We get overwhelmed by so many things to do! And, we feel pressure from those around us to do all of the stuff and even social media influencers that tell us what we need to do, do this, do that... does any of it really matter?
The Bible tells us 3 stories about Mary of Bethany. First we see Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet - she learned from him, he was teaching her, then we are going to see Mary when her brother Lazarus was sick and she needed Jesus’ help - then we are going to see Mary serving Jesus as she anoints him with expensive perfume before his death. First she learned from Jesus, then she needed Jesus, then she served and sacrificed for Jesus.
Mary PURSUED knowing him, PRESSED in when she needed him, and PRESENTED her sacrificial offering to serve him and give to him.
Luke 10:38-42 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 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!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Martha wasn’t asking the right question. Often God doesn’t answer your questions like you expect them to be answered! Martha obviously didn’t get the response she wanted/expected. Martha was expecting Jesus to send Mary to the kitchen to help her or she wouldn’t have asked. It was a small thing to ask, after all, Martha had been there to hear his sermon! “Ask and you shall receive!!! You ask. He answers. But, sometimes his answer may not be what you want to hear.
Martha, I hear your question about Mary, but what I really want is your heart, what I really want is your full and undivided attention, Martha, in your future it’s going to be so important for you to cope with the stress of life, just to come and sit at my feet and be in my presence and learn from me and let me transform your heart!
Read John 11:1-45 to learn about how Mary and Martha responded to Lazarus’ death. Martha’s brother Lazarus just died. Martha hears that Jesus is close so she runs to go give Jesus a piece of her mind! “Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She’s griping at Jesus! Did you know that it’s okay to have honest conversations with Jesus when things go wrong in your life? Maybe you’ve noticed this in our Psalms Bible study - in one breath David is saying, God you are so wonderful, then he’s saying, my enemies are chasing me and I’m living in a cave with a rock for a pillow freezing at night with nothing to eat and where are you God? It’s okay to have a conversation with God about how bad your circumstances are!
Lazarus had already been dead for 4 days. Anyone else ever think situations you face are impossible, there is no way out, no way for Jesus to rescue this situation? That was Mary and Martha - this was an impossible situation.
Now, Mary was grieving. She was processing her pain. Jesus joins in our pain and weeps with us. Tears are a part of life.
Psalms 56:8: You keep track of all my sorrows, You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
Read John 12:1-8. 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.
Here we find Mary’s heart of generosity. She is giving sacrificially. She gave perfume that cost a year’s wages to anoint Jesus before his death and burial.
So, what do we need to learn from Mary, because if Jesus says someone has chosen correctly, she’s chosen the one thing that is needed, then I think we should pay close attention and follow her example.
First, Mary finds joy in sitting and being quiet and learning and simply being in God’s presence as closely as possible so that she really knows God. Somehow, in all of our busyness, we must find joy and fulfillment in sitting and learning more about God and going deeper in our relationship with God.
Choosing the “one thing” must be our priority. Sitting at the feet of Jesus and tuning out everything else. It’s a very difficult thing to ask in our world where we are so distracted with so many things.
Mark 8:36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
The things that you stop doing are just as important as the things that you start doing. You have to make room in your life to sit at his feet, to know him, to seek him and to find him.
GP2RL: Plan a spiritual getaway. Take a couple of hours go to a nature park or a lake, turn off your phone and sit with your Bible and be in nature and just pray with your prayer journal open ready to hear from God, or schedule a night away for a spiritual retreat, turning off all electronics to just sit at His feet and chose the “one thing.”
MOTHER’S DAY
DISCUSSION GUIDE
It is a good thing to hear what God is revealing in the hearts of those around us. Feel free to use this question however you feel it fits in your time together as a group.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
Our focus for Mother’s Day is learning to have a “Mary heart” in a “Martha world”. As you read the verses below consider the differences between Martha and Mary.
Luke 10:38-42 Now as they went on their way, Jesus[d] entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” ESV
2. Do you think Martha’s actions were criticized by Jesus? Why or why not?
3. What lessons can we learn from Martha and Mary’s interactions with Jesus about priorities in our own lives?
4. What does this story teach us about the value of hospitality and the importance of spending quality time with others?
5. How can we balance the responsibilities of serving others, like Martha, with the importance of spending time in the presence of the Lord, like Mary?
6. How do you relate to Martha and Mary in your own spiritual journey?
Everywhere we go, we bring...
GP2RL: Plan some kind of a spiritual getaway where you turn off all electronics and focus in on God’s presence.