John 11:28 “And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, the Master is come, and calleth for thee” I find in this verse one of the most compassionate invitations in the word of God. These sisters had called for the Lord and had prayed that he would come and heal their brother, but it seemed he had waited too long. But when he does come, he involves himself in their grief and demonstrates his power. He comforts Martha and then calls for Mary, and if you will notice: It Was a Personal Call, “and calleth for thee.” I believe every individual has a personal call to come to the Lord. Notice that she was called during one of her greatest trials of life. The loss of a loved one is a heavy burden to carry. They had prayed for the Lord to come and heal this brother, but he didn't. I'm sure they were confused and heart broken. They were expecting him to come because they knew he loved them. The Bible says in verse 5, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.” They were probably saying, why didn't he come? We know that they said to him, “Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died.” In the midst of Mary’s grief, Martha showed up and said, “He's here!!! And he's calling for you.” Isn't it wonderful when we're waiting on God to show up and suddenly in the midst of our prayer time, he does? It was a personal call while she was laboring under a heavy load of grief. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden...” Everybody who is hurting has a personal call from the Lord to come and find rest, help and comfort. At the very time she needed him the most, he showed up and called for her.
It Was a Patient Call. Now he could have gone to her house and saved a lot of time. Martha came, and he talked with her and sent her to call Mary. I believe there are times when the Lord says, “I'm here, come unto me.”
“And as soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.” Jesus did not crowd her. He just sent for her and waited. He was patient and kind in her hour of greatest need. She did not wait when he called; she got up quickly and ran to him.
And finally, it was a Private Call - “and called her sister Mary secretly.” Sometimes God calls only one person for a close relationship during a hard time. They may need special attention. I know why Mary got that private call. It was because she spent a lot of time at his feet listening to his words. He was always welcome in her home and heart. Is he welcome in your home? Listen!! He may be calling you.