Chapter 4.20
Mary and Martha
The Great
Sibling Whine; Martha Labors;
Mary Listens
Be a Mary, NOT a Martha, Physical Bread vs: Spiritual Bread
The One Thing, Gifts of Worship, Service &
Hospitality
The Brother Lazarus, The Two Meals,
The Anointing
First
Word
The story of Mary and Martha has been wrung
dry by many commentaries; it’s only a short glimpse of Mary and Martha’s entire
lifetime, but what seems to always bubble to the top of the pot is Mary LISTENS,
as Martha LABORS,
so be a Mary
not a Martha. The Book says, that
Jesus did many other things that were not written down, and I believe Martha
did many other good things also that were not recorded.[1]
I hope in this study to discount, the
thought that the story of Mary and Martha is about two sisters in deep rivalry
with different temperaments and polarized characters. As the story is retold, their real characters
are obscured, Mary
is painted as a calm and devoted follower of Jesus and Martha as an upset self-righteous
hectic woman, busy with house work. I
hope to show them as two different models of Christian devotion. Some students of the Word see Jesus scolding Martha
very sharply and harshly, but as I study, I believe Jesus was responding very
quietly and lovingly, not so much as her Lord, but as her true friend.
This particular story of Mary and Martha
appears only in the account of Doctor Luke’s Gospel and oddly enough there is
only one Martha
mentioned in all the four Gospels. As we
see the picture of Jesus and His entourage,
they are “on their way” through Judea and His custom was to stop along
the way and teach the things of God in the different villages and usually
someone hungry for spiritual bread would invite them into their home. As He traveled through the village of Bethany,
He stopped for the day at the home of three of His closest friends, Martha, Mary
and Lazarus and their home would become his home base.
Their
Home
It
seems that the home actually belonged to Martha who opened it often
to Jesus when he was in town.[2] While it was uncommon for a woman to own her
own home, it certainly was not rare.
There were several wealthy women in His entourage that supported Jesus and His disciples. The respect that Jesus had for women was
something strikingly new.
Singleness; As I crawl into
the story and look around, In my BS, I see that if their parents had died, by
tradition, the home would have been Lazarus’s; so I would more embrace that Martha’s
husband died and left her the home and Mary and Lazarus moved in with her. Some students of the Book
believe that Lazarus had his own quiet home elsewhere in the village for
his writings, but often helped out at his sister’s house. (I’m thinking FREE EATS)
They lived on the Jericho Road in the small village of Bethany just
outside of Jerusalem near the Mount of Olives. From there it was only a two mile trek over
the mountain to the Temple in Jerusalem. The traditional site of their home
shows that it was a secluded two story stone house with access from the covered
porch to the spare bedroom on the second floor. It was a special place that overlooked a
garden where you could have a glass of wine and chill out in a rocker. SELAH
This is a house full of people engaged in
numerous conversations. Chairs were not
very common in the homes, and folks just set on the floor around a long low
table. Knives and forks were not used in
the meals and bread was used to scoop up the food with their fingers.[3]
In another part of the room Jesus is
standing and teaching as a few begin to sit.
I can just imagine the thought
provoking discussions and instructive and enlightening conversations between
Jesus and the Disciples. I can just
picture Mary
AND Martha both slowly settling down at His feet
as they were regularly accustomed to doing, taking in all of His words.[4]
As time moved on, they began to get hungry
and having no notice that Jesus was coming, Martha’s mind became distracted
with meal preparation and quietly got up and left the room to head up the
logistics of coordinating the preparation of the evening meal for everyone.
Women Of the Church throughout
history have always had the desire to serve as best as they could. In Jesus’ culture, fixing meals was considered
a part of a woman’s responsibility and studying the Torah
was not.
Mary had earlier
finished her chores and was completely unaware of the extra preparations that “Mother Hen
Martha”
was fastidiously working on in the kitchen.
When Jesus was around; Mary became very quiet and pensive with deep
thoughts which gave evidence that she was “Spiritually Sensitive” to His words, His
wisdom and His power. Mary in deep
humility was now breaking the “MALE RULES” and was sitting at the feet of a
Rabbi which was reserved for male students; drinking in His every Word. It’s in the Book
Do
you remember the song; “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” written by Helen H. Lemmel? The
chorus reminds me of the enraptured Mary; as she is looking at Jesus, she
momentarily forgets about everything else that’s going on.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful
face
and
the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in
the light of His glory and grace.
Martha as the older sister is considerate,
conscientious, and meticulously concerned about SERVING her Savior;[5]
she is not just helping out, she is plainly the Hostess who is in charge of the kitchen
trying to prepare the food, not just for the normal three of them, but now for
at least 15
guest plus friends and prominent
members of the community that were still showing up. They had filled her house and were now spilling
over into the courtyard; excited about the stories they had heard about her
distinguished guest and the expectancy of the unveiling of some new hidden
esoteric teachings of spiritual knowledge.
You
must picture “Mother Martha” as an attentive hostess, eager hearted and
striving for perfection. She is a disciple of Christ with the gift of “SERVICE”[6] as
mention in the book of Acts and is actively WAITING ON TABLES.[7] I think that it is noteworthy to mention “MARTHA’S TASKS” has a double meaning;
the Greek word for “Domestic Service” and “Christian Ministry” are both derived
from the same noun that means DEACON. The early Christians did not have church
buildings; most gathered in people’s homes or what we would refer to as a “House Church’s”.
Martha
was the host and deacon of a house church and confessed openly that she
believed Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.[8] Missionaries were always sent out two by two
and in this case; the two were Martha and Mary.[9] It’s in the Book
The
Family
The family of three seems
to be loved by the folks in the village.
The three had given of their means and themselves to the community as
well as to “THE WAY”; the Jesus
movement.[10]
They were quite young, single,
independent, and intelligent and comparatively well off, probably from
Lazarus’s income as a scribe. Scripture
points out that the family was well known as many Jews came and comforted the
two sisters when their brother Lazarus died; Jesus loved all three of them as
well.
MARTHA: The name Martha in the Koine Greek translates
“The Lady” or “The Mistress” from the male form of “Lord” or “Master”. She
was the lady of the house; the name Martha may have been her title; a term of
respect.
Since Martha’s name is mentioned first, it can be surmised that she is
the older sister and probably a widow; one who is an organizer; she is the
active one, a doer, and for sure she
“MOTHERED” the younger carefree, but sensitive Mary teaching her to operate in the Gifts of
“Service” and “Hospitality. Martha projected the image of maturity, strength
and common sense, she was practical, unemotional and handled all the shopping
and the tasks of the home
When Martha saw Jesus outside, she quickly invited
Him along with His TWELVE friends as well as the
neighbors into her home with no thought about dust bunnies or that the floors
might need sweeping or that the puppies were jumping up and down.[11]
It was almost meal time and Martha with the gift of
Hospitality extended herself, her
home and food to Jesus and all his friends in the entourage. This would be where many friendships would be
cemented forever. Martha had the gift of
Organization, but the logistics of fixing a meal for so many was a
major job that brought turmoil to her
Kitchen, however Martha knew that the Prince of
Peace was in the other room. When
things needed to be done, Martha with the gift of Administration being
practical and efficient, went straight to the one she knew could help, she
approached Jesus and she gets right to the point; that she needs His help in
getting Mary into the kitchen to help with the unexpected preparations. (This
has been coined as “THE GREAT SIBLING
WHINE”.) [12]
Jesus was not just an acquaintance of Martha, Mary
and Lazarus, they were all His close friends and He made Himself right at home
enjoying their conversations and fellowship.
Even though Martha knew what Jesus represented; she spoke to Him as if
He was a member of her immediate family; Martha’s home was Jesus’ home away
from home. Martha had a relationship with Jesus and it was because of this
relationship that Jesus felt comfortable enough to offer loving advice relating
to her PRIORITIES; the need for Spiritual bread was
greater than that of Physical Bread.
The Book includes this story of Mary and
Martha as an EXAMPLE
to us of the working of GIFTS in our lives.[13]
Each person has at least one gift, some
have many; but no one has them all, that’s why we need each other, to belong to
the body of Christ; operating as ONE.[14]
MARY seems to be single; the youngest and most
popular; she is the more emotional,
passionate and imaginative
and contemplative one; a
thinker interested in new
ideas. She lives with her sister Martha and
assisted with whatever was needed. She had
a heart concerning Spiritual things and was quite devoted to Jesus. She
appears in three stories; one of which was the raising of her brother Lazarus
up from the dead.
LAZARUS: Jesus was very close with the whole
family, especially with Lazarus whom He loved.[15] Some commentaries indicate Lazarus earned his
living as a writer or scribe making copies of the TORAH; the
Law somewhat like the Essenes, which I’m sure certainly made for
interesting discussions between the two of them
Josephus, the Jewish
historian; A.D. 37-98; lived with the Essenes for three years and provides most of
the background information that we have on the reclusive sect. The Essenes were
a Jewish sect that was partially
celibate living a strict communal life in the desert. They dedicated themselves to the studying and
COPYING of God’s word.
They lived in
the Qumran Valley for some 200 years. When the Roman’s attacked, they hid their
library in various caves where they remained for 2000 years waiting for the Bedouin
youth to chunk a rock inside and give us the greatest manuscript discovery of
our time; THE DEAD SEA
SCROLLS.
Not all Essenes lived a communal
desert life, but instead, lived in many cities and mingled with society at all levels,
and were well received by the Pharisees, and Jewish populace. Their missionary outreach founded Essene COMMUNES in all the villages and small towns of
Judea. In Jerusalem that had their own
gate; the “Gate
of the Essenes”.
Their beliefs
can be summarized as Love of God, Love of Virtue, and Love of Men.
They were strictly pacifist by nature
and had no weapons of war; and esteemed frugality. The Dead
Sea Scrolls give literary
evidence that suggest that a colony of “Ascetics” who had chosen celibacy and singleness
in life had a “HOSPICE”
in Bethany which extended acts of charity by accommodating the poor, the
destitute, the sick, as well as the unclean lepers.
The
Ascetics were
all SINGLE
and practiced sexual abstinence for
the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals, simple living and ethical practices
such as humility, compassion, patience, prayer and fasting. The word Ascetic is derived from the Greek word meaning
TRAINING.
Mary, Martha and Lazarus
all may have been a part of this Ascetic Colony. (The Ascetics were like the Essenes)
JESUS was no stranger to this family; their loving
loyalty in opening their home meant a lot to Him. [16] People who are held in high esteem like Jesus
are often isolated even though they are the center of attention; so from time
to time Jesus would experience loneliness. Yes He did, He experienced all the emotions that are common to
man. In this time it
was the custom to have folks passing through, stay with you overnight and Mary
and Martha
were well known for their substantial generosity as they often opened their
home to the traveler.
In the Mary and Martha story you have the picture of an older mature settled
dog and a small jumping’ puppy that’s interested in everything. Although they had totally different
personalities, they certainly were both of
The First Meal
Chairs were not very common in the homes, and folks just set on the floor
around a long low table. Jesus is there and Martha is busy with the
preparations in the kitchen. Mary has
finished her chores and in deep humility is sitting at the feet of Jesus
drinking in His every word; unaware of the extra preparations that “Mother Hen”
Martha was working on.
Josephus the Jewish Historian (Antiquities
of the Jews) reports that there was one part of the synagogue where
liturgical services took place that was open to WOMEN, but the other part given
to the scribe’s teachings was open ONLY to
men and boys. Jesus had already sent a SILENT
MESSAGE
that, Women had the same rights as men, to listen and to be a part of Spiritual
matters. The Kingdom of God is for
This respect that Jesus had for women was something strikingly new. He raised women to the equality that was
rightly theirs from the creation of the world as daughters of Abraham and
daughters of God. Most of the women
followers of “The
Way” were single as Martha and Mary; Jesus did not require them to have
husbands to minister.
In the first century Jewish TRADITION, the cultural expectations was that the
wife or mother ran the household and taught the daughters everything they
needed to know to take care of the house. When a son brought home a wife, the
Mother was expected to continue the new wife’s education by teaching her
also. You can see in the story that Martha
was teaching her younger sister Mary, the Jewish TRADITIONS
of Work and
Spiritual Service.
Traditionally the men would be off
somewhere else learning
the Torah. During this time
there was NO REASON for a woman to be found sitting at the feet of a
Rabbi, they should be in the kitchen. It
was Jesus that would encourage women to also learn the Torah. Jesus
turned the priorities of a woman’s life upside down. A WOMAN IS GREATER THAN WHAT SHE DOES. Selah
When Jesus was around; Mary becomes very quiet, pensive with deep
thoughts which give evidence that she was “Spiritually
Sensitive” to His words, His wisdom and His power.
You must picture “Mother” Martha as an attentive hostess, eager hearted and striving
for perfection. Martha, as a disciple
of Christ had the gift of “Service” as mention in Acts with
waiting on tables. Her kindness corresponds to that of the office of Deacon.[17]
I know that this messes with your BS; but A Disciple is a pupil or follower of someone. A Deacon or
Deaconess is someone that helps the minister in things not
related to worship.
Martha becomes frustrated that her younger
sister Mary is sitting idly by and not helping her out with the extra
preparations for the meal. Martha asked
Jesus to send Mary into the kitchen to help her, but Jesus knowing Mary’s
desire for “SPIRITUAL
The Distraction
An evening meal would consist
of a lentil stew seasoned with herbs, along with fruit, olives, and melons,
pomegranates, dates and figs, onions and cheese along with water, goats milk
and wine and of course bread. An
elaborate meal for such a special guest would be a big deal to a gracious host
and it certainly was to Martha.
As I climb into the story and look around,
Martha wants to hear Jesus also, but is pulled away with the mounting task at
hand; she had become frustrated with the overwhelming task that had presented
itself and her exasperation is elevated when Mary is NOT helping, in the kitchen, nor is she keeping with the traditional role
of behavior for a woman. Instead she had
taken up a position at the feet of Jesus as a student. As Jesus is teaching in parables and
answering questions; she is lost in His Words, oblivious to the work at hand to
feed the ever increasing crowd.
I can just see
Martha banging pots around and maybe whistling her
special little whistle to get Mary’s ATTENTION and when that
didn’t work, her emotions erupt. I can
just see Martha holding a bowl of bread dough moseying over to Jesus to share
her exasperated needs. It was not that
she was too wimpy to tell Mary herself, but chose to not create a scene, and
out of frustration just whispers in Jesus’ ear with a girlishness tone or
perhaps even of callowness; somewhat scolding or chastising her dear friend
Jesus.
She curtly whispers in Jesus’s ear. "Lord, DON'T YOU CARE that my sister has left me to do the work
by myself? TELL HER TO
HELP ME!" Martha is downright
rude and out of line and almost demands that Jesus, “her guest of honor”, send Mary
into the kitchen to help her.
Martha wanted Mary to behave like a TRADITIONAL woman and not only help PREPARE the food, but
also to SERVE it too. Jesus grandfatherly hugs Martha and lovingly
whispers, "Martha,
Martha,
you are worried and upset about many things, but ONLY
ONE THING IS NEEDED”.[20] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will
not be taken away from her. Jesus
knowing Mary’s
desire for “SPIRITUAL
What
is the “One Thing” that Jesus spoke of? Did he mean instead of multiple dishes of
food, just one dish would be fine. I can just imagine that as Jesus responded,
He also lovingly told her to seek first the kingdom of Heaven and all the rest will be given to her.[22] Doctor Luke speaks of it when he shares the
words of Jesus; “Man shall not live by BREAD alone, but by ever WORD of God”. Martha was concerned with Physical Bread, and Mary
was concerned with Spiritual Bread.[23] The one thing OR the better part, is
making the
Word of God our FIRST priority and it
also affirmed the importance of women taking an active role in spiritual
things.[24]
Jesus did not disparage Martha’s Gift of Service as
unimportant, but was encouraging her that as a woman and a disciple that
learning His new ideas was more important than the FRUIT of her domestic
service. In my mind I can just see Jesus
wanting all women to be allowed access to the same Spiritual Food and ideas as
Jewish men and wants Martha to ALSO come and share
in these thoughts.
The Spiritual bread of Christ is eternal, but
the physical bread is not. There is a
time and season for everything, we are called to weigh the values of our causes
in order to form our right priorities.
Jesus speaks from an eternal perspective of separating the trivial from
the important; He very clearly speaks of the “ONE
THING”,
the “GOOD PART” is the spiritual bread of life.
The moment of apparent rivalry and sibling
bickering overshadows Martha’s great faith and devotion to Jesus and the work
she did in concert with Mary. God wanted
this story included as examples to us of the importance of the Word of God and
the FRUIT of the Spirit that results in good works.
A Faith without good works is a DEAD FAITH.
The Home of Mary and Martha pictures three
essential elements of the Church today; Worship, Adoration and Service. Today so
many Churches especially on TV are preaching “The Feel Good Message” with the essential elements of Worship, Adoration and Service found wanting.
Don’t miss this; none of those gathered in Martha’s
home knew that Jesus would only be with them for a short while longer and then
be crucified. Although He enjoyed the
pleasures of good wine, food and company, He alone knew the significance of
this remaining precious TIME with
them.
NOTE; Jesus allowed
Martha to make her own CHOICE of priorities,
but it was quite another thing to ask Mary to miss out on “The Good Portion” SHE HAD CHOSEN. It’s in the Book
Luke 10:38-40- Mary sat at Jesus feet;
Martha serving in Kitchen
38 As Jesus and the disciples
continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a
woman named Martha welcomed them into her home.
39 Her sister, MARY, SAT AT
THE LORD’S FEET, listening to
what he taught.
40 But MARTHA WAS DISTRACTED BY THE BIG DINNER she was
preparing. She came to Jesus and said,
“LORD, DOESN’T IT SEEM UNFAIR TO YOU
THAT MY SISTER JUST SITS HERE
WHILE I DO
ALL THE WORK?
TELL HER TO COME AND HELP ME (NLT)
The Competition
I
worked in retail with a friend that was very gregarious and outgoing and enjoyed people, but disliked all the merchandising
tasks that went with it. I on the other
hand was an introvert and task oriented and loved it; together we were
unstoppable. We had different
personalities, but the same goals for the company. We do all things to the Glory of God. It’s in the Book
Life is like a
seesaw where one day the importance of one thing is UP and the next day it’s DOWN. Jesus sent the disciples out two by two,
to provide support for each other, and that’s the picture of Mary and Martha;
they were a perfect fit. We don’t have
to choose to be a Mary or a Martha; we are both. God wants us to study His Word and at the same
time, we are charged to take care of the families He has given us and our
houses, our yards and our puppies.
When I see my
friends Mike and Judy SERVING in the Church
kitchen, I realize that as a team THEY ARE SERVING so that I can sit and
WORSHIP in a Sunday
school class at the feet of Jesus, hearing His Word; they are being a Martha
so I can be a Mary.
We are
not in competition to see who the BEST Christian is. The
best Christian sins and falls short of the glory of God. We should enter the race to use the gifts that
God has given us for His glory. So if
you are a Mary,
stay a Mary
and if you are a Martha, stay a Martha, as both are passionately following JESUS with
their gifts.
1 Corinthians 10:31 – Do your work to glorify
God
31 So whether you eat or drink, or
WHATEVER
YOU DO,
DO IT ALL FOR
THE GLORY OF GOD. (NLT)
Romans 3:23 – We all fall short of God’s
standard
23 FOR EVERYONE HAS SINNED;
WE ALL FALL SHORT OF GOD’S GLORIOUS STANDARD. (NLT)
Lazarus Dies
When
Lazarus died
and Jesus came into town, Martha ran out to meet Him while Mary waited at home
till she was called by Martha. Mary was
in seclusion, deep in grief for Lazarus and would not venture out of the house. Jesus sent for Mary to be with Martha before
this miracle of resurrection would be performed.[25] When Mary came she fell at His feet weeping. Although
they had totally different personalities, they certainly were both of
As you picture this, Jesus GROANS in his Spirit and WEEPS, you can see how God feels about DEATH. In the story of Lazarus we see the
picture of Jesus weeping, but he is
not only weeping for Lazarus but is weeping for the living that WILL experience DEATH and never see “The Glory of God”.[26]
Martha tells Jesus that after FOUR DAYS, Lazarus would
surely “STINKITH”.[27] Jewish Tradition held that the spirt of a
person hung around for three days after death and sometimes would re-entered
the body. Members of the family would
sit at the tomb site day and night just in case his life revived and came back
into him. Jesus had waited for four days to go to Lazarus so that no
one could possibly doubt that Lazarus was actually dead.
Jesus Himself said that Mary’s brother Lazarus’s illness had come about
for God’s glory and
that the Son of God would be glorified through it. With the delay of Jesus coming, many villagers
began to collect, waiting to see what Jesus would do when He came.
Jesus said He was glad that He was not there when Lazarus died, because
it made it possible for many others to come to believe in “THE WAY”.
Did you see it? Jesus prayed aloud for the benefit of those
who had put their Faith in Him as well as those who were just curious. He specifically called out Lazarus’s name; “Lazarus come forth”; not wanting
We don’t need a miracle; the problem in not in the
lack of evidence, the Problem is the unbelief of man. J.
Vernon McGee
I would like to point out, that there were a number of resurrections
mentioned in the Bible, but all of those resurrected would eventually die
again. Jesus is the only one that died
and was resurrected that would never see death again. Now; TODAY;
this miracle is still available for those that would believe.[28] Martha would hear the famous words “Whosoever lives
and believes in me shall never die” and Martha declares; “I believe that you
are the Christ, the Son of God”.[29] WOW
The take away is; to “PRACTICE” the Love
that Mary, Martha and Lazarus had for the community. each other and for our
Lord.
The Second Meal
This time the meal is less
than one week before Jesus would die. Mary and Martha had prepared a FEAST
in gratitude; to honor and thank Jesus for bringing their brother Lazarus back
to life. Along with the disciples, many
who had come to believe in Jesus were also there as well as those who had come
out of curiosity to see Lazarus; the cool dude who had been raised from the
dead.
This is reminiscent of the scripture from the Parable of The Prodigal
Son. “We had to
celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive
again”[30]
NOTE: The scriptures do not actually say the meal
was served at Martha’s house, it said it was in Bethany where Lazarus lived. Students of the Word disagree about was there two different meals or
just one?
There is a similar story in Mark where
Jesus was anointed with oil at a meal at “Simon the Lepers” house. The
presupposition is that the un-named “anointing” woman was named Mary.[31] In scripture we find that Simon appears to be
a Pharisee that had already recovered from leprosy; if not he would not have
been allowed to associate with people.
I must admit it is possible that the meal was at Simon’s larger house in
Bethany and not at Martha’s, but she was the one that had organized it and had
honored Jesus by serving Him. Martha
showed her love for Jesus through her hospitality; the
gift of Service. Mary
showed her love in a different way; by sitting at His feet and listening to
Him; she seems to have the gift of
encouragement.[32]
It was the custom to take any
traveler into the home and provide water to wash their feet. This would be performed by a servant or the
host if there was no servant present. At
a banquet, it was the custom to refresh guest by applying cool fragrant oil to
their heads and occasionally they would also apply it to their feet. As Jesus reclined at the table, Mary
with her deep faith, came quietly up behind Him and sitting down at His feet,
took a 12 ounce jar of Pure Nard,
an expensive perfume and without a word, began to gently rub it on His feet and
then proceeded to dry them with her long hair. Mary now had the same aroma that
Jesus had; this smell would make her aware of His presence long after He was
gone. Jesus knowing His death was
imminent said that the Nard although unintentional, was poured
out in preparation for His burial.[33] Mary has just let Jesus know that she has
entered into His death with Him.
NOTE: This Spikenard
had been kept in an expensive Alabaster box from India. It had been purchased and SAVED for HER funeral, her
burial; but now she pours it all on the feet of Jesus who in just a few days
would be crucified. You must step back
and wonder, PONDER… what did Mary
know that no one else knew? “chew the cud” on that; SELAH
Judas the treasurer and THIEF of the group objected by saying the cost of” pure Nard”
was equal to a year’s earnings ($60.00
then)
and said it should have been sold and given to the poor. I can just hear the LONELINESS in Jesus’ voice as He sighs; just "Leave her alone”.
Did you see it; Mary is symbolic of the LIGHT; Judas is symbolic of the DARK.
The picture painted of Martha is being the
Practical one, hustling around preparing food and Mary is painted as the
Spiritual one sitting at the feet of Jesus, so be a MARY and not a MARTHA. But
the truth is, they were BOTH Spiritual and both Practical.
Don’t judge Martha’s lifetime in an
unfair light based on a ONE TIME INCIDENT where she got
it wrong and got distracted with her gift of SERVICE. Housework is
not a SIN; JUDGING IS.
Three
Encounters of the third kind
Hospitality was very important during the time of Jesus; a guest was welcomed with a kiss, his sandals
removed from his feet and washed by a servant, if a servant was not present,
then the host would perform the honor for the guest; the head would receive
some refreshing perfumed oil and food would be prepared.
The FIRST time[34] Martha is mentioned, she is in her home in Bethany hosting Jesus and the
disciples where she gets distracted by trying to be a good hostess, desiring to
SERVE the best meal she can, but Mary
has become oblivious to the needs of preparation. Martha gets out of sorts and hectic with the
preparations; Jesus tenderly whispers in her ear everything is going to be OK.
The SECOND time[35] we see Martha is just after her brother Lazarus died and Jesus did not
arrive in time to heal him of his illness.
With her strong faith, it is
here she declares that if He had been there, her brother would not have died,
but knew that even now God will give Him whatever He asked. I like the words Martha used, Lord by now he STINKETH.[36]
She sees tears come into Jesus eyes as he freely shows His deep grief of
Lazarus’ death. Her intense faith
is rewarded that day as she hears Jesus order the stone to be rolled away as he
immortalizes the words “LAZARUS COME FORTH”
[37]and
then she witnesses the resurrection of her beloved brother Lazarus. WOW;
Martha presents a sense of balance between Service,
Worship, and Trust.
The THIRD time[38] we encounter Martha is
when she is SERVING again, this time
a meal in Jesus’ honor while Mary in an act of subservience, honor and worship,
anoints the feet of Jesus with an expensive perfume. Martha is a woman of some
means, evidenced by her large home and frequency of hosting dinners and the expensive
perfume which cost 300 denarii which represented wages for about 300 days of
work. It is here that Martha used all
her material resources for the glory of God.
Note: Unknown to all
of them, Jesus is spending His last week with the ones He loves so much. The perfumed oil anointed Jesus’ body prior
to His death. Jesus said; Mary
has poured this perfume on me to PREPARE MY BODY FOR BURIAL[39]. I tell you the truth,
wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will
be remembered and discussed.
Martha’s
made her home a sanctuary, a comfortable place where Jesus and others
could take refuge from the demands of the day. Jesus chose Martha’s home for His last week of
mortal existence. When Jesus returns
again, it will be your friendship
and your sanctuary that he will
choose if your home has been opened to Him.
It’s
in the Book
A Bum Rap
Somehow I suspect that there are
also three or four more women that were also a part of Jesus’ entourage that were lingering just
outside the house as the disciples entered and I always wondered why they didn’t
pitch in and help Martha.[40] Just sayin’
I think Martha gets a bum rap; the picture
painted is of Martha being the Practical one, hustling around preparing food
and Mary is painted as the Spiritual one sitting at the feet of Jesus, so be a MARY and NOT a
MARTHA.
But the truth is, they were BOTH Spiritual
and both Practical. Don’t judge Martha in an unfair light based on
an incident where she got it wrong ONE
TIME
concerning the meal; housework is not a SIN.
It was Martha not
Mary that heard the Words of
Christ as He proclaimed “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE
LIFE, and anyone who believes in me will live,
even after dying.
It would be Martha not Mary, who when not burdened by the responsibility of
meal preparations, proclaimed the astute statement with conviction that she believed that
Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
This is reminiscent of PETER when he said to Jesus, “You are the Christ”
and Jesus responded that that this Devine knowledge was not revealed by man,
but by God the Father. God
had spoken directly to Martha’s heart.[41] The Book
records that Martha and Peter’s “CONFESSION
OF FAITH” is the ROCK upon which the church would be
built. The Church is built on THE CONFESSION OF FAITH in Jesus Christ,[42]
not on a disciple, a man or woman.
Martha’s qualifications for Spiritual
leadership was the same as Peters; THE CONFESSION OF FAITH. Martha and Peter
had flaws, and God used both of them mightily and he can certainly use dirty,
rotten, low down, scumbag sinners like us too.
It’s
in the Book
Every
time we see Martha in scripture,
she is SERVING
others. She speaks her mind and is
dependable to get it all done. As a servant
she is a natural leader; the
Book says those who are the greatest among you
should take the lowest rank, and THE LEADER SHOULD BE LIKE A SERVANT.[43]
In the death of someone, Mary would be there to comfort, console,
embrace and weep with you. Martha would
be in there cleaning their house, fixing food and taking their dogs out to pee.
Mary is a devoted follower and while she does
not offer SERVICE, she does
offers herself in beautiful acts of worship.
Many folks like to start their day with studying
the Word of
God before beginning their
chores; I do not…
I enjoy getting the yard work done early in the cool of the morning, then go
inside to study the Word with an undistracted mind, no longer reflective about
chores.
The
Take Away
The story of Mary and Martha follows the
Parable of the GOOD
SAMARITAN which tells us as
Christians to respond with mercy to others when the opportunity presents
itself. The parable for the most part shows examples
of service and
good works to the Lord and to GO AND DO LIKEWISE. The story of Mary
and Martha
becomes an example for us of not letting service distract us from the ultimate reason
for the service
which is Jesus Christ.
Jesus places no limitation on someone’s
calling,
but encourages them to pursue where ever their spirit leads them; and that
might be in the kitchen. Mary can pursue
her God given gift or calling and Martha can pursue her gift and calling; there
is NO
CHOICE necessary of being a Mary or a Martha. Serve, but
not with anxiety; Sacrifice, but not neglecting worship, prayer
and reading the Word.
It’s a question of priorities; is the time
designing a center piece for the banquet table more important than the time
preparing the meal? Do we spend more
time preparing the Sunday dinner than we do studying the Word of God in
preparation for Church Services? Have we
made sure the kids have had their bath, but have cut short the bedtime
prayers?
BOTH Mary and Martha sent word to
Jesus that their bother Lazarus was sick unto death. Both
had strong Faith
that Jesus could and would heal Lazarus of his sickness. Both
were in service as home missionaries and followers of God. Both
worshipped
Jesus as their Lord. Both believed Jesus words; that He
was the Messiah and Both set an example for us.
God indeed values, as well as requires, Both
Service and Worship,
Both serves the other.[44]
A Faith without WORKS
is a dead Faith.[45] It’s in the Book
Sometimes we tend to be like Mary longing to set
at the feet of Jesus and at other times we resemble Martha with thoughts of the
busyness of service, distracted from the ONE
THING that
is most important; His Word. Mary was not being lazy, and if not for
Martha, none would have been fed; service is a good thing, but sitting at the
feet of Jesus is better; (Just something
to ponder.)
As I also have the Gift of Organization, I find myself
identifying with Martha; in project management, making things happen. In my early years I rarely got to attend the
actual Church service or Sunday school class for all of the other worthwhile church
activities and committees that I was involved in on Sunday. SERVICE programs and
busyness should not become such a priority that it substitutes for sitting at
the feet of Jesus. SERVICE can become a DISTRACTION if
not moderated.[46]
Distractions to the Word
of God comes
in all forms; some churches have coffee available on Sunday morning that can be
enjoyed in the sanctuary as you study the Word of God. When someone gets up to get another cup of
coffee, not only have they themselves become distracted, they have distracted
the others around them. When someone finds it necessary to text
someone while the Word of God is being unpacked, it is an affront to the Living
God. It is saying that something is more
important than His Word. When you TALK
during the sermon, YOU are not only
distracted, but YOUR FRIEND now is also
distracted too; PLUS THOSE AROUND YOU. You become complicit with Satan. It’s in the Book
My mother’s entire Sunday school class
would sit on the second row at Church; there was NO chewing gum, NO talking, NO drawing pictures and NO passing
notes; we were sitting at the feet of Christ. Mom would whisper; remember the Sabbath day,
to keep it Holy.[47]
Lesson from Martha: We are to honor others over ourselves; to
exercise humility. Martha had made the
meal the focus of her attention instead of Jesus and now assumed the worst of
her sister Mary; saw her as being
lazy and unthoughtful. Martha had begun to judge Mary. It’s in the Book
In just minutes Martha’s critical attitude made her susceptible to anger,
resentment and jealousy causing her to judge Mary
and speak sharply to Jesus. Martha has substituted herself as Mary’s master instead of Jesus, when just earlier she was thinking of others, and
now she is thinking only of herself; .Martha’s
Humility
was replaced with Pride.
Sometimes we can’t find the right pot, things are
spilling over and we become frustrated with adding water to make the soup go
further when what we really need is some more peas & potatoes. The example of Mary and Martha teaches us to sit down at the
feet of Jesus, look at His Word; see how to stop and reflect on stuff that
frustrates and confounds us.
NOTE: Some students
of the Word believe “Sitting at the feet” should not to be taken so
literally; that this was traditional a FIGURATIVE DESCRIPTION of higher,
formal education; meaning they were STUDENTS of the Master; they were in “Discipleship”.[48]
The GOOD PART is starting the day
focusing on the Lord, it softens our soul and puts our SERVICE into
perspective, preferring others over ourselves.
Seek
God’s Word
about how to LOVE someone who is not lovable. How to have JOY in thankless tasks. How to find PEACE in situations we
have no control over. How to drive our
car with PATIENCE when other
drivers are spiteful. To look
for ways that KINDNESS, GOODNESS, and GENTLENESS can spill over in our actions and
re-actions. To strive to exhibit FAITHFULNESS because we gave
our word in a seemingly un-ending task. To
gain SELF-CONTROL when we strive
to dig a better ditch and the walls keep falling in.
Jesus sent the disciples out two by two,
providing support for each other, and that’s the picture of Mary
and Martha, they were a perfect fit.
WE DON’T HAVE TO CHOOSE to be a Mary or a Martha; WE ARE BOTH.
NOTE; Jesus allowed Martha to make her own CHOICE of priorities, but it was quite another
thing to ask Mary
to miss out on “The Good Portion” SHE HAD CHOSEN.
It’s in the Book
[1] John 21:25 – All of
Martha’s activities were not written down
[2] Luke 10:38 – Martha opened her home to Jesus
[3] John 13:26 – Food was scooped up with a piece of bread
[4] Luke 10:39 – Mary and Martha BOTH set at the feet of Jesus
[5] John 12:2 – Martha SERVED
Jesus -- James 2:26 – FAITH IS DEAD
WITHOUT GOOD WORKS.
