Chapter 10

“There were times that we saw a different side to Jesus. He was not only compassionate with the people, but He was passionate about the lives and faith of people. As the crowds grew bigger, the religious leaders grew angrier. It seems that Jesus was taking their “flock” and turning them away from the laws and regulations of the leaders. There were many heated debates among Jesus and the religious leaders. And we could see the frustration rising in Jesus as He would very plainly admonish them. He didn’t say anything that wasn’t true, and when He spoke, there was such authority in His voice that it made the religious leaders sway a bit in their heavily garbed robes. It was as if the very sound of His voice set them off balance. It was a sight to see. I rejoiced in their discomfort for a while but then felt a surge of pity for them. They had been steeped so deeply in their religious laws and attitudes that they had no room for a relationship with God. Only duties. Jesus said that was why He was so hard on them. They knew better. They had all the knowledge of the holy scriptures, but no love. This experience along with the day we visited Martha, Mary and Lazarus taught me much about works and abiding.”
Mary relaxed, let out a giggle, then covered her mouth in rebuke to herself. “I’m sorry, this isn’t funny, it was a very important lesson for us all, but,” Mary thought a second, bobbed her head and continued, “we found it very ammusing in the end.”
“ We entered a village”, Mary began, as she jestered her hands and began with facts, “ as we continued to travel the region. A woman named Martha came directly to Jesus and invited him to her house. Taphitha and I thought this Martha was a very bold and..” Mary hesitated, pursed her lips and searched for words. “very bold and straight forward woman. Martha had a sister named Mary. Mary was quite the opposite of Martha. Now Martha was very busy handling the meal preparations for Jesus and those that accompanied Him, which was a fairly large group. Taphitha and I was privaledged to have been invited to help that day. Who would have ever believed that I would first, be invited to cook a meal for someone and second, that I would count it a privledge to do so. My, how my stubborn heart had changed. Now, Martha was a wonderfully, organized woman. On first stepping foot into her humble but VERY clean abode, I marveled at the skills this woman had for organizing an event. She was a little intense at times but only because she wanted everything to be perfect for Jesus. She had known Him for a while but was still overwhelmed to have Him in her house. Did I mention that she wanted everything to be perfect? Unfortunally, her sister, Mary, was not as organized or as helpful in the kitchen. Mary started out serving Jesus and the others some wine, but didn’t return to the kitchen after several minutes. This seemed to irrate Martha, but I sensed this was not an unusual happening. When Mary did finally return to the hot, crowded and noisy kitchen she immediately looked for something else to bring to the guest and eventually never returned. I have to say that the rest of us in the kitchen were somewhat annoyed. Martha had made plans for an elaborate dinner that needed everyone’s help and when we were shorthanded by the disappearing act of Mary, it put us all in an uproar. Martha tried to remain calm but as time went by and the kitchen grew hotter and the women’s tempers rose and the talk started becoming more and more unholy, Martha flew out of the kitchen, much like the herd of pigs that threw themselves over a cliff after Jesus commanded a legion of demons to inhabit them. I wasn’t around when that happened but the stories Peter told left an image in my mind that I thought might resemble the behavior of what was going on in Martha. She approached Jesus, cut Him off mid sentence and said; ‘Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.’ I froze. We could hear her voice loud and clear from where we were. Then something odd happened. It was as if my feet were being moved by unseeable forces. I found myself, along with the other helpers, peering into the room where Jesus, the honored guest, was being reprimanded by a red faced, sweaty browed woman, with her arms cocked tightly on her hips. “Martha, dear Martha”, He said. “you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it. – it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.” The silence hung in that house for what seemed like an eternity. Martha marched back into the kitchen and completed the dinner in her own silence as the sound of Jesus’ voice again filled the room. I tried to keep out of the way, just in case retribution was on Martha’s mind. You could tell she was in deep thought and that her pride was brused. But as we finished our preparations, and all headed to the room to serve, we too sat and ate and listened to what Jesus said. Martha kept her head down much of the time but when she would look up at Jesus, He would smile directly at her, the warmest smile I had ever seen. And the tension in Martha seemed to visably fall away as if a veil was cascading down from her eyes to the floor beneath her. We all learned a valuable lesson that day. Work is good and even profitable. But to sit at Jesus’ feet is far better. To learn the ways of God, to learn to love others, to be kind to others. That is more important and will be rememberd far longer than what you ate for supper. None of us starved that night. There was more than enough food to fill our bellys and there was more than enough Jesus to fill our souls. I thought about the religious leaders as I sat and abided at the feet of the Master. Their hearts are as frustrated as Martha’s was because she was trying to work her way to being accepted by Jesus, as the leaders are trying to work their way to being accepted by God. The difference is that Martha took Jesus’ words to heart. She learned the essential thing. The main course.”