And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Teacher is come, and calls for you.
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Alcuin of York
AD 804
As if to say, Lord, while You were with us, no disease, no sickness dared to show itself, amongst those with whom the Life deigned to take up His abode.
Silently, i.e. speaking in a low voice. For shedid speak, saying, the Master is come, and calls for you.
We may observe that the Evangelist has not said, where, or when, or how, the Lord called Mary, but for brevity’s sake has left it tobe gathered from Martha’s words.
So we see, if she had known of His arrival before, she would not have let Martha go without her. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met Him.
The Evangelist mentions this to show how it was that so many were present at Lazarus’ resurrection, and witness of that great miracle.
O faithless assembly! While You are yet in the world, Lazarus your friend dies! If the friend cries, what will the enemy suppose? Is it a small thing that they will not serve You upon earth? Lo, hell has taken your beloved.
And when she had so said, &c. Secretly, because Mary was surrounded with the Jews who were condoling with her. Martha therefore calls her in private, lest she might excite a tumult of the Jews, if she should call Mary openly and say that Jesus was there. Theophylact says somewhat differently: "The presence of Christ constitutes a calling. For His presence in itself summoned Mary, as love calls the lover to the loved."
She went away to call her sister, that she also might share the happiness which arose from the expected event, and receive at once in common with herself the dead one raised again beyond all hope. For she had heard the words: Thy brother shall rise again. And she told the good news of the coming of the Saviour to her sister secretly, because there were sitting by her some of those Jews who felt ill-will towards Christ for His wondrous works.
And we shall not find in the Gospels that Christ said: "Call thy sister to Me;" but Martha taking the undeniable emergency of the affair and the right due to her sister of being invited to come, as equivalent to an uttered command, she speaks as she does. And Mary readily ran towards Him, and was willing to go to meet Him. For how could she help doing this, when she was in such great grief at His absence, and had such a warm feeling of piety and great love towards Him?
Christ’s words had the effect of stopping Martha’s grief. In her devotion to her Master she had no time to think of her afflictions: And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly.
She calls her sister secretly, in order not to let the Jews know that Christ was coming. For had they known, they would have gone, and not been witnesses of the miracle.
While the rest sat around her in her sorrow, she did not wait for the Master to come to her, but, not letting her grief detain her, rose immediately to meet Him; As soon asshe heard that, she arose quickly, and came to Him.
He went slowly that Hemight not seem to catch at an occasion of working a miracle, but to have it forced upon Himby others asking Mary, it is said, arose quickly, and thus anticipated His coming. The Jews accompanied her: The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary that she arose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goes to the grave ...
Perhaps she thought the presence of Christin itself a call, as if it were inexcusable, when Christ came, that she should not go out to meet Him.
But her faith seems as yet imperfect: Lord, if You had been here, my brother had not died.
