Last time we took one final look at Martha and considered her new attitude as she served her Lord one last time in John 12:1. We concluded from the simplicity of the statement, “Martha served” that she had learned the lesson Jesus had begun to teach her in His loving rebuke of Luke 10:41-42.
But what about Mary? What had she learned from the events of Luke 10 and from her brother’s death/resurrection in John 11?
Back on February 1 we discussed that our devotion to the Lord is important. We had discussed earlier that Martha needed to learn to “BE STILL AND KNOW”. However, we also discussed in 'Comfort Zone' (Feb. 4) that is important to put feet to our worship as we looked at lessons on compassion throughout Jesus’ ministry. We discussed James 2:17-“Faith without works is dead” and the old saying, “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.”
We concluded that we, as Marys, must step out of our comfort zones and DO!
Well, here in John 12 we wonder. Did Mary step out and DO anything? There is no indication that she was helping Martha this time either. But as we move into verse 3 we see some ‘stirring’ about to take place. Mary goes into action!
She took.
She poured.
She wiped.
She took a pound of VERY expensive oil (commentaries say it was worth at least a year’s wages!)
She poured this VERY expensive oil on Jesus’ feet.
She wiped His feet with her hair. What an amazing act of humility!
Yes, in this final encounter between Martha, Mary, and Jesus, Mary does DO something. Mary gave! She gave abundantly! She gave lovingly! She gave humbly!
Joanna Weaver, in Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World (quoted several times during this Mary/Martha saga), made one final comment regarding Mary. “The contemplative student has become an effective servant as Mary shows her love through extravagant deed.” (Emphasis mine)
In Luke 10, Martha was stressed to make her service extravagant in the eyes of man. Here, in John 12, Mary was humbled to make her devotion extravagant in the eyes of Christ. She didn’t care about the criticism that followed in verse 4.
Mary understood the lessons of John 11 and completely ‘got it’. She knew what lie ahead for Jesus, and she was honoring Him for His soon to be sacrifice. She was giving flowers before the funeral so to speak.
As we consider the parallel passages of this event in Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9, we see that Jesus honored her gift with a promise that she would be remembered throughout the ages for this sacrificial and humble deed.
Martha was rebuked for her ‘extravagant’ service~~Mary was blessed. What is the difference?
Colossians 3:23~~Mary did it heartily as unto to the Lord, and not unto man.
Last week, we concluded with a question for the Marthas out there. Marthas, have you learned to ‘do it’ unto the Lord, and not unto man? Remember, you are not out to impress others, so don’t overwhelm yourself in the doing! Just serve-with a humble and gracious spirit.
This week, the question is for the Marys out there: Mary's, have you learned to ‘do it’ unto the Lord, and not unto man? Remember you don’t have to impress others, so don’t frustrate yourself in your doing! Just serve-with a humble and gracious spirit.
The lesson is the same for both Martha and Mary!
Oh, and don’t worry about the criticisms!
Debbie
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