For our last week of studying godly women, we will travel to Bethany, a small town just a few miles from Jerusalem. It is home to two sisters and their brother. Both sisters have hearts to serve, but one is distracted and the other worships.
This little family is good friends with Jesus, and he will often visit them while teaching in the area. The Bible doesn’t tell us whether any siblings are married, but it identifies Martha as the eldest and Mary and Lazarus as the youngest.
God placed this family in His story three times, and each time there is a lesson we should learn. We also see these two sisters, who twice inadvertently intersect with the plans to kill Jesus.
They are there when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, and the Jewish leaders begin plotting how to kill Jesus.
When Mary anoints Jesus with the expensive perfume, Judas is prompted to betray Jesus to the authorities.
Come join me in Bethany!
It is still dark outside, but Martha has already been up preparing for the day. Martha is always up early, grinding grain and then mixing and kneading the dough for bread the family will eat that day.
Then Mary wakes and is ready to help her sister. They will be making thread to make and repair clothing. Then, one will draw water from the well while the other prepares the meat for dinner that evening.
After finishing these chores, the sisters begin cleaning the house. But today, as they work around the house, they are excited because their best friend is coming to visit, and he will bring extra guests.
We all know how busy things are when we have company coming to visit. There is grocery shopping, the house to be cleaned, and everything to be put away. We want everything just right for our guests.
Martha is in the kitchen, and Mary is cleaning another room when they hear a knock on the door! Mary rushes to the door, Martha and Lazarus close behind her. Out of breath, Mary opens the door, and standing there is Jesus!
Mary is just standing there, staring and grinning. Finally, Jesus says, “Hello!” Martha laughs and pushes Mary out of the way. Jesus and his followers enter, and Jesus gives the siblings hugs.
Martha then leads everyone into the large gathering room, tells them to sit and relax, and says dinner will be ready soon. Then she looks at Mary and gestures for her to come to the kitchen and help serve dinner.
What would you do if you knew Jesus was coming to your house for a visit? What would you serve him? Would you be excited to see him, or would you be too stressed knowing he was coming to your home and unable to enjoy his company?
Everyone is sitting, some on the furniture and others on the floor. Jesus is teaching and telling stories about the kingdom of heaven. Mary is sitting on the floor at Jesus’s feet, listening to every word as if they were the only ones in the room.
Martha is still in the kitchen banging pots and pans together, trying to get her sister’s attention. Finally, Martha enters the gathering room and goes where Jesus and Mary sit. Martha begins accusing Jesus of not caring that Mary isn’t helping her, then demands he tell Mary to get up and help serve the meal.
When Jesus arrived, Martha was excited and seemed happy to have him in her home, but because she made serving her a priority instead of being with Jesus, she lost her perspective and became self-centered.
Jesus lovingly looks at Martha and then tells her,
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you’re worried and upset about all this. But only one thing is really necessary. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:41-42
Jesus didn’t condemn Martha for her servant’s heart or reject her for her zealous and gracious hospitality, but gently and lovingly reminded her she needed to check her priorities.
As women, we often need to remember our priorities. Like Martha, we get so wrapped up in serving that we forget to spend time with Jesus. When we do, every need is filled so that we can serve our families, church, and Him.
The second time we visited with the family, tragedy struck. The Bible doesn’t give a timeframe for this, but we know it was near the end of Jesus’s ministry.
Lazarus has become sick, and it isn’t good. Jesus is in another town teaching, but the sisters believe he will come if he knows his friend is sick and make Lazarus well again.
They sent a message to Jesus and then waited. Jesus loved this family; they had been friends for a long time, yet he stayed for two days before traveling to be with them. He had a bigger plan for them than they knew.
By the time Jesus gets to Bethany, Lazarus has been dead for four days. Many people have come to mourn with the sisters, so word is sent that Jesus is coming; Martha jumps up and runs to meet him while Mary stays in the house.
When Martha reaches Jesus, she accuses him again, telling him that if he had come sooner, her brother would still be alive. But she remembers the last time she accused him and then changed her attitude.
Then Martha tells Mary that Jesus is there and wants to see her. So Mary gets up, goes to him, falls at his feet, and says the same thing Martha said, but with a humble heart.
At some point in our lives, we will face death, whether from an accident or sickness. Tragic events will need to be faced. Martha and Mary were friends of Jesus and may have heard and seen him heal the sick. They believed he could heal their brother.
When you face trouble, are you like Martha? Is your heart filled with panic or chaos? Or, are you like Mary with a heart filled with peace because you have sat at the feet of the Peace Giver?
The last time we met with the family, we were invited to Simon the leper’s home. It is believed that Jesus healed Simon, and he thanked Jesus by hosting a dinner at his home.
Simon asked Martha to host this small get-together, so she again prepared everything and served the meal. When Jesus and his disciples sit at the table, Martha is sitting next to her brother and sister this time. (Oh yeah, the bigger plan was Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead!)
Everyone enjoyed the meal, talking and laughing, when Mary got up and took a jar from the other room. The jar is beautiful, but it holds costly perfume.
As Mary walks towards Jesus, her heart is pounding, and she begins to weep when she looks into his eyes. Everyone fades away; once again, it is just her and Jesus. She falls to her feet and breaks open the jar.
The room fills with the scent of pure nard. Mary pours the perfume over Jesus’s feet and mixes her tears with it. Then she dries his feet with her hair. The room is still and quiet as Mary pours the perfume on Jesus’s feet. Each person watches her, then looks at the others with confusion and wonder.
Think about sitting at the table with Jesus at that meal; then you see Mary get up and go to Jesus. Then you smell the perfume. What are you thinking? Would you feel confused about why she is doing this? Would you be like Judas and say the money should have been given to the poor? Or would you be like Mary, so full of gratitude you had to show him?
I think God placed these sisters in His Book to teach us and guide us in how to serve.
Martha is a doer. When things need to be done, she knows how to make them happen. She loves God, but lets her heart of service distract her from a relationship with God.
Mary is a worshiper. She is not lazy, though she does serve others. Her heart is to follow Jesus and serve from the overflow. Each time we see Mary with Jesus, she is at his feet.
Many of us are like Martha. We want to serve, and when we see a need, we jump in and try to address it. Nothing is wrong with that, but we must also be like Mary. When we serve, we serve with a heart of worship.
Friend, are you Martha or Mary, or are you a combination of the two? I believe God wants His daughters to serve, but we need to sit at His feet and allow Him to teach us and fill us with His Holy Spirit. Then, when we serve, we do so with a heart of worship, we bless others, and we honor God in our service.
Luke 10: 38-42
John 11:38-44
Matthew 26:6-13
Mark 14:3-9
John 12: 1-7
https://www.bible.com/bible/1932/LUK.10.41-42
Last week’s post – Extraordinary Life of Ruth From Hardship to Blessings
