Series on Luke
IV The Imperatives of the Kingdom
4 Sister’s Success
Text: 10:38-42
Introduction
Ordinarily this text is used to confront us with a dilemma. Which sort of life shall we choose? Which is best? Is it a life of concern and service, or a life of contemplation and study. This is an oversimplification. In fact it is a false dichotomy. The false religions of the world and the perversions of Christianity have offered men a choice between a life of quiet worship and a life of active service, and the end result has been a retreat into monasteries or dry outward formal religion. Only Jesus teaches us to maintain the correct balance between these extremes. Therefore I, not wanting to add to the confusion, suggest to you that this text is not that simple. It involves two types of personalities and their blending together in the service of our Lord. Consider with me three things about this text: it is a story of concern, of contemplation and of commitment.
I Concern
Martha is concerned, but she is also trapped. There is nothing wrong with Martha’s serving. The contrast between Martha and Mary is not an excuse for laziness. If we look carefully at the story we find Martha’s problem in two areas, and this is what has her trapped. First Martha is not just serving she is distracted as we read in verses 38-40, As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Secondly, she is not content with others she is dissatisfied. We can readily see Martha’s personality in ourselves or in others. This lady is a manager, and she gets things done, but in her zeal to do the work she finds the more she does the more there is to do. She doesn’t know when to say, “no!” This leads easily into her judging others for their failure to hold up their part which is why she dumps on her sister. I hate to think where we would be if we didn’t have people like Martha. The family of God desperately needs dedicated workers. Jesus is not taking issue with her concern. He is sympathetic when he rebukes her as the repetition of her name indicates, but it is the pitfall of her personality to become distracted and dissatisfied. She needs to watch herself like a hawk or she will easily end up alienated from her brothers and sisters in the Lord. Martha needs to see that Jesus loves her just as she is and she does not need to earn his love, but He also love Mary just as she is. This will not make her less concerned about doing his will, but it will make her less concerned about what others are doing. The most important question for me is this. In what ways am I like Martha, impatient, critical, and resentful.
II Contemplation
Mary is commended because she takes time to be with Jesus, but before we jump to the conclusion that Mary is perfect, the commendation which Jesus gives Mary in verses 41 is related to the situation, “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.” So all you busy people who think Jesus was unfair here need to understand that He is not giving unqualified approval to Mary. Jesus’ approval of Mary is relative to her sister’s problem. We need time in the word, we need worship, we need contemplation, but if that time of contemplation is just an extension of our personality it may not produce the best results. As we follow the history of these two sisters we discover an interesting fact. In John chapter 11 Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha has died. Jesus arrives on the scene too late to heal him, on purpose. Martha greets him in characteristic fashion rebuking him again as she did when she thought her sister was lazy, but this time she says Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died, in other words, you’re late. Now as characteristic as this is of Martha, when we read on a few verses we discover the very same words coming out of Mary’s mouth which is somewhat unexpected. You see Mary although she was commended for her devotion is not much closer to the truth than her sister Martha. The reality here is that if the tyranny of the urgent prevents us from learning at Jesus feet that is bad, but even spending time at Jesus feet does not always produce the expected results. Perhaps Mary’s attitude contrasted with Martha’s was good, but Mary still had her own problem in spite of her devotion to sitting at Jesus’ feet.
III Commitment
What we discover in John 11 is that Martha’s faith is developing, and it is a strong faith. She is as usual the one who takes charge and goes out to meet our Lord and if not rebuking him is at least reminding him of his lateness in coming, but at the same time reflecting a tremendous confidence in him in verses 21 and 22, “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” What Jesus teaches her in verses 23-26 is that what God will do in the future is tied to what God is doing in the present and can do right now in her life, Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She does believe him but it goes against her nature because she is a personality that is quite accustomed to doing things herself. When they come to the tomb and Jesus says open it, it is Martha who says, But lord by this time there is a bad odor for he has been there for four days. She believes and yet she is still trying to take charge of the situation. I do not personally think that this means Martha thought nothing could happen, it’s just her nature as it was Mary’s nature that when she is called to come she falls at Jesus feet and says the very same thing as her sister, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. She is not the take charge type. She is emotional and dependent, and yet in her heart she is the same because she says the very same words. We note that it is Martha who called for Mary and Martha who came out to meet Jesus leaving the mourners to continue comforting Mary. Jesus humanity stands out here in bold relief. He is moved by Mary’s tears, but this does not mean he loves Mary more than Martha. You see some people are like Martha and some are like Mary. We all need to be like Mary in devotion, and if we can avoid being testy and troubled we need people who can get the job done like Martha. The more I study these scriptures the more convinced I am that Martha was a rock. Both are to be commended and both are to be instructed.
Conclusion
The conclusion of the whole matter is found in John 12. There is a dinner at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus in honor of Jesus. Verse 2 contains a very short sentence, Martha served. What fantastic thoughts are conveyed by those simple words. Martha is still Martha, still serving, still in charge but there is no rebuke. Her personality didn’t change but she was listening to what Jesus said. Mary in her extravagant emotional devotion does what you would expect in verse 3, Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Only this time it is not Martha who says anything about Mary’s devotion it is Judas who complains of the extravagance and says the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor, although he didn’t really care about the poor. Jesus defends Mary’s action because it is the devotion of true love for Him and it shows that she too had learned. She is not just sitting at his feet and listening she is serving a guest. Can we learn from this that in the church there will always be Mary’s and Martha’s? Both are needed, both are loved, both have something to learn.
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