Girlfriends in God - Sept. 3, 2010

September 3, 2010 

Mary-the Daring Disciple 

Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth 
"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)

Friend to Friend 
Mary and Martha lived in a home with their brother, Lazarus, in the small Judean village of Bethany.  Their home served as a safe haven and quiet retreat for Jesus as He traveled from place to place.  Today, let's join Jesus at His first visit in their home.  The welcome mat is freshly swept, the aroma from the kitchen is wafting from the windows, and the chatter from the group of men lets us know that friends are within.  But Jesus is serving up something extra special for the girls …

Mary and Martha were busy in the kitchen making dinner for their honored guest and his friends.  "Mary, check on the roasting lamb," Martha called among the clattering of the pots and pans.  "And where's the wine?  The bread must be kneaded in fifteen minutes.  There's just so much to do!"

"I'll take a bowl of fresh dates into the guests," Mary said.  "That will give them something to nibble on while we finish the preparations."

As Mary entered the room, she heard Jesus talking about the kingdom of God, the plan of redemption, the fulfillment of prophecy, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. 

"Do not judge; and you will not be judged," Jesus taught.  "Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive and you will be forgiven.  Give; and it will be given to you."

"The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden," He continued.  "It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."

Jesus noticed Mary standing in the doorway and motioned for her to enter.  Looking directly at her, He continued. "The kingdom of God is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Jesus continued teaching about who he was, and what he came to do.  Mesmerized by the Rabbi's words, Mary sank to the floor and sat right at the Master's feet with the others.  The men shifted uncomfortably in their places, but Jesus lowered his eyes and began speaking directly to Mary - his newest student. 

The disciples waited for Jesus to send Mary back into the kitchen where she belonged, but He didn't.  They were confused when Jesus welcomed her into the classroom, but tried their best not to become distracted by her presence.  After all, women were not allowed to sit and learn from a Rabbi's teaching.  They weren't even allowed to join men in such a gathering at all.

Twenty minutes passed when Martha huffed, "where is that girl!" 

Martha angrily stomped into the gathering room with mixing bowl in hand.  All eyes turned toward the frustrated sister as she interrupted Jesus and pointed her wooden spoon in Mary's direction.

"Lord," she began sternly, "can't you see that Mary has left me all alone in the kitchen.  What does she think she's doing?  Don't You care that I have to do all this work by myself while my irresponsible sister is out here lollygagging about with the men.  Why she's not even supposed to be out here at all.  It isn't proper for a woman to join a room full of men, much less sit at a rabbi's feet while he's teaching.  Put her in her place!  Tell her to get back in the kitchen this instant!"

The men turned their head from Jesus to the red-faced Martha and back to Jesus again.

"Martha, Martha," Jesus replied, "don't get so worked up.  Mary is right where she needs to be.  You are so worried, bothered, and distracted with the details of living that you miss the joys of life.  You don't need to work so hard to create a feast for us.  That's not even important.  What is important is that I am here and I have something to share with you.  Mary has figured that out.  She has chosen what is important and I am not going to send her away.  She has joined the classroom to learn - to become a disciple of God's Word - and I am not going to take that away from her.

Martha put her flour-covered hand on her hip, spun around on her heels, and marched back into the kitchen.  "Well, I never," she mumbled as she stomped away.

Let's Pray 
Dear LORD, Thank You for welcoming me into Your classroom.  Thank You for elevating women all through the New Testament and even today.  I want to be one of Your top students!  Thank You for swinging the doors wide open for me to become one of Your disciples.

In Jesus' Name, 
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn 
I hope you enjoyed my re-telling of the story of Martha in the kitchen and Mary in the classroom.  My hope is that you'll see them as real flesh and blood women just like you and me.  What makes this story so radical for its day is that women were not allowed to eat with men in such a gathering, and women were not allowed to be taught by a Rabbi.  With that in mind, what was Jesus showing the disciples and Martha by His actions?

What does that say to you, as a woman?

How does the fact that Jesus defended and welcomed Mary encourage you?

More from the Girlfriends
Today's devotion was taken from Sharon's new book, What God Really Thinks about Women: Finding Your Significance through the Women Jesus Encountered. We tend to read the gospels with our twenty-first century eyes.  But when we understand how oppressive the culture Jesus stepped into was against women, we begin to understand just how radical Jesus' ministry, messages, and miracles were at setting women free. He risked His reputation to save theirs…and yours. Read this book and you'll fall in-love with Jesus all over again.

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Originally published Friday, 03 September 2010.

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