People who like to study things often study why people go to church. Many different reasons are given. This morning I want to share with you some of the more commonly mentioned reasons people give for why they attend church. People responded by saying church makes them feel inspired. It makes them feel encouraged. It makes them feel like they are part of a community and that they belong. Some say it makes them feel like a better person. And the number one reason often given for why people attend church is this: it makes them feel closer to God.

I had occasion to be in the funeral home across the street a few days ago. While inside, I noticed something. I noticed that they have a lot of Kleenex. Everywhere you look, Kleenex. You’re never more than a few feet from a box. Why is that? Because funeral homes have a higher than average number of people enter who are battling a cold or sinus issues? Of course not! It’s because they have a higher than average number of people enter who are sad. Oftentimes, people who are really sad! People who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. The sadness is sometimes compounded by the fact their loved one died an untimely, unexpected death. There’s going to be tears. Lots of them. So there needs to be Kleenex. Lots of them.

As we meet Mary and Martha in our text today, they are people living in “the land of in-between.” What do we mean by that? They are living after the death of a loved one. The wound is nervy and raw. As the story begins, the resurrection has not taken place yet. They are living in the middle, between death and resurrection.

God wanted people to be able to identify the Messiah when he came into the world. To help them know who the Messiah was, God made prophecies, or predictions, about what the Savior would be like. One of the identifying things about the coming of the Messiah was this, Then will the eyes of the blind be opened. (Isaiah 35:5)