Martha, Paragon of Theology (Sept 29)

Reading, John 11:17-40
Image, Resurrection of Lazarus, 12th century.  St. Katherine's Monastery, Sinai
 
When I was first studying the gospels at college, much was made of the scene where Jesus asks his disciples, who do you say that I am? And Peter’s answer: You are the Messiah, is the first great Christological confession made by one of Jesus’ followers. Jesus is rightly identified, his significance emphatically observed. In Matthew’s account, Jesus even remarks that the profundity of Peter’s response was only possible because the Father revealed it to him. The scene is the great payoff of the first half of the gospel. Jesus’ wonders have brought the reader to the question: who is this man? And Peter gives them the answer.
 
This scene, however, essential as it is to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, is not in John. To be sure Peter makes an essential confession in John 6 when – after the difficulty of Jesus’ words turn many away – Peter responds to Jesus’ question do you also wish to go away? With, Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. Despite this, today’s scene with Martha feels a more proper equivalent of the scene where one of Jesus’ followers reveals him as the Messiah.
 
But before proceeding with that scene, let us consider another appearance of Martha’s. Last week’s sermon on Mary of Bethany included Martha’s scolding of her sister. And while we noted Jesus’ defence of Mary’s choice of the better part, what we did not observe, which must be attended now, is how Martha addresses Jesus. For even if her request was misguided, her recognition of who was before her was just as accurate as Mary’s.
 
Lord, do you not care… begins Martha’s petition. And that “Lord” is important. For since so very few so grasp the identity of Jesus during his lifetime, very few use this term of address. Alongside Martha we find, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Peter, a leper, a Centurion, James and John. And just because Martha errs in her request, doesn’t diminish the significance of her right naming of Christ (indeed, James and John name Jesus Lord, as part of their request he rain down fire on a village that didn’t receive them).
 
Martha’s ability to recognise and rightly name Jesus is carried into the story we heard in John’s gospel. In grief (and grief is overwhelmingly the emotion that shrouds this whole scene) she comes before Jesus and says, Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. Again we note her use of the term Lord, and with it a recognition of Jesus’ power to heal. But, as she continues, she reveals further understanding of Jesus’ unique relation to God. But even now I know that God will give whatever you ask him. Martha recognises Jesus’ intimacy with the Father, from whom he was sent.
 
What is important to realise is the way these this qualification follows quickly on the heels of Martha’s lament. If in one breath she confronts Jesus with her grievance, with the next she affirms his capacity to give them a new future. This stands in contrast with her sister, who comes to Jesus with the same lament, Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died, but then falls silent. It is not that her lack of speech brings condemnation on her, by contrast Jesus is moved by her weeping to his own, however, it is because Martha’s speech continues, that space is opened for a richer dialogue between her and Jesus.
 
Jesus responds, Your brother will rise again. Martha, displaying her faith, affirms what she believes Jesus is saying, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. But at this point, Jesus clarifies his meaning, and reveals to Martha more of who he is, and has come to do: I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?
 
Do you believe this is but another shade of who do you say that I am or do you also wish to go away. Fundamentally each ask: from what you have seen and heard, what are you willing to confess. And Martha confesses, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world. Like Peter she makes the profound confession, and recognises the significance of Jesus beyond anything heretofore confessed. Just as in the other gospels this moment proves a turning point, a hinge on which the narrative shifts its attention toward Christ’s entry in Jerusalem and the cross which awaits him.
 
There’s a terrific line in the Stephen Sondheim musical, Merrily We Roll Along. The show’s protagonists, having just performed a song at a party, are asked by their host to sing it again. One seeks to decline, while the other insists that they sing, saying “Charlie they loved it, they thought we were great.” “You want to know what true greatness is?” Charlie retorts, “knowing when to get off!”
 
Pessimistic as it might sound, usually the longer things go on the more chances there are for missteps. The exuberant glory Peter experiences through the commendation of his Christological confession is short lived. For when Jesus teaches that what it means for him to be the Messiah is to be handed over to suffer and die, Peter rebukes Jesus. For this act, Peter (who moments ago apparently received direct revelation from God) is identified by Jesus as Satan, tempting Jesus from the path of God. Peter has to leave that scene thinking to himself (as we all have at one time or another) why didn’t I just stop talking!
 
The scene with Martha also continues on long enough for her to misspeak. Despite her confession that Jesus is the Messiah, and her hearing Jesus say your brother shall live, when Jesus asks the crowds to remove the stone from Lazarus’ tomb, Martha interjects: Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days. Like Peter not comprehending that Christ’s Messiahship will lead to his death, Martha does not grasp that since Jesus is the resurrection and the life, her brother will rise today. Understanding that Jesus is the Messiah doesn’t necessitate comprehending all that this implies.
 
What do we learn then, from Martha? The first is we can get it wrong. Like Martha, each Christian is able to speak one sentence filled with wise and profound reflections on the nature and significance of God, and then speak a second which completely misses the mark. We are all of us theologians (in that we think and reflect on God and the world in relation to God) and all of us are prone to misspeaking (often in a way common to Peter and Martha, by downplaying or dismissing the surprising and mysterious character of our God).
 
The second lesson is better, which is that the first lesson doesn’t matter all that much. Whether it is Peter trying to get in the way of Christ’s mission, Martha doubting the power of Jesus’ resurrection life, or Mary stopping short of asking Christ for anything, none of this changes who God is and what God is up to. Jesus’ response to Mary’s silence and Martha’s confusion is the same – he raises Lazarus from his tomb.
 
We do not have to get our speech right about God in order for God to move toward us in love and call us into the work of creation, restoration, and reconciliation. For God’s nature is love, and God’s call is undeterred by human folly. We give thanks that no human blunder can overcome the purposes of God. We can overstay our welcome, singing way too many songs and it won’t change God’s affection for us, nor our calling to follow in Christ’s stead.
 
Which means that learning to recognise and reflect on the nature of Christ, to enter into dialogue with Christ and seek to speak rightly of God is not a means toward an end. It is not that getting the right words in the right order unlocks God's affection or action. No, it is an end in itself. For theology, the sublime thought on God, is its own joy, comfort, and delight. To reflect on how to shape our lives as God’s ambassadors of reconciliation is its own way of entering deeper into the mystery of God. To learn how to proclaim, in our own idiom, Christ as Lord is to luxuriate in the wellspring of life. Martha demonstrates that even when we don’t get it perfect, recognising the significance of Christ, opens up wonders of dialogue and devotion that draw us nearer the resurrection and the life.