Jesus is on this multi month walk toward Jerusalem, toward the cross, toward his place of death, burial, resurrection, and ascension and He travels far less than first class . . . He’s homeless, doesn’t know where he’s gonna get his next meal and he walking over incredibly rocky terrain.
Now I could tell you that when you’re traveling, even if you’re flying, when you arrive at your destination . . . you’re tired, you’re exhausted, you’re hungry, and you just want to kick back, chill and relax. But everybody who has been waiting for you is ready to take the life out of you. They’re all rested up, buzzing on caffeine, excited that you are there and they’re ready to go. That’s just how it works.
So when Jesus pulls into a town, the crowd swarms him. Everybody needs, wants, demands something.
But He’s tired, he’s hungry, he’s thirsty. He needs a quiet place to just be.
And Mary and Martha know this because they were his friends and so they open up their home to minister to Jesus. They’ve got a guest room with a comfy bed and clean linens. There’s a flower on the table, maybe a couple of things to read,“Here’s a nice meal. Take a nap, pray, get some rest.“
What a gift that is. They understand that Jesus needs to be ministered to so that he could minister to others. Mary and Martha are those kinds of people in the church whose ministry is to pour themselves out to those in leadership. And let me tell, those people are a true gift to those in ministry and I’m incredibly grateful for people with that calling.
When Jesus arrives to their home he kicks back in his favorite comfy chair with his favorite drink in his hand and he’s totally chill. And Mary immediately comes and sits at his feet in order to hear everything that Jesus had to say about his ministry; where he’s been, what’s he’s been doing, where God is moving.
Now, to sit at someone’s feet was an official position. In that day, people didn’t apply to go to a school but instead they would apply to follow a teacher. So, you didn’t apply to Harvard . . . you applied to follow a rabbi and his teachings.
If after being thoroughly examined by the rabbi and accepted as his student, you would then be given the honorable position of sitting at their feet while they lectured and instructed.
Lots of people wanted to sit at Jesus’ feet, but only a few were allowed to, and Mary was among them.
So, when we see Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet, that means that she has been selected as one of his honored students to be a disciple and to receive formal ministry training.
And this was a radical thing. You see women were not regarded as equal to men. And they certainly were not present during the instruction of young men. But Jesus allows both men and women to sit at his feet . . . together . . . training them and developing them for ministry.
This is radical. This is revolutionary. And this is a gift given to Mary.
Here’s Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus; being teachable, being humble, being present, getting her time with Jesus, getting her connection with Jesus. It’s all about being in this moment!
But this doesn’t settle well with Martha. You see, Jesus needs a place to stay and something to eat and she’s kind of freaking out because this is short notice.
She’s thinking, “I haven’t had a shower. I’m in sweats, we don’t have anything to eat for Jesus and his entourage and the house isn’t clean. And this is a small village so there’s no Sam’s club here so I can’t pick up a quick meal and pop it into the oven. Not to mention, dessert. I mean, how are we gonna provide a quality dessert for all of these people.”
And then all of a sudden she’s going through her cupboards and she realizes, “I don’t have enough plates. I don’t have enough soup spoons. I don’t have enough napkins. Where’s everyone gonna sit?”
I mean, this is a lot of pressure to pull off something special for her friend Jesus and so she’s all worried.
Do you get the picture here . . .
- Mary’s sitting at the feet of Jesus, just in the moment “Jesus, teach me, pray for me, love me, encourage me, help me, fill my heart”
- And then there’s Martha scrambling, “We need to do this and then we can do that, and if we’re gonna pull this off we’ve got to stick to a strict schedule. At 10:07 we’re gonna need to chop cucumbers and at 10:11 we’re gonna start making flan.”
Now some of you can totally resonate with Martha . . . right?
I mean, you just can’t sit down. You want to sit down but you’re like. “Oh wait a minute that picture is not even. Ok, now I’ll sit down. Oh wait, There’s dust on that, let me dust it off. Ok, I’m gonna come sit down. Oh wait, I forgot to put milk on my grocery list. Let me go write that down first. Ok, let’s sit down, relax and watch a little TV. Oh my gosh, there are finger prints all over the TV.”
