Mary, Martha, and Jesus: An example to the church

In a class I recently attended we discussed Mary (of Bethany) and her sister Martha. It was interesting to see how differently these two sisters related to Jesus. It was summed up nicely with the statement "Jesus talked with Martha, but He wept with Mary". Mary was much more concerned with an emotional relationship with Jesus, she sat at His feet while he taught, she wept with Him when her brother Lazarus died. Martha on the other hand was much more concerned with the business of serving Jesus. While Jesus taught in her home, she was busy preparing a meal. This is not to say that Martha didn't have a relationship with Jesus, she obviously did, nor does it mean Mary never served Jesus.

What I find most interesting is the way these two sisters and Jesus himself exemplify the way in which the church should work. Of course Jesus is our perfect example, but the way Mary and Martha interact with Him shows us a great deal about how we are to use our own gifts and talents.

First lets take a look at Martha. Martha is a worker, she loves to serve people by doing things for them. This is consistent with Jesus' instructions to his disciples in Matthew 20:26 "But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant", and again in Mar 10:45 "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many." Here Jesus indicates that one of the great goals of all Christians should be to serve others.

Martha was great at serving, but she, like all of us, had her faults. Martha became so busy with the business of serving that she failed to stop and listen to the One she was serving. Not only did Martha miss the teaching of the Master, she became so frustrated that Mary was not helping she appealed to Jesus that He might send Mary to the kitchen. (Luke 10:40) Jesus gently rebuked Martha because He knew what was most needed, and it had nothing to do with food at that moment. Jesus knew that although Martha's heart had started in the right place, she had lost sight of the reason she was serving and had become more concerned with the act itself.

Mary, on the other hand, was an excellent listener. She stopped everything to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him teach. It was not common practice in Jesus' day for a woman to listen to the teachings of a Rabbi, especially when there was much to be done to prepare a dinner. Mary didn't care about protocol or tradition, the only thing she cared about was spending time with Jesus. Jesus affirmed her choice when he rebuked Martha. Mary not only listened, but she gave. It was Mary who broke the jar of sweetnard over the feet of Jesus. When even Jesus' closest disciples missed what He had told them about his forthcoming death, Mary understood. The jar of perfume Mary broke over Jesus' feet was worth around one years wages. Mary wept over Him, pouring out her greatest possessions to her Lord.

In the modern church we need both Marys and Marthas. We need people to listen to the needs of others, and to be willing to give. We also need people to be willing to serve with everything they have. If we have only givers, we will have storehouses of supplies that will never make it into the hands of the needy. If we have only servants, we have people striving to make a difference in the world without any funding. Only through the combination of our gifts can the church truly be successful in displaying the full love of Christ.