‘Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him. But Mary still sat in the house.’

The mentions we have of the pair are totally consistent. Martha, active, busy and practical, Mary, dreamy, quiet and contemplative (compare Luk 10:38-41). Here the mention of Jesus caused Martha to spring into action. She went to meet Him. She wanted Him to do something. Mary awaited Him quietly, probably more accepting of the situation.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Joh 11:20. Then Martha, as soon as she heard It seems the news of our Lord’s coming reached Bethany before him; for Martha, having heard of it, went out to meet him, being of a more active disposition than her sister, who continued in the house: being absorbed in grief, and perhaps retired to an inner apartment. Mary was not so much in the way to be informed of the arrival of Jesus, as her sister was; who, being busied in the management of the family, must naturally have been the first person to hear the joyful news. Compare Job 2:8. Eze 8:14 and Mat 27:61.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Joh 11:20 . Martha, now also discharging her duties as hostess, and in consequence coming more into contact with others from without, is first informed of the coming of Jesus ( how? must be left undecided), and with judicious haste goes at once to meet Him, without exciting attention by communicating the fact to her sister.

] For the manifestations of sympathy were received sitting . See Geier, de Luctu Hebraeorum , p. 211 ff. Comp. Dougt. Anal. ad Ez . vii. 14.

Note the different nature of the two sisters, as in Luk 10:38 ff.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

Ver. 20. But Mary sat still in, the house ] So, while faith sits at the centre, love walks the round. Dicit Fides, Parata sunt mihi omnia: Dicit Spes, Mihi ista servantur: Dicit Charitas, Ego curro ad illa, Faith says, everything is prepared for me: Hope says, such affairs preserve me: Love says, I run for these matters; saith Bernard.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

20. ] The behaviour of the two sisters is quite in accordance with their character, Luk 10:38-42 ; and thus we have a most interesting point of connexion between two Gospels so widely various in their contents and character. Stier thinks (Joh 11:19 , edn. 2), as also Trench (Mirr. 398, edn. 2), that Mary did not hear of the approach of Jesus, and that we must not bring the characters to bear on this case (?).

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Joh 11:20 . . Martha as the elder sister and mistress of the house (Luk 10:38-40 ) goes out to meet Jesus, while Mary remained seated in the house. “After the body is carried out of the house all chairs and couches are reversed, and the mourners sit on the ground on a low stool.” Edersheim, loc. cit . On sitting as an attitude of grief see Doughty, Analecta Sacra , on Eze 8:14 .

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

went and met = met. The word implies desire to avoid notice,

sat still = was sitting (Greek. kathezomai). There is no word for “still”, and the Authorized Version and Revised Version insertion of it implies, without warrant, that Mary heard as well as Martha, but nevertheless remained where she was. Compare the other five occurrences of the word, Joh 4:6; Joh 20:12. Mat 26:55. Luk 2:46 Act 6:15.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

20.] The behaviour of the two sisters is quite in accordance with their character, Luk 10:38-42; and thus we have a most interesting point of connexion between two Gospels so widely various in their contents and character. Stier thinks (Joh 11:19, edn. 2), as also Trench (Mirr. 398, edn. 2), that Mary did not hear of the approach of Jesus, and that we must not bring the characters to bear on this case (?).

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Joh 11:20. , but Mary) either because she was unwilling to leave the Jews alone, or because she chose to sit and wait until she should be called. She was of a more sedate disposition. Comp. Luk 10:39, Mary sat at Jesus feet, and heard His word.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Joh 11:20

Joh 11:20

Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary still sat in the house.-Martha, the stirring active one of the sisters, naturally heard of the coming of Jesus first and went out to meet him. Mary, ignorant of his coming, sat in the house.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