And you can’t just sit down and relax until everything is in order . . . right?
And if you’re honest, you kind of get annoyed with the Mary’s . . . don’t you?
In fact, if you’re a Martha, you might even be annoyed right now because you know that worship starts at 10 AM and we clearly didn’t start until at least 5 minutes after.
And the Mary’s are like, “yeah, we’re loving each other, and hanging out with other and sharing stories about our lives and just being in the moment”.
But the Martha’s are trying to sit down but they can’t relax because they’re watching the clock tick away and they’re thinking to themselves, “We’re supposed to start at 10, what’s going on. If we start late, how are we gonna get out of here one time. I mean we need to tear down and put things away in their proper place and the YMCA opens at noon. Not to mention, if we start late, we’ll probably end late . . . we’re not going to beat the after church lunch crowd at Wendy’s.”
- The Mary’s are thinking, “I just want to be in the moment”
- And the Martha’s are thinking, “that’s ok, as long as you realize that the moment begins precisely at 10 AM” . . . right?
Come on Martha’s, admit it . . . you’re a little annoyed with us Mary’s . . . aren’t you?
Well, that’s how Martha’s feeling . . . as she’s slaving away in the kitchen, trying to stick to this schedule she created in order to pull of something really special for Jesus . . . and Mary’s sitting at the feet of Jesus . . . doing nothing.
And so she pulls Jesus aside and says, “Don’t you care?” . . . “Don’t you care that my sister left me to serve all alone?”
Do you see what she’s doing . . . She’s tattletale-ing on Mary. You can tell that they’re sisters right?
But here’s what happens to those who have a Martha heart. They become resentful. Now, outwardly it looks like they are worshipping but inwardly they’re seething. “No one ever helps. No one does their part. No one follows through. No one cares as much as me. Woe is me. I’m the only dependable, faithful one and I’m burned out and frustrated.”
So, she pulls Jesus aside and says you should do something about this . . . tell her to help me out!
To me, there are a couple of problems with how she handles her frustration . . .
- First, she doesn’t go to the person she was frustrated with and say, “hey, I’m a little stressed out because I really want to make this nice for Jesus and I’m kind of feeling alone in this. So, could you take a few minutes and help me out?”
- Second, she’s bossing Jesus. “Jesus, if you would just do what I tell you to do, we’ll get things thing knocked out pretty quickly. I’ve got a plan here. And you and Mary just sitting there singing songs and being in the moment doesn’t get meals made . . . let’s go Jesus, help me out here . . . this is all for you!”
Martha is just really burned out and frustrated . . . but she’s doing things that Jesus didn’t ask her to do in the first place . . . isn’t she?
Now before we get into Jesus’ response, I want you to know that I love Martha’s. Mary’s . . . we need Martha’s. I surround myself with Martha’s because they help keep me in line and keep me focused and not stuck in the moment. Martha’s get things done . . . and for us Mary’s that’s a gift!
And the way this story typically goes is Martha is bad and Mary is good. Be like Mary and not like Martha. Then we get all judgmental and religious and we start to condemn all the Martha’s which doesn’t help the Martha’s at all because it ends up fueling their task, list, works oriented- righteousness.
So before we get all self-righteous and condemning and sinful with pride, we need to see what a gift Martha is and that Martha absolutely loves Jesus and wants nothing more than to serve him. And Jesus loves Martha.
So he says to her, “Martha, Martha, your anxious and troubled about man things” . . . I see Jesus smiling, maybe even being a little bit playful . . . a little goofy because she’s so serious.
You see, Martha is like a sister to him and so he’s drawing her out, “Hey, Martha, let’s refocus this. Let’s talk about this. Let me pull you out of your funk.”
Jesus loves her. He’s not condemning her. He’s not trying to put another thing on her to do list that she can check off. He’s inviting her into relationship. He’s drawing her out, loving and encouraging her.
