This is our introduction to Mary of Bethany. Bethany was only a couple of miles from Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, during the last week of Christ on Earth, He would stay the night in Bethany and then walk to Jerusalem during the day. When you read the Gospels, you’ll see that He taught in the Temple and returned to Bethany each night.

We have a situation where Jesus has been invited to their house. Martha is very obviously the older sister and the one in charge. She’s saying, "I’m going to open my home to this teacher who is talking about the Kingdom of God. Let’s get everything right. Let’s make all the preparations." Can you picture this? <Yeah. She probably had one of those little tools that makes balls out of cantaloupe. Ha ha.> She wanted to get everything just right.

Mary, meanwhile, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what He said. That word "listening" wasn’t just that she overheard what Jesus was talking about. It means "more than one sense," or "using multiple senses," meaning she was watching, seeing, listening, and taking it all in. She was seeking for the meaning behind what Jesus was saying. That’s important for us to understand because of the last passage we’re going to get to—how she could know something that everyone else had missed.

Martha was distracted. The Greek word for "distracted" is very interesting. It is "perispao," where "peri" means "around" (like a perimeter) and "spao" means "to draw." As you’re living your life, you sometimes become "perispao"ed. There is something drawn around you such that people can’t get through to you. For example, it happens infrequently, but sometimes my wife will be saying something to me. I won’t hear her…I’m just a little "perispao"ed. I’m a little distracted. I’m lost in my thoughts or consumed by what I’m doing. That’s what Martha was. She was distracted. She was focusing on one thing only. What was her priority? Presentation. Social. Get dinner ready. Things of the world. She was concerned about worldly things. This is her distraction.

She was so focused on this that she missed what mattered—she had the Son of God, sitting in her living room, talking. What was more important? Making sure the balls of cantaloupe were cut just right and her biscuits didn’t burn. She was concentrating on the physical and not the spiritual. That was Martha.

What was Mary’s priority? Listening to Jesus. Spiritual focus. A "seeker." She’d heard a little of Him and wanted to know more. She came with a spiritual purpose, "I want to know what this is all about." Her priority was a spiritual need. Martha’s priority was social and worldly.

Does this fit us? Yes.

Then Jesus answers Martha and says, "You are worried," meaning compartmentalized. She was not focused. She was worried. "But only one thing is needed," He told her, "Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her." The word "chosen" means that Mary made a conscious decision. It didn’t just happen. She wasn’t trying to get out of work. She said, "I choose to learn more about spiritual things." That’s what’s meant by "Mary has chosen what is better." Some of you may have "good" instead of "better." The Greek word for "better" means "beneficial." So Mary has chosen what is most beneficial."

Doesn’t that speak volumes for us as we approach the "40 Days of Purpose"? As you start reading Purpose Driven Life, you will read one chapter a day for forty straight days. Some of you will have a tough time with it. On the third day, it may be 11:30 at night, you just put the kids to bed, you’re tired, and you say, "I’m just too tired. I think I’ll skip it." What happened between the time you got up and 11:30 at night? What were you? You were Martha. You said, "I have to do all these other things first and when I get around to it, I’ll read the book (or study my Bible or pray or whatever)." If you’re serious about the spiritual and you’re serious about listening and seeking (like Mary was), you’ll make it a priority in your like (like Mary did). Mary made it a priority to sit with Jesus and listen to Him.

Mary has listened to Jesus and she’s learned some things. You can learn by fellowshipping with others and by studying God’s Word. Let’s continue our study of Mary of Bethany in John 11.

Between verses 1 and 27, Jesus is told that Lazarus is sick and is asked to come to Bethany. Mary and Martha knew Jesus could heal Lazarus if He’d come. He’s healed many other people.

Jesus made a statement, "This will not end in death. It is for the glory of God."

Lazarus dies. Then Jesus comes. Martha goes out to meet Him. Jesus makes another profound statement.

Where is Mary? She stayed behind. We’ll talk about that in just a minute. Mary stayed behind. Martha comes out.

This story started when Jesus said, "This will not end in death." This story is about death, resurrection, and life. That’s what He said, "I am the resurrection and the life." Jesus said to Martha (in verse 23), "Your brother will rise again." We have a concept here of physical death versus spiritual death. When Jesus says, "Your brother will rise again," Martha says (in verse 24), "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." She was thinking in the future, not now. (That’s the resurrection we’re looking for, too. We’ll talk about it in Corinthians and Revelation.) Martha’s concept of her brother’s death was that he’s in the tomb, his body’s dead, and one of these days in the future, Jesus will resurrect him. Jesus had something else in mind.

When Jesus said, "whoever lives and believes in me will never die." He wasn’t talking about physical death, was He? No. He was talking about spiritual death. As a Christian, you will never spiritually die. Spiritual death is eternal separation from God.

Jesus asked her a question. Do you see what’s missing in Martha’s response? She didn’t answer the question. What does she say? She made a "big picture" declaration, "you are the Christ." What does that have to do with death, life, and resurrection? She sees "reality"—Lazarus is dead and has been in a tomb for four days. She’s not wrong, per se, but she’s in the process of growing. She’s not there yet.

