There’s Martha, who serves at the banquet, just as we've seen her do before (Luke 10:38-42). Perhaps Martha represents the action part of discipleship. Perhaps Martha is the part of us that wants to make sure that the hungry are fed and the homeless have shelter. Martha fights against injustices, and sometimes has little patience with people who seem more concerned with spirituality and devotions than action.
Mary anoints the feet of Jesus. Perhaps Mary represents the part of us that’s drawn to prayer, worship, and devotion. She’s the part of us wanting to praise and honor God. She may be the one who lives most fully in the now. She’s one with a grateful heart.
Lazarus has done nothing but be loved by Jesus and rescued from death (John 11: 1-44). Perhaps Lazarus represents the part of us that tells the world of God's love and power to save. Lazarus is responsible for many believing in Jesus.
And then there’s Judas. Perhaps Judas represents the sinful parts of all of us, the parts of us that let fear and doubt win until they turn us away from God's love. We’re all capable of greed and sin. We all have our own stories of greed and betrayal.
What's the greatest difference between Judas and the others in the story? Perhaps it’s that the other disciples chose to stay in, or return to, the light. No matter how weak and sinful they were, they held on to their relationship with Jesus. They lived in His light and shared in His forgiveness. We too can choose to stay in the light of Christ. Jesus holds out a loving invitation to us all to believe His good news and be healed, and to proclaim Him as our light and our salvation.
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