And he says, “One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Here’s what he’s saying, “Martha, there’s a lot you can do, but there’s something that’s most important. In fact, Martha, you could take everything you’ve ever written on every to do list and combine their importance and they’re not as important as getting time with me.”
Mary has chosen the good portion. And here he’s using language that will resonate with Martha. What’s has Martha been doing all day? Preparing a meal for Jesus and his friends . . . and I am sure that she was hoping to serve Jesus the good portion. He was gonna get the big piece of chicken and the big piece of cake . . . the one with the most frosting.
And what Jesus tells her is, “You know what Martha? You are trying to give me the good portion and I’m incredibly grateful for that . . . but Mary was wise, humble, teachable, available and present. I gave her the good portion. She got the best feast of all because ‘man does not live on bread alone but every word that proceeds from God’”.
- You see, once you’re done with a meal, it’s over.
- Once you’ve picked up the house, it’s just gonna get messed up again.
- Once you’ve straightened the mirror, it’s just gonna get crooked again
- Once you’ve put on a nice clean pair of clothes, they’re just gonna get dirty again
- But once you’ve spent time with Jesus . . . that gift lasts forever.
Jesus says, “Martha, I know you’re freaked out. You’ve got a million things to do. You’re never gonna get them done. So how about if we start with this? Spend some time with me.”
You see, I think Jesus appreciated her hard work, her devotion, her hospitality. I believe that he was grateful that she opened her home.
I think she was right in recognizing that there was a need and people were requiring loving service. I don’t think Jesus condemns her for any of that.
But he does reveal her motive and he invites her to spend time with him.
Because the truth is, Martha, you’re never gonna get everything done that you’ve got on your list. And if spending time with Jesus is last on your list, you’ll never get to him.
And if you decide that your to do list is incredibly important and must get done and so you delegate your check list to others . . . guess what? You’re gonna get frustrated because as you know, people aren’t dependable. We’re probably never gonna get it done; at least not the way that you want it done, according to your master plan. And so you make sure that time with Jesus is first.
And that is the point . . . Mary first, Martha second
- Spend time with Jesus first, then get stuff done.
- Worship like Mary and then serve like Martha.
- Worship God before you work so that you can worship God in your work.
- And do the work that God has called you to do
- Don’t volunteer yourself as the savior of the world to plug every hole and meet every need that isn’t being met but instead spend time with the savior of the world, asking him what portion of the mission he’s entrusted to your service.
- So what we all need is Mary’s heart and Martha’s hands . . . both are incredibly important
Jesus doesn’t need any of us to do more. Like every relationship, he just wants to spend time with you because he cares for you. And I believe that’s the invitation to Martha.
“Martha, Martha, I’m passing through town. I’m not gonna be here for long. Eventually, they’re gonna crucify me. Martha, you’re one of my friends. We’re here . . . so let’s just sit in the living room and visit with everybody and pray and laugh and talk. We miss you. I miss you. We all miss you.”
Jesus missed Martha. He didn’t need her, but he loved her and he enjoyed her and he pursued her.
That’s just what Jesus does . . . that’s the story of God. He pursues people and he invites them into a relationship with him. And in that relationship he calls us to serve with him.
Mary first, Martha second.
Last week, we talked about the harvest is ripe but the workers are few. But I want you to know that if we don’t spend time at the feet of Jesus before we do His work . . . our work is in vain.
So, here’s what we’re going to do now . . . we’re gonna have a little Mary time. We’re gonna take communion and remember Jesus’ broken body and the shedding of his blood for our sins . . . we’re going to remember the work that Jesus did on our behalf.
You see, we don’t work for our salvation . . . we work from our salvation.
As Jesus hung on the cross and he said the word, “It is finished” . . . He completed the most important work of all . . . that was the good portion that he offers to all of us. And it was done on the cross and through the empty tomb.
And we’re going to sing. And as we sing, it’s a Mary moment together as men and women who have been called together in this place to sit at the feet of Jesus and to enjoy him, and him to enjoy us.