“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 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!’
‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:38-42 NIV)
Ever since I was a young believer, I have heard many teachings on this story and all have emphasized the need for us to spend time with the Lord and how the busyness of life can impinge on that need. Sometimes, when you have viewed a story in the same way for so long, it is hard to see it in any other way. But recently, I saw a new angle to this story.
I imagined the scene just as Martha had opened her home to Jesus. As He settled in, Mary sat down to listen to Jesus while Martha headed for the kitchen to begin her preparations for the meal. And as this played out in my mind, I was struck by the fact Jesus never called Martha from the kitchen; never implored her to come sit with Him and leave her tasks for a later time. He let her do what she felt compelled to do. Only when she emerged frustrated from the kitchen, did He make mention of her choice of priorities. And only after she had complained about Mary’s choice not to help her. Hmmm.
How often do we feel obliged to tell people what their priorities in life should be, or have been on the receiving end of someone else’s felt duty to set us straight about our spiritual priorities? In my many years of vocational ministry, I know I have done this. I have grown impatient with students and decided they needed to know their priorities were mixed up. And the key word here is impatient.
There is a time when people need to be confronted and to hear the truth, but often our timing is off. We are too much in a rush for people to grow and mature, and to make better choices. And if they are not ready, then our attempts can have the opposite effect. Instead of motivating them, they feel guilty or even angry.
I have no doubt that Jesus saw the problem with Martha’s priorities and her struggle with worry, but I wonder if He knew that demanding her to sit with Him and Martha would not produce the desired result. She might be sitting at His feet, but her mind would still be in the kitchen. Perhaps she was not yet ready to hear the truth. So He allowed her to focus on her perceived duties until she emerged to complain. And even then, He spoke gently to her about the difference between her attitudes and those of her sister.
I think there is a lesson here for us. Too often our tendency is to impose our beliefs and practices on people, rather than modeling them and letting people come around to see the advantages of believing and living in this way. The model of Jesus in dealing with people was one of patience. He was not in a hurry to get them straightened out, but waited until they were ready. And as I reflect on my life, I see His patience with me. I can only shake my head at some of the things I used to do or some of the things I used to think, but He never rushed in to set me straight. Instead, He was patient and gentle with me.
Today, if you know people who frustrate you because of their attitudes or priorities in life, remember the new angle on this story. Jesus didn’t rush to change Martha. He waited patiently on her, for when the timing was right, where she would be open to seeing her need to change. It may take longer, but it is a lot more effective.
© Jim Musser 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment