I’ve two stories to tell you today about the most familiar set of sisters in the Bible; Mary and Martha. Both Luke and John describe them as friends of Jesus. According to Luke, Martha was head of the household; she was the one who welcomed Jesus into her home. Mary was probably younger. Like most sisters, these two women had conflicts which emerged because of their different personalities, roles, and simply the fact that they were siblings. Yet Jesus saw fit to speak of them in some very distinctively and moving stories that have taught us all great lessons in the area of our faith, joy, hope, peace and the determination to be the best that we can be as friends and believers in Jesus Christ. He also reminds us that our hope and joy comes from Him not our situation!
The first story begins in Martha’s home during a fellowship… Now as they went on their way, he (Jesus) entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing; Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:38-42). What did Jesus mean when he said, “that it would not be taken away from Mary”? Along with new truths that she was learning as she sat at His feet, Mary also had much joy and contentment in simply taking the time to listen… coupled with the intense craving that she had to hear the words that Jesus had to say. For Mary’s first interest was in the spiritual…not the physical…While Martha’s original intention might have been honorable, her task that she set before herself (by asking the Lord into her home, no one else told her to do it) became a nuisance, burden, and effort to serve instead of a joy in serving. Jesus was simply saying that what Mary was going to get out of this will stay with her it will not be taken away...her joy...the truths that she will learn and no one can take it away. Martha may have started out happy but lost her joy soon after she began her task.
Now with Martha being the older and Mary the younger I am sure that there was some sort of responsibility or obligation that Martha felt that Mary should have to assist her in all the preperations even though it may not have been Mary’s idea. Yet somehow I think that one of the reasons that Mary may not have felt the same sense of desperation and urgency to go to the kitchen was because Mary was not the one who extended the invitation for the fellowship; that was Martha’s desire. Therefore, Mary had the freedom to pursue in her heart what she was led or drawn to do. To listen and learn what Jesus had to say. My point is that oftentimes, we judge others by what we are told or ask to do. We wonder in our job situations or especially in our personal ministry… why others do not see as we do or better yet….why they do not have the burden to do the work or complete the task that often times we set before ourselves because it was or is a good thing to do. We find ourselves alone… our joy depleted and our hope in ever getting the help to be only a shadow of past hopes and dreams of a work that we felt needed to be done.
You see Martha could have sat at Jesus’ feet for a while as well as Mary. No one had told her not to. If she had, then she could have gotten up and prepare the food, and by then maybe Mary would have been ready to help her, even without Martha even asking her to. They could have worked along side each other in the kitchen discussing and talking about what Jesus had been saying and had sweet fellowship with one another at the same time, both having joy in their work or task. But the result was, Martha’s focus was off….she worked and then wanted to rest….you see she had it backwards….the application that Jesus was trying to make with Martha was…..to rest before me, listen to what I have to say to you, feed yourself on heavenly manna, and then you can go about your task with balance having joy in your work. For your work would not be in vain, nor your joy be taken away from you as well as your reward….for then you could do your task with the right heart attitude… Proverbs 11:1 says, “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight”. It’s all about balance and we can not measure ourselves properly without using God’s way of measuring and weighing our hearts and motives. We must use His plum line and His system of measuring. Had Martha went about it the right way she would not have lost her joy and had to be rebuked by her own question. We don’t have to wait for God to tell us to do something…we are not puppets, but we do need to make sure that we are well prepared before we set out to do anything….and before we begin our work …take into consideration the pitfalls and obstacles that we may well encounter along the way. Maybe Martha should have checked with Mary first to make sure that she was going to be able and help, before Martha attempted to prepare a meal of fellowshipping that turned into a throw down with Jesus.
Now there was another time when Martha was at the top of her game. In John's narrative, Mary and Martha were equally as central to this story as was their brother Lazarus was. While Lazarus never spoke a word, even after he was raised by Jesus, there was ample dialogue and action that took place between both Jesus and Martha as well as Jesus and Mary. Martha's words are especially powerful when she declares that Jesus was the Messiah.
By the time Jesus and the disciples arrive in the village, Lazarus had been dead for four days; his sisters were in mourning and many of the Jews were trying to comfort them. Martha at this point was an assertive, well-spoken woman with a deep faith; she is not "distracted" as mentioned earlier…by many things. She runs out to Jesus while Mary stayed at house. After discussing her concern for his tardiness, Martha affirms her belief that even though her brother was already dead, she knew that God would do anything that Jesus asks. Jesus said that he was the "resurrection and the life" and asks if she believes this. Martha confessed, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world" John 11 ….After making that statement, Martha fetches Mary, telling her that Jesus is calling her. Mary answers Jesus' invitation, runs out, and falls down weeping at his feet. She says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" …Jesus wept….John 11….His heart was broken over there sadness and He offered them hope….but they had to trust in Him….their trust was the vehicle that would bring about the joy that would soon fill their hearts.
