Sister Act
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. John 11:20
Martha and Mary, the sisters. Have any other set of sisters caused as much discussion to as many people (read women!) as those two? I highly doubt it.
In the first story we see Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet while Martha is busy making the food for the reception after the talk. Jesus admonishes Martha, saying that Mary made a better choice, a choice to sit at his feet and learn. He doesn’t say that what Martha was doing was wrong. He just says that what Mary was doing was better. That statement has caused so many discussions, so many disagreements and so much guilt. I don’t doubt for a minute that Mary made the wiser choice. Still, what would happen later? Everyone would be hungry and Martha, to whom I can definitely relate, felt compelled to feed them. I bet she enjoyed feeding the crowd but I also believe she resented having to do it all while Mary sat and listened.
Look at the second passage. Martha is outside waiting to meet Jesus and Mary is not. There are those who like to paint the picture of Martha as the worker and Mary as the fragile one who is too delicate/special/important/proud to lift a finger to help, that all she cares about is Mary. Those who would paint that picture forget the story in John 12:1-8. Mary is not a delicate little shirker. Mary is a woman in love with her Lord. In the second passage her heart is broken, which keeps her home. Martha’s broken heart sends her out to find Jesus and get him to make a difference.
Regardless of how many glimpses we get of Martha and Mary, their fates were sealed with the statement from Luke. Mary is the devoted disciple and Martha is the work horse. Sure in that passage. The problem is that one passage does not tell the whole story. Mary’s quiet devotion keeps her home, inside, at the time that Jesus is met by Martha. There we see Jesus using Martha to convey another important message. In the words between Martha and Jesus in John 11:20-27, the message is sent, God is never late. Martha is the worker but that doesn’t mean her devotion or faith are less than Mary’s. It means they are different. God created them to be exactly as they were.
In the first passage we learn from those sisters that God should come first, before we make the pasta, before we finish the report, start the laundry or wash the car, unless, God is using us to server someone else.
Every day I pray to be of service to God and to others. Normally my routine is to spend quiet time with my Lord (Mary) before entering the busyness of the day (Martha). Yesterday I had to get right into the day to day to make a bigger than normal breakfast for my husband and adjust his lunch according to a situation that had developed with his blood sugar. Then, if there was time, sit with the Lord. Oh, and I was picking my friend Charlene up for work which meant leaving a tad earlier. That was being done to accommodate another person later in the day.
As I finished getting ready to leave and realized that I would not have time to sit and actually speak to God I felt awful. I thought, I’m such a Martha! And God said, “Yes you are and good for you.” Huh? Friends, there is room in the world, there is a need in the world for Marthas and Marys. The thing is we have to integrate those personalities to best serve God.
Yesterday God wanted me to drop my agenda to serve his other children. Doing so willingly and without guilt was as faithful and disciplined an act as sitting in prayer or reading Scripture. I was so grateful for that lesson and just knew that many of my sisters in Christ, and maybe even some brothers, could use that lesson as well. To all my guilty Martha sisters I say, take a Mary break. And to all the Mary sisters I say, sometimes you have to cook too and it is okay. If we let God order our days, hours and moments, all that we do will be pleasing to him.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. John 11:20
Martha and Mary, the sisters. Have any other set of sisters caused as much discussion to as many people (read women!) as those two? I highly doubt it.
In the first story we see Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet while Martha is busy making the food for the reception after the talk. Jesus admonishes Martha, saying that Mary made a better choice, a choice to sit at his feet and learn. He doesn’t say that what Martha was doing was wrong. He just says that what Mary was doing was better. That statement has caused so many discussions, so many disagreements and so much guilt. I don’t doubt for a minute that Mary made the wiser choice. Still, what would happen later? Everyone would be hungry and Martha, to whom I can definitely relate, felt compelled to feed them. I bet she enjoyed feeding the crowd but I also believe she resented having to do it all while Mary sat and listened.
Look at the second passage. Martha is outside waiting to meet Jesus and Mary is not. There are those who like to paint the picture of Martha as the worker and Mary as the fragile one who is too delicate/special/important/proud to lift a finger to help, that all she cares about is Mary. Those who would paint that picture forget the story in John 12:1-8. Mary is not a delicate little shirker. Mary is a woman in love with her Lord. In the second passage her heart is broken, which keeps her home. Martha’s broken heart sends her out to find Jesus and get him to make a difference.
Regardless of how many glimpses we get of Martha and Mary, their fates were sealed with the statement from Luke. Mary is the devoted disciple and Martha is the work horse. Sure in that passage. The problem is that one passage does not tell the whole story. Mary’s quiet devotion keeps her home, inside, at the time that Jesus is met by Martha. There we see Jesus using Martha to convey another important message. In the words between Martha and Jesus in John 11:20-27, the message is sent, God is never late. Martha is the worker but that doesn’t mean her devotion or faith are less than Mary’s. It means they are different. God created them to be exactly as they were.
In the first passage we learn from those sisters that God should come first, before we make the pasta, before we finish the report, start the laundry or wash the car, unless, God is using us to server someone else.
Every day I pray to be of service to God and to others. Normally my routine is to spend quiet time with my Lord (Mary) before entering the busyness of the day (Martha). Yesterday I had to get right into the day to day to make a bigger than normal breakfast for my husband and adjust his lunch according to a situation that had developed with his blood sugar. Then, if there was time, sit with the Lord. Oh, and I was picking my friend Charlene up for work which meant leaving a tad earlier. That was being done to accommodate another person later in the day.
As I finished getting ready to leave and realized that I would not have time to sit and actually speak to God I felt awful. I thought, I’m such a Martha! And God said, “Yes you are and good for you.” Huh? Friends, there is room in the world, there is a need in the world for Marthas and Marys. The thing is we have to integrate those personalities to best serve God.
Yesterday God wanted me to drop my agenda to serve his other children. Doing so willingly and without guilt was as faithful and disciplined an act as sitting in prayer or reading Scripture. I was so grateful for that lesson and just knew that many of my sisters in Christ, and maybe even some brothers, could use that lesson as well. To all my guilty Martha sisters I say, take a Mary break. And to all the Mary sisters I say, sometimes you have to cook too and it is okay. If we let God order our days, hours and moments, all that we do will be pleasing to him.
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