October 22, 2023 - Good News for the Grieving & the Weary (John 11 & Luke 10)

In two very different scenarios, Jesus speaks with two very different sisters, his close friends Mary & Martha. In the first scene, an exasperated Martha wants Jesus to put Mary to work, while Mary merely wants to be with Jesus. In the second, both women are grieving their brother’s death. In both scenes, we see Jesus’ different responses to each sister’s personality & each one’s specific needs in the moment. But we also see Jesus’ unified answer to grief & weariness: because Jesus is God, we can hope for resurrection & the defeat of death. And because Jesus is God, we can rest from overwork & control. Jesus proved his power & deity by raising Lazarus — & later his own resurrection ushers us into a rested, resurrection life in Christ today. But to defeat death & give us life, Jesus himself had to give his life & receive the death that Lazarus (& all humans) deserve.