Marthas’ story (2020 version)

Message sent, read but no reply. How does that make you feel?

No matter how busy it gets, if my phone chimes, I try to reply as soon as possible because that’s what I always do .I believe there is an unwritten social treaty that underlies our online messaging interactions. The apparent part of that contract is that certain types of messages demand a timely response. So I was going through the story of Mary and Martha and tried imagining what the conversation would have been like if they lived in this digital realm.

Martha: I sent Jesus a message four days ago and he blue ticked me! 😡

Mary: No, Jesus wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t ignore I’m sure. Did you check his last seen though?

Martha: Yes I did, but He just doesn’t share His last seen😞. I even updated my status to “Lazarus is dead”.Everyone else in my contact list viewed and reacted except for Him!

Mary: Maybe He viewed incognito. I’m pretty sure He saw the message. He doesn’t ignore messages. He always responds even if He is travelling. The Network Service Provider He uses offers non-expiry, unlimited airtime and data bundles and his phone battery never dies.I’m sure He left everything He was doing and Is on His way here.

Martha: (Agitated, constantly checking her phone) How do you even know? If He was really concerned wouldn’t He have shown up already?Huh?Now , He is a few miles from this town! Even if He isn’t checking His messages I’m sure the news has already reached Him!So why is He taking His time?

Minutes later…(Jesus arrives)

Martha : (crying) Master, if you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you

JESUS: Martha, your brother will rise up from the dead.You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. Do you believe this Martha?

Martha : Yes, I have believed and continue to believe that You are the Anointed Son of God, who was destined and promised and it is for You that the world has waited.But all I’m just saying is you’re four days late! I left several messages on your fone and you ignored them!

How many times have we been like Martha, getting unsettled and impatient waiting on the Lord? You already believe what He is capable of doing but you are being governed by time regiments, the disrepair state of the situation you are in and the awful stench that convinces you no more help can be rendered. How about trusting God to roll away the stone whenever He will show up. Trust in Him to reveal His Glory and expression of his excellence.

He ‘ll definitely show up and show off. He doesn’t blue tick! You might not see His name appearing on the status viewers’ list but there is not a message nor status he misses😊