Remembering Mary, Martha and Lazarus

So often when we think of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, we don’t visualize them together despite the fact that they all shared the same house. Often Jesus would dine with them in their home.

We think of Mary and Martha bickering as sisters often do, especially when both were struggling to be seen as the woman of the house. We think of them weeping after Lazarus has passed away. And we think of Lazarus risen from the dead.

Do you ever wonder what it might have been like to live in the time of Jesus? To have been able to hear Him speak, to have traveled the dusty roads beside Him and to have seen His power first hand. Or wonder of wonders, to have Him sit at your table!

While I know that I can (and do) hear His voice in my heart, still I wonder what it would have been like to be Martha or Mary of Bethany. Jesus came to their home for dinner. I get all flustered when Father Sam (our Pastor) sits at the same table as me at a Parish dinner. I cannot even begin to imagine actually entertaining Jesus in the traditional sense. One thing I know about myself is that I would have been more like Martha – frantically running about to make sure everything was perfect before His arrival. Only after Jesus had retired for the night would I allow myself the time to quietly contemplate all I had seen and heard.

There is no doubt that while Mary was the one sitting at the feet of Jesus rather than helping her sister with the meal, Martha still managed to absorb His words and take them to heart. Her deep faith is made abundantly clear by John’s account of her brother Lazarus’s death and ultimate resurrection.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming; she went to meet Him, but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.”
John 11:21-23

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.
John 11: 25-27

Today is the feast day of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. There is much we can learn from them, and their individual approach to a personal relationship with Christ. We are all called to serve one another, as Martha so often did, but also to find the time to sit at the feet of Jesus, to listen to His whisper within our hearts.

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Dr. Pepper BBQ Pull Pork Sandwiches
1 White Onion
2 (1 lb) Pork Tenderloins
1 (18 oz) bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce
1 (12 oz) can Dr. Pepper
1 package large Hamburger Buns or Kaiser Rolls

Peel and slice onions into semi-thick round, enough to cover the bottom of your slow cooker. Place onions in a single layer on the bottom pot and place pork tenderloin on top of the onions.

Pour the can of Dr. Pepper into a mixing bowl. Add barbecue sauce to the bowl with the soda and stir gently to mix well. (You will definitely want the soda in the bowl FIRST, otherwise it will fizz up and make a mess).

Pour mixture over and around the pork. Cover pot and set on LOW for about 8 to 10 hours. (The longer “cooking” time is for straight from the freezer pork tenderloin, which is great because you don’t have to remember to thaw the meat out the day before. You can cook it up whenever you feel the need for awesome pulled pork without having to plan ahead).

Remove pork from pot and place on a warmed serving platter. Remove onions from the pot, place on top. Shred pork and onions together, moistening meat with a little of the sauce from the pot as you pull.

Drizzle with more sauce and toss to blend. To serve, pile the pulled pork onto toasted hamburger buns.

Some folks like this type of sandwich served with Steak Fries (that would be Hubby) but I like mine served with a side of Spicy Pinto Beans and a Barbecue Sauce.

And plenty of napkins – boy what a mess!

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I am the resurrection and the life;
Whoever believes in me,
Even if he dies will live.