves her, that he is concerned for her, that he will want to see her.

But it was Martha who delivered the message. When the sisters heard Jesus had arrived, Martha went out to meet Jesus, but Mary had stayed at home. We are not told why. There is certainly no indication of any hard feelings or disappointment that Mary was experiencing. Maybe she was entertaining those who had come to the home, maybe she was busy with some other task, maybe she stayed so Martha could go. We are simply not told. But not in is Martha who goes back to get her and bring her to Jesus.

None of us are Jesus, but we can all be a Martha. We can (and must) be the one who brings others to Jesus. We all have friends and family that need the Lord. We all work with people, are in clubs with people, spend time with people who need the Lord. And who is the one who is going to introduce them? I suppose we could wait for someone else to do it. But we might be the only Christian some of those folks know. We might be the only Christian they like and will listen to. We might be the only one who can honestly and truly invite those folks to Jesus. So, let’s never forget to focus on that task.

Father, help me find someone to invite. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works part time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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