Jesus' conversations with Mary and Martha transform this story from a miracle story about the raising of Lazarus into a story about the fullness of new life that is possible to all who believe in Jesus.... A story about hope and promise that no matter how our situations are for the moment, it is not hopeless….Martha knew that…she had taken rebuke in the past and allowed it to grow and stretch her faith so that when the time came for her to believe God for something really big… like healing her brother though he was already dead. Martha’s faith had superseded her failure of growing weary in well doing and supplied her with hope and served her in the faith that she needed to give Jesus the correct answer when he ask whom she believed He was. At that point Martha chose the right thing needed that would not be taken from her….WOW! I love that! Mary on the other hand modeled how people are to live as they struggle to free themselves from the power of death’s depression…. over someone that defines and limits them to move them to embrace the new promises and possibilities of life available through Jesus. Wow, what a family!
We are them…they are us….no difference. They were challenged to reach beyond themselves and take hold of the promise of something better than their current circumstances. It’s perfectly okay to question, but not to doubt. Yes… had Jesus been there He could have healed Lazarus….yes, He could have spoken the Word a far off and Lazarus could have been healed….but let’s not miss the most important verses in chapter 11, which are V4-6 …When He heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." …Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. …Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. You see God had a bigger plan, the others just did not realize it!
Behind every unanswered prayer there is a reason why. Martha and Mary had no idea as to why Jesus did not come and respond to their request…..they knew that they were special to Him and did not understand why He did not respond to what they were asking.
Never think for a moment that God is too far to hear your plea/s. Oh, He hears them….and He will eventually answer your prayer…by raising your despair to hope and hope to life, but in the meantime… He is working it out to bring glory to himself in the bigger scheme of it all and while it may seem like His being late is not coming….that is not true….because it is never about us….but it’s always about Him! God knows what it will take to win folks and the end of the story tells us that many Jews believed on Jesus because of what He did….who knows….those same folks might not have been around had Jesus simply spoke and healed Lazarus in his bed ….but they were there that day….you see Jesus was not 4 days late…..but right on time!! Both Mary and Martha’s conflicts became joy once they understood the great plan and lesson that they were to learn form both those events.
I love you and am praying over you today sweet friend….never ever let your circumstances dictate your joy! …and don’t ever forget that!
Bren
The first story begins in Martha’s home during a fellowship… Now as they went on their way, he (Jesus) entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing; Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:38-42). What did Jesus mean when he said, “that it would not be taken away from Mary”? Along with new truths that she was learning as she sat at His feet, Mary also had much joy and contentment in simply taking the time to listen… coupled with the intense craving that she had to hear the words that Jesus had to say. For Mary’s first interest was in the spiritual…not the physical…While Martha’s original intention might have been honorable, her task that she set before herself (by asking the Lord into her home, no one else told her to do it) became a nuisance, burden, and effort to serve instead of a joy in serving. Jesus was simply saying that what Mary was going to get out of this will stay with her it will not be taken away...her joy...the truths that she will learn and no one can take it away. Martha may have started out happy but lost her joy soon after she began her task.
Now with Martha being the older and Mary the younger I am sure that there was some sort of responsibility or obligation that Martha felt that Mary should have to assist her in all the preperations even though it may not have been Mary’s idea. Yet somehow I think that one of the reasons that Mary may not have felt the same sense of desperation and urgency to go to the kitchen was because Mary was not the one who extended the invitation for the fellowship; that was Martha’s desire. Therefore, Mary had the freedom to pursue in her heart what she was led or drawn to do. To listen and learn what Jesus had to say. My point is that oftentimes, we judge others by what we are told or ask to do. We wonder in our job situations or especially in our personal ministry… why others do not see as we do or better yet….why they do not have the burden to do the work or complete the task that often times we set before ourselves because it was or is a good thing to do. We find ourselves alone… our joy depleted and our hope in ever getting the help to be only a shadow of past hopes and dreams of a work that we felt needed to be done.
