Discipleship and Worry

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.  Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”  (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)  Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.  You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”  

John 12:1-8

Scripture records two times Jesus joins Martha, Mary and Lazarus for dinner in Bethany, one early in His ministry and the other shortly before His final trip to Jerusalem.  Let’s briefly look at each event, because through the descriptions provided in Scripture we see their progression in faith, we see their belief move from seeing Jesus as a friend and teacher, to Messiah, to the One who is truly the Son of God, the One with power and authority over death, the One worthy of their worship.  Their understanding of Jesus as the Messiah progressed from concept to soul-filling reality. 

They are both stories that we know well.  Books have been written about them.  Let’s begin with the account of Jesus’ dinner at Martha’s house recorded in Luke 10.

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him.  She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying.  But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.”  But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed – indeed only one.  Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:38-42

This is relatively early in Jesus’ ministry.  Martha invites Jesus into her home.  She welcomes Him as her special guest and she wants everything to be perfect.  I am not sure what the first century Israeli version of this would entail, but in our home today in Tuscaloosa, inviting a special guest over for dinner would entail a lot of work getting everything ready for the event – polishing silverware, cleaning and ironing napkins, sterilizing the home – things that I would not necessarily even think of, but the process would begin with Lori asking me to clean up all of my many messes around the place, messes that I rarely see and argue are not really messes at all, just evidence of projects in progress.  As the time for the event nears, great effort would be taken to acquire the best, the perfect ingredients for the meal, and on the day of the dinner, great effort would go into preparing each item of food to ensure that everything was cooked and ready to serve at exactly the right time, and because events like this do not take place every day, stress is normally involved with pulling it all together. 

I think about the steps involved in hosting a Thanksgiving meal, and okay, I’m not discussing the cleaning, because I do not do much of that.  But I am involved in the meal planning, the ingredient acquisition and the meal preparation, and I really enjoy the opportunity to do it.  But the last 30 minutes of meal preparation are always hectic because so much comes together all at once.  The turkey is cooked and the drippings need to be converted into gravy and the potatoes need to be mashed and the bread cooked and everything moved into serving dishes and it all has to be done at the same time, otherwise something will be served cold.  And if lots of people pitch in it can be a fantastic beginning to a wonderful meal shared together.

So here is Martha, working hard to make everything perfect for their special guest, Jesus, the traveling teacher, and Mary is not even helping.  She sits at His feet listening to Him talk.  As all the tasks come together and the stress builds I imagine Martha thinking, “Doesn’t she care that the table needs to be set?  Doesn’t she care that the gravy needs to be stirred?  Doesn’t she care that the potatoes need to be mashed?  Doesn’t she care?  Or is she just lazy?  That’s it – she is uncaring and lazy!”

Hey, Jesus, will you please tell her to help me?  Jesus answers, “no.”  He says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42).

If you are Martha, working hard to make everything perfect for Jesus, how would you feel hearing Him say that?  How would that make you feel?  Would you be like, “Okay, I’m ordering pizza?”  If so, I think Jesus would say, “Pizza sounds good, I came to spend time with you, come over and join us.”

Context.  It’s an interesting story.  But why is it here?  Why is this particular exchange worthy of Luke recording?  Let’s consider the context of the passage.  

Power Through Relationship with Christ Jesus.  At the beginning of Luke chapter 10, Jesus sends out 70 or 72 messengers (depending on which ancient manuscripts you rely on) to “cure the sick who are there, and say to them ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:9).  They return rejoicing because demons submitted to the messengers in Jesus’ name.  Jesus responds saying He was there, and He saw Satan fall from heaven, and He continues saying that He gave them authority “over all the power of the enemy” and He urges them not to rejoice over any of that, rather rejoice that “your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:22).

So we see disciples going out with the authority Jesus had granted them, preaching in Jesus’ holy name, and healing people and acting like His disciples and demons recognize their relationship with Christ Jesus and they submit to them because of their relationship with Christ.  We see that disciples gain their power through relationship with Christ Jesus.

What Discipleship Looks Like.  Immediately after this exchange, Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan and we see what discipleship looks like.  The Samaritan, considered an outcast by Jesus’ Jewish listeners, saw a stranger in need and he stopped, cared for the man, carried the man where others could offer aid, and he offered financial support.  The Samaritan saw the need, acknowledged the need and did what he could to help.  The Samaritan demonstrated what discipleship looks like.

Love.  Throughout Scripture Jesus describes love as the greatest attribute.  Jesus says that the Greatest Commandment is loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and the second is loving our neighbors as ourselves, and He says the law and the prophets rest on these two (see Matthew 22:34-40).  On the evening of the Last Supper Jesus issues a new commandment, that we love one another as Jesus loves us, and then He says that people will know we are His disciples if we love one another (see John 13:34-35).  It is through love, by allowing His love to flow through us that we present ourselves as His disciples.  

Conclusion.  In the account of the 72 messengers, we see that the power and authority of discipleship comes from relationship with Christ Jesus, and in the Parable of the Good Samaritan paints of picture of what this looks like.

Dinner at Martha’s House.  In the next paragraph Martha welcomes Jesus into her home.  The story is in the context of discipleship.  So what does the occasion in Martha’s home tell us about discipleship?  Let’s consider two of the myriad of things.

First, it demonstrates discipleship is open to all who love Christ Jesus, and here we see it is not limited by gender.  Mary acted a lot like one of His disciples, and Jesus encouraged her to do so.  Today where we live this may not seem like a big deal.  But in first century Bethany?  This is a huge shift, a massive opening for women to be treated equally with men.

Second, it depicts loving compassion and true hospitality in contrast to worry and distraction.  Mary sits at the Lord’s feet listening to what He was saying.  She sat on the ground before Him and listened.  She spent time with Him.  She engaged with Him.  She learned from Him.  She showed Him genuine hospitality by being with Him.  Mary is focused on building relationship; she is engaged in discipleship. 

Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing” (v.41).  Martha is distracted and worried.  She is working on many tasks, trying to make everything perfect for her guest, and the work is distracting her from the purpose of the gathering.  Jesus is not rebuking Martha because she is working, He is urging her to focus on the purpose of the event and to not miss it.  Jesus explains that time spent together is more important than all the preparations Martha was working on if her work is preventing her from participating in the reason for the gathering.  Her intentions are good, but she is missing the point.  Jesus came to see her.  Jesus came to spend time with her.  Jesus came to build relationship with her.  And she is missing it.  Mary is drinking in every moment with Jesus, and Martha is missing it.

Distractions & Busyness Robbing us of Relationship.  God created us in His image.  He has always existed in relationship and He created us for relationships and distractions, worries and the busyness of life robs us of meaningful relationships.  The busyness of life hinders our personal relationships and is a stumbling block to our relationship with Christ Jesus.  Relationships are core to who we are and essential to discipleship.  Jesus calls us to love one another as He loves us, and by this love they will know we are His disciples, and relationship is essential.

Parable of the Soils.  Consider the Parable of the Soils.  Jesus tells the parable about a farmer who scatters seeds liberally. Some seeds fall on the path, some fall on rocky soil, some fall among thorns, and some fall on good soil.  As He explains the parable, and He says, 

As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.  Luke 8:14

The seeds are choked out by the cares of life, choked out by the distractions of life, choked out by the busyness of life and all our worldly pursuits.  The seeds germinate.  They sprout.  And as the baby plant begins to grow, it is choked out by busyness, distractions, worries, the cares of life.

And Jesus begs us, He urges us not to allow the worries of life to overwhelm us:

He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.  Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!  And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?  If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you – you of little faith!  And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.  For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.  “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Luke 12:22-34

Brevity of Life and Important Things.  We are here on earth for such a brief time.  Compared to eternity our life is but a flash.  James compares the duration of our life to the morning fog – it’s there for a little while, then vanishes (see James 4:14).  What is really important?  As we rush from activity to activity in an over-crowded schedule, day after day, what is really important?  Is the busyness of our lives hindering our meaningful relationships?  Is it preventing us from engaging in meaningful relationship with Christ Jesus?  Is it preventing us from truly being His disciple?  Is it preventing us from revealing His love to others?

Jesus commands us to love one another as He loves us, and He continues saying that is how people will know we are His disciples if we love one another (see John 13:34-35).  This takes time and if the busyness of our lives leaves us no time to accomplish this oh-so-important task, then we miss out on our purpose.

Is it possible you are missing out on your purpose?

In the context of Luke’s account of Jesus’ dinner with Martha and Mary, we must consider the purpose of the event and prayerfully consider how we are to approach the event.  And the question Martha might have pondered is whether clean baseboards, polished silverware, ironed napkins and the perfect meal are really more important than spending time with your special guest.  Especially if that guest is Jesus.

Martha and Mary in the Gospel According to John.  John records a different dinner shared by Jesus, Martha, Mary and Lazarus in John 12.  But please turn to John 11 because the events of chapter 11 are critical to the story.

The events recorded here are just before the end of Jesus’ ministry, just before Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time, just before the Last Supper.  Lazarus, Martha and Mary’s brother, becomes ill.  They send word to Jesus who is out in the wilderness, beyond the Jordan, preaching, and they send Him word because they know that He has the power to heal Lazarus.  But by the time Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb four days.  Martha and Mary knew that Jesus had the power to heal their brother, but they believed He was too late.  They believed He was the Messiah, but their understanding of what that means was too limited.  They knew He had the power to heal, but they never believed, never even imagined that He had the power to raise Lazarus from the tomb.  Yet at Jesus’ command, Lazarus walked out of the tomb.  They saw Him do what only God could do, and their belief suddenly expanded.  Martha had proclaimed Him to be the Messiah, but now they saw power and authority they never imagined any human was capable of.  They saw Jesus do what only God could do, and through this miraculous sign, through the revelation of God’s glory, grace and love, and I’m not sure whether they saw that Jesus is God, but they certainly saw God flow through Jesus in life-altering ways. 

After this, Jesus and the disciples traveled to Ephraim near the wilderness and remained there for a time, and as the Passover neared, they returned to Bethany.

Let’s read the account from John of Jesus’ return.  Here is the account of the second meal:

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.  Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”  (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)  Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.  You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”  John 12:1-8

They are each engaged in about the same activity as the first meal.  Martha serves.  She attends to all the details of the dinner while Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, but this time Martha does not complain about Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet, and the passage makes no mention of distraction or worry.  It seems Martha is worshiping Jesus through her service, and Mary worships Jesus in a shockingly intimate, extravagant, expensive way.  They are engaged in similar activity, but everything has changed because this time Martha is focused on her guest.  She still attends to her tasks, but her focus is on Him who she serves.  And Mary shows her love in a shocking way.

While Lazarus was in the tomb, Martha proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah.  At that time they understood the concept that Jesus was Christ.  They had intellectual knowledge of Jesus as Christ, but when Jesus restored Lazarus to life, their intellectual knowledge transformed into true, soulful, intimate, spiritual knowledge.  They were transformed from concept to reality.  Now they knew.  They knew.  And their lives were transformed as a result.  They knew He had power and authority over life and death.  And Mary worshiped Him, anointing His feet with a pound of expensive perfume, and wiped it with her hair, filling the entire house with the fragrance of the nard.

Their eyes had been opened to who Jesus is and they worshiped Him because that is the only possible reaction to an encounter with Christ Jesus our Lord.  They worshiped Him because of who He is, not because of what He had done.

A cynic might say otherwise.  A cynic might say that they worshiped Jesus because of the gift He bestowed upon them.  A cynic might ask, how much is a life worth?  Jesus restored Lazarus’ life.  What is that worth?  It is worth everything!  

And this is the basis between the wager between God and Satan at the beginning of Job.  Satan said the only reason Job worshiped God was because God blessed him so.  Satan said that if the blessings went away, Job would curse God.  In a single day Job lost all his children, possessions, wealth, means of earning future livelihood.  It was all gone in a flash.  How did he respond?  Did he curse God?  

Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”  Job 1:20-21

Job worshiped God even after the tangible evidence of blessing was removed.  Job worshiped God because of who God is.  Job worshiped God because God is worthy of worhip and praise.  That is remarkable, but here is the really remarkable part.  After that Job loses his health and he is covered with lesions sitting in a trash heap, tortured by his friends’ awful theology for forty chapters or so, and through it all, Job encountered God in an entirely new way.  Near the end of the book, Job says,

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
    but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
    and repent in dust and ashes.”  Job 42:5-6

At the beginning of the book, Job worshiped God.  At the end of the book he had truly encountered God.  “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.”  

And so it was with Martha, Mary and Lazarus.  During the first dinner, Jesus was friend and teacher, an honored guest.  While Lazarus was in the tomb, Martha proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of God.  But as Jesus raised Lazarus from the tomb, their eyes were opened to see Jesus in an entirely new way.

Can you imagine the room.  Can you imagine being there as Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with nard and wiped it with her hair.  She used an amount of ointment worth a year’s wage.  Can you imagine the fragrance filling the house?  Can you imagine the worshipful scene?

How has your life changed since encountering Christ Jesus?  How do you worship Christ Jesus as you continue through your daily life?  How do you show others you are His disciple?

Let’s close in prayer.

Father, we praise your holy name, we seek you, we desire you, we worship you.  Thank you for your holy word, thank you for Jesus, thank you for your Holy Spirit, thank you for your angels surrounding us and protecting us. In Jesus’ holy name we pray, Amen.