Here Is the Master, and He Calls You
When the Master Whispers Your Name
I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was an ordinary Tuesday, driving to work, when an inexplicable feeling took hold of me. It wasn't an audible voice, but something deep and unmistakable: God was calling me to something new. My heart raced, my hands sweated on the steering wheel. In that moment, I had a choice: to ignore that divine whisper or to stop everything to listen.
Perhaps you have experienced this — that gentle touch on your heart that seems to come from another world, that strange certainty that someone is trying to reach you. Have you ever felt that God was calling you specifically, by your name, to something greater?
Today, I want to take you to an extraordinary scene recorded in John 11, where a simple message — "The Master is here, and He is calling you" — carries a depth that can revolutionize our understanding of our relationship with Jesus.
The Pain That Precedes the Miracle
The story unfolds in Bethany, a small village just three kilometers from Jerusalem. Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus, had died. His sisters, Martha and Mary, were devastated. Imagine the scene: the house filled with professional mourners, the smell of funeral spices, the sound of wailing echoing off the stone walls.
When Jesus finally arrives — four days after Lazarus's death — Martha runs to meet Him. She doesn't wait for Him to come to the house. There is urgency in her steps, tears in her eyes, but also something surprising: unwavering faith amid the chaos.
"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died," she declares. But notice what comes next: "But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."
What an extraordinary statement! Martha is in mourning, her world has crumbled, but she still recognizes who Jesus is. She calls Him "Master" — not just a teacher, but the Rabbi, the one who has absolute authority over life and death.
The Secret Invitation
After this deep conversation with Jesus, Martha does something intriguing. The text says she "went back and called her sister Mary, in secret." Why in secret? Why not announce publicly that Jesus had arrived?
Because Jesus's call is always personal before it is public. There is an intimacy in this communication that teaches us something fundamental: God desires private encounters with us before using us publicly.
And then comes the phrase I want you to engrave in your heart: "The Master is here, and He is calling you."
Not "He is calling someone." Not "He is looking for volunteers." He is calling you. Specifically. Personally. By name.
Jesus, the Master Who Knows Your Name
Have you noticed how powerful it is when someone remembers your name? In a world of superficial interactions and disposable relationships, being known by name touches something deep within us.
Jesus does not work with anonymous crowds. He said in John 10:27: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." He knows you. Not just knows facts about you — He knows your secret wounds, your unfulfilled dreams, that fear you have never confessed to anyone.
When Mary heard Martha's message, her response was immediate: "She got up quickly and went to him." There is no hesitation. No "let me finish this first." The Master called, and she responded.
Here’s an uncomfortable question: when was the last time you responded to Jesus's call with that same urgency?
We think of thousands of excuses: "I’m too busy," "I’m not qualified," "After I sort this out, I will." But Mary teaches us that when the Master calls, the only appropriate response is: "Here I am."
The Master-Disciple Relationship
There is something revolutionary in recognizing Jesus as "Master." In the first century, the master-disciple relationship was not like our modern classes where the teacher lectures and leaves. The disciple lived with the master, observed every detail of his life, imitated not just his teachings but his character.
When Martha calls Jesus "Master," she is saying: "He is not just someone who teaches me things — He is the one who models how I should live."
And here lies the beauty: Jesus does not call us to a religion of rules, but to a relationship of transformation. He does not want you to just know things about God; He wants you to know God.
When God Calls in the Darkest Valley
Now, pay attention to this crucial detail: Jesus called Mary at the darkest moment of her life. Her brother was dead. Her dreams, buried. Her heart, shattered.
If there is anything this story teaches us, it is that God's call often comes in our moments of greatest pain. Not because God is cruel, but because it is precisely there, when our self-sufficiency dies, that we are finally ready to listen.
Perhaps you are reading this in a season of mourning. It may not be the physical death of someone, but the death of a marriage, a career, a dream. And you wonder: "Where is God in all this?"
He is exactly where He has always been — calling you by name, inviting you to an encounter that will change everything.