You see Martha could have sat at Jesus’ feet for a while as well as Mary. No one had told her not to. If she had, then she could have gotten up and prepare the food, and by then maybe Mary would have been ready to help her, even without Martha even asking her to. They could have worked along side each other in the kitchen discussing and talking about what Jesus had been saying and had sweet fellowship with one another at the same time, both having joy in their work or task. But the result was, Martha’s focus was off….she worked and then wanted to rest….you see she had it backwards….the application that Jesus was trying to make with Martha was…..to rest before me, listen to what I have to say to you, feed yourself on heavenly manna, and then you can go about your task with balance having joy in your work. For your work would not be in vain, nor your joy be taken away from you as well as your reward….for then you could do your task with the right heart attitude… Proverbs 11:1 says, “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight”. It’s all about balance and we can not measure ourselves properly without using God’s way of measuring and weighing our hearts and motives. We must use His plum line and His system of measuring. Had Martha went about it the right way she would not have lost her joy and had to be rebuked by her own question. We don’t have to wait for God to tell us to do something…we are not puppets, but we do need to make sure that we are well prepared before we set out to do anything….and before we begin our work …take into consideration the pitfalls and obstacles that we may well encounter along the way. Maybe Martha should have checked with Mary first to make sure that she was going to be able and help, before Martha attempted to prepare a meal of fellowshipping that turned into a throw down with Jesus.
Now there was another time when Martha was at the top of her game. In John's narrative, Mary and Martha were equally as central to this story as was their brother Lazarus was. While Lazarus never spoke a word, even after he was raised by Jesus, there was ample dialogue and action that took place between both Jesus and Martha as well as Jesus and Mary. Martha's words are especially powerful when she declares that Jesus was the Messiah.
By the time Jesus and the disciples arrive in the village, Lazarus had been dead for four days; his sisters were in mourning and many of the Jews were trying to comfort them. Martha at this point was an assertive, well-spoken woman with a deep faith; she is not "distracted" as mentioned earlier…by many things. She runs out to Jesus while Mary stayed at house. After discussing her concern for his tardiness, Martha affirms her belief that even though her brother was already dead, she knew that God would do anything that Jesus asks. Jesus said that he was the "resurrection and the life" and asks if she believes this. Martha confessed, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world" John 11 ….After making that statement, Martha fetches Mary, telling her that Jesus is calling her. Mary answers Jesus' invitation, runs out, and falls down weeping at his feet. She says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" …Jesus wept….John 11….His heart was broken over there sadness and He offered them hope….but they had to trust in Him….their trust was the vehicle that would bring about the joy that would soon fill their hearts.
Jesus' conversations with Mary and Martha transform this story from a miracle story about the raising of Lazarus into a story about the fullness of new life that is possible to all who believe in Jesus.... A story about hope and promise that no matter how our situations are for the moment, it is not hopeless….Martha knew that…she had taken rebuke in the past and allowed it to grow and stretch her faith so that when the time came for her to believe God for something really big… like healing her brother though he was already dead. Martha’s faith had superseded her failure of growing weary in well doing and supplied her with hope and served her in the faith that she needed to give Jesus the correct answer when he ask whom she believed He was. At that point Martha chose the right thing needed that would not be taken from her….WOW! I love that! Mary on the other hand modeled how people are to live as they struggle to free themselves from the power of death’s depression…. over someone that defines and limits them to move them to embrace the new promises and possibilities of life available through Jesus. Wow, what a family!
We are them…they are us….no difference. They were challenged to reach beyond themselves and take hold of the promise of something better than their current circumstances. It’s perfectly okay to question, but not to doubt. Yes… had Jesus been there He could have healed Lazarus….yes, He could have spoken the Word a far off and Lazarus could have been healed….but let’s not miss the most important verses in chapter 11, which are V4-6 …When He heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." …Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. …Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. You see God had a bigger plan, the others just did not realize it!
Behind every unanswered prayer there is a reason why. Martha and Mary had no idea as to why Jesus did not come and respond to their request…..they knew that they were special to Him and did not understand why He did not respond to what they were asking.
Never think for a moment that God is too far to hear your plea/s. Oh, He hears them….and He will eventually answer your prayer…by raising your despair to hope and hope to life, but in the meantime… He is working it out to bring glory to himself in the bigger scheme of it all and while it may seem like His being late is not coming….that is not true….because it is never about us….but it’s always about Him! God knows what it will take to win folks and the end of the story tells us that many Jews believed on Jesus because of what He did….who knows….those same folks might not have been around had Jesus simply spoke and healed Lazarus in his bed ….but they were there that day….you see Jesus was not 4 days late…..but right on time!! Both Mary and Martha’s conflicts became joy once they understood the great plan and lesson that they were to learn form both those events.
I love you and am praying over you today sweet friend….never ever let your circumstances dictate your joy! …and don’t ever forget that!
Bren
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