I’ll tell you where I’m headed with this: all of us are the same way. We’re asked to believe and have faith in something in the future. Do we really believe it, or do we say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. There’s a resurrection in the future."? We are growing just as Martha is growing. The revelation of Jesus Christ (who He is and what He can do) to each person is a process. He reveals Himself to us. Do we accept it? It’s a process of growth.

Some of you may have that Martha took Mary aside and whispered to her.

Jesus is asking for Mary. Martha went back to get Mary.

No hesitation. Jesus called. "I sat at His feet, listening. He is calling. I’m going to Him." Why didn’t she go with Martha to begin with? We don’t know for sure. There were mourners there with her. She may have been upset with Jesus that He hadn’t come earlier. There was something going on at this point where Mary didn’t think it was urgent, priority-wise, to go to Jesus.

Does this ring a bell? She fell at His feet.

And the first words out of her mouth are, "Why weren’t you here? Lazarus wouldn’t have died," physically.

I wish all of you could spend a little more studying and understanding "deeply moved and troubled." Tell me what you think Jesus felt. <Agony over the loss of His friend. Disappointment that Mary doubted Him. Grieving. He was torn up. The ‘human’ side of Jesus> Well, here’s what the Greek words mean here: "to snort with anger; to become agitated; to be exhausted and to sigh." <Anger!?> He thought Mary should understand. He was bothered by the Jews, He was bothered by Martha, and He was bothered by Mary. What did He tell His disciples all the time? He said, "Wait a minute! O ye of little faith!" This is what it means to be "deeply moved in spirit and troubled." Yes, we want to say He’s mourning and grieving. What Jesus was really saying is, "Wait a minute. Where’s your faith? We have a process of growth here. I want you to grow in your knowledge of me."

Understand that these stories are connected. We’re seeing a significant growth process occur within Mary. Mary’s going to see it (the truth of the gospel—Jesus’ purpose). Martha, the disciples, and others won’t see it. This is something unique and special about Mary. We’re going to see Jesus recognize this in Mary like He did with John the Baptist. ("No man has ever been borne of woman greater than John the Baptist.") He’s going to say something similar about Mary.

Mary is going to recognize something that every one of us should recognize in what God’s Word is saying to us about the future. We should believe it. We should not be like Martha or the disciples or the Jews. We should be like Mary, "I want to grow in the knowledge of God and what His purpose for my life is. I want to grow in the knowledge of His relationship with me. How does He want this relationship? What does it consist of?" You can’t get there unless you sit at His feet and listen, are touched by His life, and you’re life is changed. Then you’ll be open to hearing what God has to say to you. Jesus is saying, "You sat at my feet. You listened. You’re not growing like I think you should be growing. You’re still in the world."

Granted. We are on this side of the cross and it’s easy for us to see. What were they saying about Jesus? "If He really loved Lazarus, why did He let him die?"

Let’s talk about love. Martha and Mary both loved Jesus when they prepared food for Him and sat at His feet. Would you agree? How did Martha love Jesus? By serving Him and working for Him. How did Mary love Jesus? By listening and abiding. Is there anything wrong with those two types of love? What happens when they get out of balance like they were in that story? Martha’s was out of balance. She said, "The only way this is going to get done is for me to work." Have you known people who express love like this exclusively (Martha to an extreme)? They say, "We’ve got to do this and we’ve got to do that." They get involved in all this activity and guess what they say to the rest of us? "Why aren’t you working? You must not love the Lord, Jesus Christ, as much as I do. You’re not doing this and that."

What about the other side, those who don’t work (Mary to an extreme), people who never serve? They’re in a church for 40 years and never serve. They’re taking away from those who do serve. It’s a balance. There is a time to get ready for things and there’s a time to sit and talk. We need a balance in our lives. What’s the balance? Look at what Jesus did. He gave Himself. He said, "The love of God is expressed in that He gave Himself for us." That’s our criteria. If you can sit in a Sunday School class for two years and never think about doing anything for someone else, where are you? What does your love consist of? "Well, I just love to hear the Word of God. Oh, it’s so good. I just love to hear other people pray. I just love hearing good songs." Do you hear that? You’re self-centered. It’s all directed toward you and how good you feel.

What was the sisters’ concept of Lazarus being in the tomb? He was dead and the only hope for him was his future, spiritual resurrection. I don’t think their minds comprehended what was possible with Jesus. Even though they’d heard of other resurrections in both Old and New Testament times, it never entered their minds with Lazarus. This happens to us. We hear about someone else experiencing a miracle and we say, "Wow! That’s great." But when it comes to us, what do we think about miracles? "We’re not that special. It’ll never happen to me." Mary and Martha said, "He’s dead. It’s over with." It was final in their minds.

Was it in her mind that He could resurrect Lazarus?