[6] John 12:26 - Jesus’ disciples follow and will
SERVE
[7] Acts 6:1-4 – The gift of
Service and Hospitality; feeding folks, waiting on tables
[8] John 11:26-27 – Martha believes that Jesus is the Messiah
[9] Luke 10:1 – Missionaries sent out to serve two by two -- Luke 10:5-9 –
Custom; Hospitality eat and drink whatever is set before you and bless the
house with peace
[10] Acts 24:14 – The Jesus movement was known as THE WAY
[11] Luke 10:38 – Martha extended herself to Jesus and welcomed Him into her
home
[12] Luke 10:38-40- THE GREAT SIBLING WHINE
[13] 1 Corinthians 10:11 – Mary and Martha are examples for us of Godly
living.
[14] 1 Corinthians 12:6-11 – GIFTS, Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Special
Faith, Healings, Miraculous powers, Tongues, Interpretation of tongues. -- Romans
12:6-8 – Offices and Gifts; Prophesying, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging,
contributing, Leading and Mercy -- Ephesians 4:11-12 – More Offices and
gifts; Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers for works of
service -- 1 Corinthians 12:28 -
More Offices and gifts; Helps and Administration -- John 14:27 – Jesus gives the
gift of Peace of mind and heart to us
[15] John 11:5-6 - Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus -- John 11:20 - Martha ran to meet Jesus -- John
11:32- Mary fell at the feet of Jesus weeping; Lazarus was dead -- Luke 8:1-3 -
Several Women of the Church were wealthy
[16] Luke 10:38 – Martha
opened her home to Jesus -- John 11:45
– Mary’s personality was the most popular -- James 1:22 – Don’t just Listen, but DO what the Word says
[17] James 2:17 – Faith without good WORKS is a dead faith -- Luke
10:1 – Mary & Martha serving as missionaries pairs
[18] Luke 10:38-42 – Lord,
tell Mary to help me prepare the meal
[19] Acts 6:1-4 – The gift of
Service includes feeding folks; waiting on tables.
[20] Luke 10:41-42- THERE IS ONLY ONE THING WORTH BEING
CONCERNED ABOUT. MARY HAS DISCOVERED IT, and it will not be taken away from
her.”
[21] Matthew
15:32-39 – Jesus feeds 4,000 plus women and children -- Matthew 14:14-21 –
Jesus feeds 5,000
plus women and children
[22] Matthew
6:33 – SEEK THE
KINGDOM OF GOD ABOVE ALL ELSE, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING
[23] Luke 4:4 – Man needs physical bread and spiritual bread
[24] Matthew 6:31 – Don’t worry about what you will eat or drink --
[25] John 11:1-45 – Mary sees Jesus raise Lazarus
from the dead
[26] John 11:40 – Those who
believe will see the Glory of God
[27] John 11:39 – After four days Lazarus STINKETH
[28] John 11:25-26 – The Believer will not taste
the second death. -- Revelation 20:6 - The second death has no power over the
Believer
[29] John 11:27 – Martha believes that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God
[30] Luke 15:32 - This brother
of yours was dead and is alive again;
[31] Home of Simon the Leper;
pure nard poured out on Jesus
[32] Mark 14:3-9 –Romans
12:6-8 – Some of the gifts in the Body; prophesying, serving, teaching,
serving, encouraging, contributing
[33] John 12:1-5 – Mary
anointed Jesus feet with perfume of pure nard worth a year's wages -- John 12:7
– The Nard was saved for Jesus’ burial.
[34] Luke 10:38 – FIRST ENCOUNTER in Martha’s home in Bethany
[35] John 11:20-22 – SECOND ENCOUNTER Martha went meet Jesus
[36] John 11:39 – LORD,
BY THIS TIME HE STINKETH
[37] John 11:43 – LAZARUS, COME FORTH
[38] John 12:2-3 - THIRD ENCOUNTER in Martha’s home
[39] Matthew 26:12-13 - SHE HAS
POURED THIS PERFUME ON ME TO PREPARE MY
BODY FOR BURIAL.
[40] Luke 8:1-2 – Women traveled with Jesus and the disciples -- John 11:25-26 – Jesus told Martha; I am the
resurrection and the life
[41] John 11:27 – Martha ; Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God -- Matthew 16:15-17 – Peter;
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God -- John
11:25-26 – Jesus told Martha; I am the resurrection and the life
[42] Matthew 16:16-18 – The church built on our CONFESSION OF FAITH
[43] Luke 22:26-27 – The leader should be as a servant
[44] Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust the Lord and He will show you what to do
[45] Luke 8:21 – My Brothers and sister are the ones who DO
the Word
[46] Matthew 13:22 – Distractions of world CHOKE OUT God’s Word
[47] Colossians 3:17 – In whatever and in everything you do give thanks to God
--
[48] Acts 22:3 – Paul was educated AT THE FEET of Gamaliel
No comments:
Post a Comment