A distraught woman tried many times to contact her minister only to discover that it was his day off. She made contact with him the next day and scolded him severely. "Pastor, I needed you yesterday," she said, "and you were not there for me. You have let me down. I cannot believe you would take a day off when so many people like me need you." Then she added, "The devil never takes a day off."
The minister, a little irritated and with tongue in cheek, responded, "And if I didn't take a day off I would be just like him, wouldn't I?"
In our day of hectic, horrendous schedules, we all long for days off, break times to get away, or a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of life and work.
Have you ever wondered how Jesus kept up with his never-ending schedule and demanding public requests? Jesus never took what we would call an extended vacation, but He did take time-outs for spiritual renewal and refreshment.
One of his special places of retreat was the home of Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus (you will remember Lazarus was the one Jesus raised from the dead). Their home was located in the village of Bethany just a short distance east of Jerusalem. To this home the Lord Jesus Christ went many times. It was a special home to him. It was a place where he could rest and relax among friends.
The gospel story today is a record of a visit Jesus paid to the home of Martha and Mary. The story follows the parable of the Good Samaritan; and together, these two events in the life of Jesus provide the Christian an example on how to live the life of faith. Jesus shows in the story that what we need in the Christian life is balance. A balance between work and worship. A balance between doing and listening. A balance between a faith that is active in love and a faith renewed by the Word of God.
When Christians lose this sense of balance, their priorities get out of focus, they become distracted by other things, and start manifesting attitudes and behaviors that are not very Christ-like. This is the lesson of the story.
We begin by looking at THE SISTERS IN THE HOME.
Although Mary and Martha were sisters, they were very different in personality and temperament. Ever since Luke first penned this story, Mary and Martha have been symbols of two aspects of the Christian life.
Mary represents the disciple who is a WORSHIPER. She is receptive, meditative and devotional. When we first encounter Mary in the story she is "sitting at the feet of Jesus" (Verse 39). In the Middle East to "sit at the feet of someone" symbolized discipleship. It was a posture assumed by the student in order to learn and receive from the teacher. Mary loved being "at the feet of Jesus." Every time we meet her in the Scriptures that is where we find her.
In this passage (Luke 10:39) she is "sitting at the feet of Jesus"--listening to his word. In John II: 3 2, at the resurrection of Lazarus, she "fell down at the feet of Jesus"--acknowledging him as Lord of life and death. In John 12:3, at the anointing of Jesus, Mary "wipes the feet of Jesus with her hair"--preparing him for burial.
Mary loved being "at the feet of Jesus." Like the apostle Paul, her desire was to "know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings" (Philippians 3: 10, NIV).
Sitting at the feet of Jesus--that is the first posture for the Christian disciple.
The Rev. Howie Childs, a retired minister, tells the story on how he learned to ice-skate on a frozen pond in Michigan. He and his son went out to the pond shortly before dusk hoping that no one in the neighborhood would see them learning to skate. They drove the car practically to the edge of the ice. Howie put his skates on while sitting in the front seat of the car. When he was ready he hollered to his son, "Are you ready to go!"
His son said, "Dad, you go first."
Like many people Howie learned something about skating in an ice-skating arena. When you learn to ice-skate in an arena you begin by holding onto the rails. But on a frozen pond in Michigan there are no rails to hold onto.
So Howie was thinking, "How do I get started? Maybe by holding onto the side of the car and giving myself a push." So he pushes off from the car and guess what happens--he lands flat on his behind. He tries to get up but can't--his feet keep sliding every which-way and there are no rails to grab onto to help pull him up.
Just then some neighborhood kids from the church come by. They have been watching Howie struggling in vain to get back up on his feet. Finally, one boy shouts, "Reverend, if you want to stand up and skate, you have to get on your knees first."
That is not only good advice for ice-skating. It is also an important lesson for the Christian disciple to learn. Before you stand up and serve others, "you have to get on your knees first." Why? Because it is at the feet of Jesus that you learn "to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" (Luke 10: 27, NIV). And until you have learned that lesson you really cannot stand up and serve your neighbor.
Mary loved "sitting at the feet of Jesus." What is she doing there? She is "listening to his word." Friend, have you been sitting at the feet of Jesus lately?
Two sisters--Mary and Martha. If Mary was the worshiper, Martha was the WORKER. Martha was the "doer" in the family, the one who saw things through and got things done. Martha had the gift of hospitality--she was the sister who welcomed Jesus into the home.
Martha was also the practical one--she wanted the Master to have a good meal. One writer says her picture in Scripture is "framed, as it were, by a kitchen door" (H. V. Morton). Martha was the type of individual who really knew how to put together a fabulous church dinner.
Thank God for the Marthas in the church. If we did not have any Marthas, nothing would get done. It is the Marthas who teach the Sunday school classes, run the Vacation Bible Schools, chair the social committee and the outreach committee. The Marthas are "the movers and the shakers" in the church. They are the WORKERS the pastor depends upon to get the job done! Martha expressed her love to the Lord by the things she did. The Bible says, "Do not be lazy but work hard. Serve the Lord with all your heart" (Romans 12:11, NCV). Jesus said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20: 28, NIV).
Mary and Martha--two sisters. With which personality and temperament DO YOU MOST IDENTIFY? Are you a Martha or are you a Mary?
Some single men in a Bible study group were discussing who would make the better wife--Martha or Mary? One fellow said, "Well, I think Martha would make the better wife. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. It sounds like Martha surely knew how to cook. I would love to be married to a woman like that!"
Another man said, "I think Mary would make the better wife. She was always so thoughtful, sweet and loving. I could be very happy married to a woman like Mary!"
Finally, another fellow settled the argument when he said, "Well, I would like to be married to both of them. I would like Martha before supper and Mary after supper."
Mary and Martha. Two sisters, but so different. When you think of Mary you think of WORSHIP. When you think of Martha you think of WORK. It reminds us that there needs to be a balance in our lives between our WORSHIP and our WORK. Do you have a place for WORSHIP in your life? Do you have a place for WORK in your life? Charles Wesley said it perfectly in one of his hymns:
I still would choose the better part;
Serve with careful Martha's hands,
And loving Mary's heart.
We have looked at the SISTERS IN THE HOME, now notice THE SCENE IN THE HOME. Try to picture the scene. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. If the disciples are present, they are reclined at various vantage points around the room. Jesus is teaching. Martha's in the kitchen preparing the meal. Such a beautiful scene.
But this is only the quiet before the storm. Trouble is brewing in the kitchen. Martha is slaving over the hot stove. (She did not have a microwave or oven range. Her stove was an open fire made of dry thorn bushes and camel's dung. And it was hot!). But the stove was not the only "hot thing" in the kitchen that day.
Suddenly the swinging door between the kitchen and the dining room flew open, Martha bursts into the room, rolling pin in one hand and the other hand fixed firmly on her hip. There is lightning in her eyes and the thunderstorm breaks.
Luke 10:40 says, "Martha became angry because she had so much work to do. She went in and said, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me!"' (NCV).
Wow! Talk about trouble brewing in the kitchen. Martha has come unglued! She is distracted by all that needs to be done, she becomes resentful toward her sister Mary, and she starts dictating to Jesus. Have you been there, done that?
THE SAVIOR'S SOLUTION. "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, NIV).
First, Jesus calms Martha's ANXIETY. He says, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things." The word "worry" means "to be torn in two directions; to be pulled apart." That is what worry does to a person--it takes your heart and mind and pulls them apart. That is what happened to Martha. As a result she is "falling to pieces"and "coming apart at the seams." The dumb thing about "worry" is that much of what we worry about never comes to pass.
Archbishop Richard C. Trench (1807-86) was a great New Testament scholar. He wrote a number of books including, Notes on the Parables of Our Lord, Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord, and, Synonyms of the New Testament. Books still consulted by pastors today.
There was a time in the archbishop's life when he was gripped by a fear that he would lose all feeling in his legs. I don't know if this was just a phobia, a heredity disease that ran in the family, poor circulation, or what? He just had an incessant worry that one day he would lose all feeling in his legs and not be able to walk. He worried so much that he developed the habit of reaching down and pinching his legs ever so often to check if he still had feeling.
One night while sitting at an elaborate state dinner with many guests, he unconsciously reached under the table to pinch his legs. All of a sudden he blurted out, "Oh my goodness, it has finally happened! I have lost all feeling in my leg!"
The lady sitting next to him said, "Your grace, if it is any comfort to you, that is my leg you're pinching!"
Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything" (NIV). I Peter
5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you"' (NIV). Jesus calmed Martha's ANXIETY, and he can do the same for you. And Jesus corrects Martha's PRIORITIES. He says, "Martha, Martha .
. . only one thing is needed" (Verse 42). "Martha, you are so busy DOING THINGS FOR ME that you do not take TIME (like Mary) TO BE WITH ME. Martha, what does that say about your PRIORITIES?"
A little boy went to visit Grandma's house. While he was there Grandma pulled out her game of Monopoly, spread it out on the dinning room table, and the two of them sat down and began playing Monopoly. Now Grandma was a killer Monopoly player. She rolled the dice, started whipping around the board, buying up all the properties and accumulating huge sums of money. Within a short period of time her grandson was slammed. He was bankrupt and the game was over. Eric asked Grandma if she wanted to play again? She said, "Son, you need to learn how to play the game. When you have learned how to play the game, you come back and we will sit down and play."
That really motivated this little fellow. He decided that he was going to learn to play the game.
He went home and persuaded Mom to buy him a game of Monopoly. He asked Dad to read and explain the rules. He began playing the game all on his lonesome, but it gave him the opportunity to hone his skills. Then he played the game with his older sisters till he could beat them. He played the game with Mom and Dad till he could beat them, and he played the game with the neighbors till he could beat everyone in the neighborhood. It did not take too long before he knew the game of Monopoly backwards and forwards--he was an ace!
He picked up the telephone, "Grandma, are you ready?"
Over to Grandma's house he goes. Out comes the Monopoly board, the dice begin to roll and they both tear around the board buying up everything in sight, accumulating property and money. Then suddenly with a role of the dice the little guy gets a big break. He lands on Broadway and buys the property. Then he buys the other properties that accumulate wealth like none other. In less than two hours Grandma bites the dust. Wow! This little guy feels so good! Grandma says, "Son, you have learned to play the game. And you have learned well. Now you have to learn the toughest part of the game."
All wide-eyed the little fellow looks at his Grandmother and says, "What's that Grandma?"
She replies, "The toughest lesson to learn about the game is this: 'When the game is over, it all goes back into the box."'
That is life. We run around playing this Monopoly game--so busy making a living, buying properties, raising kids, cooking the meals, paying the bills, grabbing lifestyles, saving and investing, serving the church as a minister for forty years.
Yet, so often we forget the most important lesson of the game: "When the game is over, it all goes back into the box."
The key to the Christian life is PRIORITIES: Jesus Christ first, then everything else. The only way to really learn that lesson is to spend some time every day, "sitting at the feet of Jesus."
May God help us keep the commitments we make this day is my prayer, in Christ's name. Amen.
Graham M. Bingham is pastor of First United Methodist Church, Stuart, FL.