Pastor Ryan Moore
Devotional Plan for: Week of August 23 - August 27
Each week of the series will be focused on the story of a legendary disciple throughout Christian history and how that person modeled the adventure of discipleship.
Luke 10:38-42 (NIV): "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 all the preparations that had to be made distracted Martha. 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!' '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."
Monday, August 23rd
So, Martha was a busy body and Mary was a saint. That's the typical reading of this passage, right? Sometimes we're too busy to focus on the right things. Well, this is certainly a big point found in this passage, but the depth of the situation is illuminated by an understanding of the context in first century Judaism.
First of all, sitting at one's feet was not simply meant she was physically sitting at his feet, but it represented her relationship to Jesus: that she was being taught and discipled by Christ. Second of all, she was a woman, and a woman being a part of the crew of guys that were taught by a male teacher was socially unacceptable.
So, when Martha is calling out Mary to Jesus, she's not just saying, "Hey, I need help working!" There's a subtext of, "Mary, we're supposed to be making the preparations, not sitting at the feet of Jesus. That's not our role." This is a shocking social moment in history, and passages like this are why the western, Christianized world has made so much progress in women's rights, versus other parts of the world.
When we see it with this full context, we get a bigger picture of the magnitude of this moment, along with some new learnings: (1) yes, don't be so busy; (2) all of us are called to sit at the feet of Jesus, whether you think you are or not; and (3) God loves all.
This week, we're going to focus on this passage of Scripture for all 5 days, so we can dig in and really identify how we can sit at the feet of Jesus.
Reflection Question(s):
Have you ever thought that you didn't deserve to sit at the feet of Jesus? How does this passage help to encourage you?
- Christian Smith - Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday, August 24th
As we approach today's text I suspect Martha was fine with Mary sitting with Jesus at first. We are told that while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, Martha was in the kitchen working. Perhaps Martha would have liked to have been able to sit at the feet of Jesus too. However, she had rolls to bake, potatoes to mash, and a table to set. There was much to do. As she worked in the kitchen she began to feel overwhelmed and underappreciated. She started to feel upset that Mary did not recognize that she wanted help.
We have all, at one time or another, been where Martha was so we don't have any trouble imagining what was going on. You can imagine Martha thinking "Here I am in the kitchen slaving away over a meal these people will eat in just a matter of minutes and everyone else is out there having a good time with Jesus. Don't they understand how much work is involved?"
The problem with Martha is not that she is busy serving and providing hospitality. Certainly, Jesus commends this kind of service, notably in the parable of the Good Samaritan that immediately precedes the story of Mary and Martha. The problem with Martha is not her serving, but rather that she is worried and distracted.
Martha's distraction and worry leave no room for the most important aspect of hospitality — gracious attention to the guest. In fact, she breaks all the rules of hospitality by trying to embarrass her s
