When [Martha] had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.

Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled. Jesus wept.

John 11:28-33, 35

Most of us have lost someone at some point in our lives. Figuring out what life looks like with that big hole that’s left behind in our lives when we lose a loved one can be one of the most difficult things to do. Partly because the hole starts out being so big and partly because it never completely goes away. 

It’s been almost a decade since my Pa died. His health had been declining for a while, and we knew there probably wasn’t much time left, but there’s a limit to how much knowing the end is close helps with the pain. I come from a boisterous, laughter-loving southern family, and even though we made sure Pa’s life was celebrated with plenty of laughter, our hearts were broken.

Remembering that September still leaves me in tears. To be honest, I’m having to wipe tears away so I can see what I just typed. Even now, when I take myself back, I’m not in the best place emotionally. I don’t feel strong. I don’t feel whole.

But the beautiful thing about this passage is that we don’t have to be in a good place emotionally to stretch our faith the way Mary does here. 

To set the stage, it’s important to note that both Martha and Mary are always mentioned in connection to their brother, Lazarus, rather than in connection to husbands. I’m not a Bible scholar, but I know they lived in a patriarchal society, so it seems like it’s probably a good guess that they were not married yet. This means their sole source of protection and income was lost when Lazarus died.

Not only did they lose their brother, but they also lost their safety and security.

At this point in the story, Martha has already heard Jesus was coming, gone to see Him, and come back. So we pick up with Martha delivering the message that Jesus wants to see Mary.

What I want us to focus on, is how Mary responded to this message— “And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.”

As soon as Mary knew Jesus was there and wanted to see her, she went. I looked up the original meaning of the word translated as “quickly” and it means “without unnecessary delay.” In other words, her first priority was to get to Jesus. Even in the pain and fear, maybe even anger and confusion, she went directly to Jesus. She intentionally chose to run to Him. 

And the result? “Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.”

Everyone who had come to mourn with the two women followed Mary directly to Jesus. It was because Mary got up and immediately went to Jesus that all those people got to witness Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. 

In verse 45, the Bible specifically says, “Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.”

When we intentionally stretch our faith by choosing to go to Jesus first, by choosing to cling to Him when the holes in our hearts seem too big to survive, we not only grow our faith, but we bring others along with us.

I don’t think anyone would have blamed Mary if she chose to continue weeping where she was. Or if she had decided to try cleaning herself up a bit first. But she chose above everything else to go without delay to the lover of her broken heart.

For those of us who are in a similar place today, let me encourage you to cling to Jesus. He is near the brokenhearted. He will weep with you. And if we make the same choice Mary did, He can even redeem that pain and use your witness to bring others who are hurting to Himself.