Isaiah 43:1 declares: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine." Even when you cannot feel it, even when it seems the heavens are silent, the truth remains: you belong to Him, and He is calling you.
Four Ways to Respond to the Call Today
Let’s be practical. How does this translate into your ordinary Tuesday, in traffic, in the supermarket line, in the real challenges of life?
1. Create Spaces of Silence
Mary could only hear because someone came and said: "The Master is calling you." But how many times is God calling and we do not hear because our lives are a festival of noise?
Concrete application: Set aside 15 minutes daily without your phone, without TV, without headphones. Just you and God. It may feel strange at first — our brains are addicted to stimuli — but it is in that silence that God whispers.
Matthew 11:28 says: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." But we cannot "come" if we do not stop running.
2. Be a Martha for Someone
Martha did not keep the message to herself. She went to Mary and said: "The Master is calling you." Sometimes, God uses our voices to reach hearts that He is calling.
Concrete application: Think of someone going through a tough time. Don’t preach a sermon; just be present. Send a genuine message. Make a visit. Bring a meal. And when appropriate, share how Jesus has been real to you.
You could be the voice someone needs to hear today.
3. Write Down Your Encounters with God
Starting a spiritual journal is not about writing beautifully or being profound. It’s about recording the moments when you felt God speaking — whether through a verse, a song, a conversation, or that "pull" in your heart.
Concrete application: Keep a notebook or use your phone's notes app. When you feel God calling you to something — to pray for someone, to forgive, to change a habit, to take a step of faith — write it down. Then, record how you responded and what happened.
Over time, you will have a powerful record of God’s faithfulness.
4. Turn Pain into Availability
Mary was weeping when the Master called her. She did not wait until she was "okay" to go meet Jesus. She went as she was — broken, confused, full of questions.
Concrete application: Stop waiting to be "ready" to respond to God. You will never be completely ready. God is not looking for perfect people; He is looking for available people. That area of your life that you think disqualifies you may be exactly where God wants to work.
Psalm 46:10 invites us: "Be still, and know that I am God." In Hebrew, "be still" carries the connotation of "letting go, abandoning, surrendering." God is saying: "Stop trying to control everything and let me be God."
Questions We Cannot Ignore
Before we close, I need to ask some questions that may be uncomfortable, but that can set you free:
What barriers have you built that prevent you from hearing Jesus's call? Is it pride that says "I don’t need help"? Is it fear of what He might ask? Is it doubt that He really cares about you?
How can you be someone who brings others into the presence of Jesus, just like Martha did? Who in your life needs to hear: "The Master is calling you"?
If Jesus called you today, just as Mary was called, what would your honest response be? Would you get up quickly to meet Him, or would you have a list of excuses?
The Master Is Still Calling
The beauty of this story is that it does not end in John 11. Jesus called Mary, she responded, and then witnessed the impossible: Lazarus coming out of the tomb, alive.
But what really matters was not the external miracle. It was the personal encounter. It was hearing your name being called by the Creator of the universe.
You may not see a physically dead person resurrect today, but I promise: when you respond to Jesus's call, He resurrects dead things within you. Dreams you buried. Hopes you gave up on. Relationships you considered lost. Versions of yourself you thought were impossible.
Jesus is calling you. Not for you to be perfect, but for you to be present. Not for you to have all the answers, but for you to take the next step of faith.
Martha whispered to Mary: "The Master is here, and He is calling you."
Today, through these words, God is whispering the same to you. He knows your name. He sees your pain. He understands your doubts. And yet, He is calling.
The question is not whether He is calling. The question is: what will your response be?
Will you get up quickly like Mary? Or will you let this moment pass as just another inspiring message that changes nothing?
May this week, you hear your name being called by the Master. And may your response be swift, confident, and full of expectation for what He wants to do in you and through you.
He is calling. Are you listening?
I invite you to do something now: take a moment, close your eyes, and in prayer, tell Jesus that you are available. Share with Him your doubts, your fears, your hopes. And then, simply listen. You may be surprised by what the Master has to say.