M&M

The story of two sisters in the Gospel of Luke has always intrigued me. And the Apostle John mentions them in another context after the death of their brother Lazarus. (Refer Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-44) 

Martha and Mary. 

M&M. 

Its not clear from either passages  whether MARTHA is the elder sister or MARY but somehow I get the feeling that Martha was because of the way she comes to complain about Mary. 

Lets peek into the episode in Luke's gospel, shall we? 

Jesus has just finished a marathon round of preaching and healing and he now makes his way to the home of his good friend Lazarus. There, he meets the two sisters. Martha, the efficient one, immediately sets about preparing a meal for the tired Rabbi. Mary, on the other hand, having heard a lot about Jesus' ministry, is curious to know more.

In those days, women never sat down with the men at the table. They served them. They were supposed to be involved in getting the meal ready. Period. If they ever listened in on a conversation, it was from the confines of the kitchen or at the threshold of the dining hall. 

So for Mary to take such a bold step implies that she was different. Some scholars have portrayed her as the woman with the alabaster jar and speculated that she had a past that needed 'much forgiveness'. 

Anyway, we know that Mary was not only BOLD but she was also INDIFFERENT. Why indifferent, you may well ask! She didn't seem to care that her sister was slaving away while she sat pretty at the Master's feet. 

Poor Martha! I can imagine her perspiring in front of the hot stove, darting daggers at her sister and perhaps muttering a few choice expletives under her breath. 

And, when the molehill became a mountain, the mouse turned into a fierce lion. Out stormed Martha, breathing fire, not caring whom she was insulting. "Don't you care?" 

Of course Jesus cared. HE CARED. 

HE LOOKS AT MARTHA WITH LOVE. 

"Martha, Martha" he says. That was  enough to cool her down. And, then he drops the bombshell 

MARY HAS CHOSEN 

                  THE BETTER PART!

What happened next is anybody's guess. But I would like to believe that Martha stopped her work in the kitchen and sat down besides her sister to listen to the Master. 

Both were fed by Him, THE BREAD OF LIFE. 

 The second passage where we see these two sisters again is in the Gospel of John. 

Justaposed against the first episode, we see the reactions of both sisters revealing the depth of their individual faith in Jesus. 

Jesus does not hurry to heal his dear friend Lazarus. Instead, he deliberately waits where he was for another two days on hearing that Lazarus is ill. Noone understands this delay. When he finally arrives at Bethany, and Martha hears of it, she rushes out to meet him even before he enters the town. By then, her brother had already died and was buried for four days. 

She reprimands him! AGAIN!

"If you had been here, my brother would not have died!"

We can see here the same MARTHA of Luke's gospel. Upset that things were not going according to her plan. 

Mary, however, comes running to Jesus only after she is told that he is looking for her. She repeats her sister's reprimand. Surprised?? What did you expect her to say? Do write in comments. 

If you read the passage very carefully, you will see something different about Martha. She exhibits faith in Jesus' influence with God. But then at the grave, that faith wavers and Jesus has to reprimand her for it. 

And as Lazarus emerges like a butterfly from its cocoon, the two sisters too are given a new lease on life by Jesus, THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. 

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I like to think that I am a Martha who wants to be Mary. The Martha in me, preoccupied with the cares of this world, refuses to find time to sit down at Jesus' feet and learn how to prepare myself for eternity. 

But, whenever I throw away my apron, switch off the stove and just decide that Mary has indeed done the better thing, I find it difficult to get up once I am at my Master's feet. But get up I have to and surprisingly, I find my tasks much easier. I keep thinking about my Lord as I stir the pot and set the table. And, Jesus sits down to feed me and give me a new lease on life DAILY.