<p>11:30 <i>(Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where Martha met him)</i>- All the communication being through messengers, privacy would have been hard to achieve. The Lord wanted to meet Martha and Mary alone, as far as possible, because He sought to develop their faith away from &quot;the Jews&quot; who were swamping the home. And He was also aware that &quot;the Jews&quot; sought to kill Him; that may have been another consideration, or at least, He was being sensitive to the fears of the disciples.</p>