as soon: Joh 11:30, Mat 25:1, Mat 25:6, Act 10:25, Act 28:15, 1Th 4:17

Reciprocal: Joh 11:28 – and called

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

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No specific reason is given why Martha only went to meet Jesus. It was not for any lack of interest or confidence in Jesus on the part of Mary, for each of them expressed the same belief in his ability to prevent death. However, from the account in Luk 10:38-42, it seems that Martha was the head of the house and generally more forward in social and personal demonstrations.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Joh 11:20. Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him; but Mary sat still in the house. Every reader must be struck with the remarkable coincidence between this narrative and that of Luk 10:38-39, in the portraiture of the two sisters. Martha, even in the midst of her sorrow occupied with attention to family concerns, sees the messenger who announces the approach of Jesus and goes forth to meet Him, outside the village (Joh 11:30). Mary, absorbed in her grief, hears nothing of the message: it is not until Martha returns to her that she learns that Jesus is near.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Joh 11:20-22. Then Martha, &c. Jesus was no sooner come into the neighbourhood, but presently the news of his approach was brought to the afflicted family, that had so long impatiently desired to see him. Martha, therefore, immediately went out; and, being told what way he was coming, soon met him: but Mary sat still in the house Probably not hearing of his coming: for Martha, overjoyed at the news of his approach, did not take time to tell her sister of it, but went out in all haste. Her intention, no doubt, was to welcome him; but being in an excess of grief, the first thing she uttered was a complaint that he had not come sooner, saying, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died In which words she shows both the strength and weakness of her faith. 1st, The strength of it, in that she believed Christs power was such, that though her brothers sickness was very grievous, yet he could have cured it, and so have prevented his death; and that his goodness was such, that if he had been present, and seen Lazarus in his extreme illness, and his dear relations all in tears about him, he would have had compassion, and have prevented so sad a breach upon the peace and comfort of the family. 2d, Her words show also the weakness of her faith; for she limits the power of Christ in saying, If thou hadst been here; whereas she ought to have known that Christ could cure at a distance, and that his gracious operations were not confined to his bodily presence. She reflects likewise on the wisdom and kindness of Christ, because he had not hastened to them when they sent for him, intimating that by delaying to come, she thought he had neglected to save her brothers life. She, however, corrects and comforts herself with the consideration of the prevailing interest which Christ had in heaven, adding, But I know that even now Though he be dead; whatsoever thou wilt ask of God Whatsoever thou shalt think proper to ask; God will give it thee Will assuredly grant thy request, how great soever the favour may be which thou askest: thus intimating, that she believed his prayer might yet restore her brother to life. She has not courage, however, to ask Jesus that he would pray to his Father for such an extraordinary exertion of divine power to be displayed on their behalf, there having yet been no precedent of any one being raised who had been so long dead: but, like a modest petitioner, she humbly recommends their case to the wise and compassionate consideration of Jesus. Thus when we know not what in particular to ask, or expect, let us, in general, refer ourselves to God; let him do as seemeth him good. And let it comfort us to be assured, when we are in doubt what to pray for, that our great Intercessor knows what to ask for us, and is always heard. But we have in this latter sentence, uttered by Martha on this occasion, a further proof, as of the strength, so also of the weakness of her faith: she believed Jesus could obtain of God by prayer whatever he should think fit to ask, even the restoration of her brother to life, though he had been so many days dead, but she did not believe that he himself could raise him; forgetting, or not considering, that he had life in himself, yea, was the Prince of life and Conqueror of death. She founded her hopes of her brothers resurrection, so far as she entertained any hopes of so wonderful an event, not on Christs own power, but on the power of God, to be exerted at his intercession.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Vv. 20-24. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him; but Mary still sat in the house. 21. Martha therefore said to Jesus: Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died; 22 And even now, I know that whatsoever thou shalt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23. Jesus says to her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24. Martha says to him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection, at the last day.

Martha, no doubt occupied with her household affairs, was the first to receive the news of the Lord’s arrival, and, in her eagerness, she ran to meet Him, without the thought of telling her sister, whose grief was keeping her in the inner apartment. Such as the two sisters are represented to us in Luk 10:38 ff., such precisely we find them again here. The narrative of John seems even to allude to that of his predecessor. On the opposite supposition, the harmony in the characters is only the more striking. The words of Martha (Joh 11:21) are not a reproach. How could she be ignorant that her brother was dead even before Jesus had received the news of his sickness? How, especially, could she allow herself to complain of His mode of acting, at the very moment when she is about to ask of Him the greatest of gifts? She simply expresses her regret that Jesus had not been there at the time of the sickness, and this regret serves only to prepare the way for the request which she has to make. She says, according to the T. R. and the Byzantine authorities: , would not be at this moment sunk in death, instead of , would not have gone through the act of dying, which is read by the Alexandrian authorities (see on Joh 11:32). The T. R. adds, with several Mjj., before : but even now. This but is unnecessary: I know that even now in his death my brother can experience the virtue of Thy prayer. The indefinite expression whatsoever leaves that to be understood which is too great to be expressed. There is an evident reserve of delicacy in this indirect request. It is no doubt the greatness of the work expected which is expressed in the repetition of the word , God, at the end of the two clauses of Joh 11:22 : Thou art the well-beloved of God, God will give Thee the life of my brother. This confidence is inspired in Martha not only by the general knowledge which she has of Jesus and by the resurrections which had been effected in Galilee, but more especially by the message of Joh 11:4, and by this sudden arrival, which involved in itself also a promise.

There is in Martha’s faith more of vivacity than of light. She believes in the miracle of power; but she is not yet initiated into the spiritual sphere within which alone such an act will assume its true meaning and value. Before satisfying her request, Jesus endeavors to put her into a condition to receive it. He proceeds, with this end in view, as He did in chaps. 5 and 6, by giving to His promise at first the most general form: Thy brother shall rise again. Hengstenberg even supposes that He makes no allusion in these words to the approaching resurrection of Lazarus, which, according to him, does not deserve the name of a resurrection. For the return to this wretched earthly existence cannot be called by this fair name. But is it not doing violence to the text, to refuse to see in these words the promise of the event which is to follow? The belief in the resurrection of the pious Israelites, as the opening act of the Messianic kingdom, had been already announced in Dan 12:2 and 2Ma 7:9; 2Ma 7:14, etc.; it was generally spread abroad in Israel, and that especially in the circles in which the Pharisaic teaching prevailed.

There is not by any means, in the answer of Martha, an indication, as has been supposed, of a fall from the height of faith to which her heart had been raised. Only, in speaking thus, she wishes to assure herself of the meaning which Jesus Himself attaches to His promise. If she speaks only of the final resurrection which is to her mind certain, it is that she may give to Jesus the opportunity to explain Himself, and to declare expressly what she scarcely dares to hope for in the present case. There is as it were an indirect question here. Everything in Martha breathes a masculine faith, full of energy and activity. But this faith is not as spiritual as it is strong; it has not yet in a sufficient degree the person of the Lord as its object. Jesus, on His part, endeavors, in His reply, to develop it in this direction.

Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)

This picture of Martha as the activist and Mary as the more passive of the two sisters harmonizes with Luke’s presentation of them (Luk 10:38-42).

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)