No. Read it carefully. Jesus said (in verse 23), "Your brother will rise again." Does she say, "Great! That’s just what I wanted!"? No. Was resurrection on her mind? No. What’s her response (in verse 24)? "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Right.

Let’s apply this to our own lives. Is there anything that you can think of from the past week, month, year, or whatever that you never comprehended that God could solve, resolve, or address? We’re talking about a growth in faith here, a growth in understanding what Christ is all about; what an unbelievable God, Creator of the Universe, we’re serving here. Do we limit that? Do we say, "It’s okay for someone else to experience a miracle but when it comes to me, I have to look at the hard facts." (e.g., Lazarus is in the tomb. He’s been dead for four days. Yeah, there will be something in the future, but I don’t see it now.)

Here’s the kicker. Here’s where I’m headed with this. When Jesus is finally crucified on the cross, what is the reaction of everyone at that time? "He’s dead. It’s over. It’s gone." -- Even though we read in the Scripture that Jesus said six to seven times, "I must go to Jerusalem, be crucified, die, and be raised again." He said it over and over and over. They all heard it. We’ll find out that Mary really heard it; she practiced it. What was their belief? They heard it but they didn’t believe it. They could hear it and tell others about it but what makes it belief? What makes it faith? Don’t miss this point. There’s something here that says, "I can say this and that but do I believe it?" If they’d believed it to the point where it was real to them, they’d have been waiting for Him at the tomb on the third day.

As a Christian, your life is filled with the Holy Spirit right now. God is protecting you. God has you marked and sealed. Is that more real to you than your "real" job, your "real" work, your "real" life, etc.? Do you see what I’m talking about? We can say anything but do we believe it? Martha didn’t believe it. In verse 39, Martha says, "But Lord, don’t open the tomb. There’s a bad odor." Earlier, she said with her mouth, "even now God will give you whatever you ask." Did she believe it in her heart? That’s why Jesus was so angry. He saw their hearts. He saw that they were not growing in faith.

This whole story and the resurrection of Lazarus served what purpose? Jesus said it earlier; "it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." He’s saying, "Yeah, you acknowledge who I am (the Son of God, the Messiah) but you don’t have any belief." Do you see that? What did the disciples do all the time? They would see Jesus do everything but they’d turn right around and doubt. They didn’t have that belief. Do you see you, in your life, growing up in church—you can hear it all, you can say it all, you can teach it all, you can preach it all—but unless you believe it in your own life, what good is it!? Do you see it?

We must finish this. Matthew 26 is where we see the summation of Mary of Bethany. Her growth process is complete to the point where we all want to be like Mary of Bethany. We want to experience the listening, the touching, the doubts, and the growth.

This is Jesus’ last week on Earth.

If you go over to John 12, you’ll see that this "woman" was Mary of Bethany.

It’s very clear that it’s the same Mary we’ve been talking about.

A lot is coming together. It’s the last week. Jesus knows that Friday’s coming. Even though Jesus has told them all what’s going to happen, the disciples are indignant because of what happened here with the perfume.

Does that sound like some of us at Church finance meetings?

What’s Jesus talking about? The poor are going to stay on Earth. You’ll have them all the time. What’s going to happen to Christ? He’s going away. Here’s yet another time where He says, "I won’t be with you all the time."

Jesus is talking about Mary. I get chills with this! Mary has reached an understanding such that she sees things none of the other disciples saw. When Jesus died on the cross, the disciples said, "Oh, this is terrible. We’re finished." What does Mary see? This is where Mary gets emotional. She’s there, pouring this perfume over His body, and she’s saying, "I know you’re alive now but I also know you’re about to die … I’m going to anoint you now. I’m going to praise you and worship you. I know who you are and what you’re going to go through. I know the gospel, the good news that you must die for the sins of the world." That’s Mary’s inimitable understanding.

What’s the gospel? Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Wow! That’s Mary of Bethany! That’s the growth that we need. She got to the point where she poured out a very expensive jar of perfume, she took something that was very valuable (from a worldly point of view) and poured it on Jesus’ feet.

We have a very similar analogy in other parts of the Scripture. God calls your knowledge of the gospel that He’s given you "a treasure." It’s over in 2^nd Corinthians 4. He says, "You have a treasure. That treasure is the knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He’s done for all the world." It says that you have it in a "jar of clay." The "jar of clay" is your body. Do you know what God wants you to do with that treasure, like Mary did with her treasure? Break it and pour it out on this world. Pour it out to people you see and meet. That’s what Mary was doing. She’s saying, "My life has changed. I know what it’s all about now. I know the spiritual priorities. I know what’s going on. I know why Jesus came. And I’m willing to give (what the disciples were indignant about) this high-priced perfume to Jesus Christ.

Do you understand the process we’ve seen with Mary? Do you understand how we should be like Mary of Bethany? This is a challenge for you: listen, be touched, and have your life changed, just like Mary of Bethany. Go from "lip service" to where you really believe it. You believe it to the point where you’re willing to sacrifice "treasures," you’re willing to sacrifice your self. That’s what Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)