Lazarus' death was such a shock to His two sisters; so too was Jesus' apparent indifference to their call for help. When Jesus did come, four days after the funeral, Martha confronted Him with her grief and frustration. But Mary refused to come out of the house. It seems that she felt so let down by Jesus, rejected by Him when the family was in their greatest need.
 
But then Martha came back from meeting with Jesus on the road outside the village. She did not rebuke Mary for staying away from Jesus; neither did she relay the words of Jesus, "I am the resurrection and the life ...". Instead, Martha quietly told Mary that Jesus had specially asked her to come and meet Him. How quickly her mood changed! Immediately she heard that Jesus wanted her to come to Him, she got up and left the house - confident that Jesus really did love her. Her village friends were amazed at the transformation but did not know why. They assumed she had a sudden impulse to honour her dead brother, but it was the call of the Life-giver which gave her new energy.
 
Grief, in its various forms, will dominate our horizon and make us unresponsive to other voices. But the call of Jesus is different. Knowing that our Creator loves us, will stir our hearts; knowing that He wants us, gives us fresh confidence to break out of the cocoon we weave around ourselves. The voice of Jesus is the call of love which draws us away from our self-absorption into a new hope. But like Mary, many people have shut themselves away and cannot hear anything other than their own thoughts: they need someone to relay the message, giving them courage to walk towards Jesus. That person could be you!