We celebrated my daughter’s birthday this past Sunday. LaDawn hosted the family party at her house saying, “It’s just easier to have all the little kids at my house.” She made most of the food when she should’ve been the one served. This reminded me of the account of Mary and Martha as told by Luke in chapter 10:38-42.
“Now it happened as Jesus and his disciples entered a certain village and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house, and she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha. You are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.’
It’s a story of priorities told in just four verses. So then, we must look through the cultural lens of what Luke is saying and build the bridge to our culture today to get its full impact. One sentence in particular, stood out to me – ‘Mary, who also sat at the Jesus’ feet and heard His word.’
I wondered, Why was this specifically mentioned in Luke’s narrative, and is this mentioned of anyone else? I discovered that is has. In Acts 22:3, Paul writes, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city (Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law…” (Gamaliel was a Pharisee who taught the law and was highly respected by all the Jewish people.)
In Jewish culture, literally sitting at the feet of a teacher signified a posture of deep reverence and attentiveness. The student’s focus was on learning from their teacher. Therefore, to sit at the feet of their rabbis was a sign of humility and submission. That is exactly the posture Mary showed when she sat at the feet of Jesus and listened.
On the other hand, Martha wanted to make sure everything she prepared for their meal together would be fit to serve a king even though, at the time, she did not realize that Jesus is King of all kings! She want to serve Jesus as their guest of honor. Martha focused on the physical whereas Mary focused on the spiritual aspect.
Martha never read Mark 10:45 that says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Jesus was on mission. He did not come to be served, nor did He come to be applauded, but He came to give His life as a ransom for all mankind and is available to all who believe. We are all called to serve God in various ways in order that He may accomplish His purpose on earth. How do we do this?
We serve for God’s glory by serving others as 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”
May the joy of the Lord be your inspiration and encouragement to serve the Lord with gladness.