Time to Eat

^38–39 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their journey, they came to a village where a woman welcomed Jesus into her home. Her name was Martha and she had a sister named Mary. Mary sat down attentively before the Master, absorbing every revelation he shared. ⁴⁰ But Martha became exasperated by finishing the numerous household chores in preparation for her guests, so she interrupted Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister left me to do all the work by myself? You should tell her to get up and help me.” ⁴¹ The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Are they really that important? ⁴² Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.” (Luke 10:38-42, TPT)

 Six days before the Passover began; Jesus went back to Bethany, the town where he raised Lazarus from the dead. ² They had prepared a supper for Jesus Martha served, and Lazarus and Mary were among those at the table. ³ Mary picked up an alabaster jar filled with nearly a liter of extremely rare and costly perfume—the purest extract of [spikenard] and she anointed Jesus’ feet. Then she wiped them dry with her long hair. And the fragrance of the costly oil filled the house ⁴ But Judas the locksmith, Simon’s son, the betrayer, spoke up and said, ⁵ “What a waste! We could have sold this perfume for a fortune and given the money to the poor!” ⁶ (In fact, Judas had no heart for the poor. He only said this because he was a thief and in charge of the money case. He would steal money whenever he wanted from the funds given to support Jesus’ ministry.) ⁷ Jesus said to Judas, “Leave her alone! She has saved it for the time of my burial. ⁸ You’ll always have the poor with you; but you won’t always have me.” (John 12:1-8, TPT)

Both of the above meals happened in a city named “Bethany.” They have one big thing in common. Jesus loved to eat and fellowship with His friends. Notice in the first story the brother, Lazarus, is absent (or not mentioned) for some reason. Both stories also make no mention of a serving staff that could have assisted Martha in story number one.  There is no mention if this was a planned or a “surprise” meal. (Most women prefer planned ones.)

For the past 26 years, I have been married to Martha-type wife named Bobbi. Both of these women (Martha of Bethany and Bobbi of Gahanna) have many qualities in common. I suspect many good Christian women want to be Mary's, but would admit they are Martha's. (Rejoice in this because we desperately need your personalities in our lives to keep us going in the right direction.) Some of the qualities below belong to Martha, Bobbi, or both women. I am just the messenger:

·        Their personalities are emotionally intense. They will change the world (whether world wants it or not).

·        They are perfectionist. They get upset (and don’t understand) why others can’t meet their sometimes unrealistic, high standards. Laughter may be a scarcity.

·        They will make sure the job gets done to the best of their over-achieving ability. They try to be overachievers to validate their value to themself (and others).

·        They serve God through serving others. They give all of themselves to their service that is why when someone betrays their trust; it completely devastates them emotionally. It is their gift to God. Their strong maternal instinct finds its divine purpose in encouraging, comforting, and providing for other's needs.

·        With their obsessive compulsive personality, they don’t care for (or find amusing) surprises from family (or friends). Their world needs to stay methodical and free of excess chaos.

In the first story, I do not believe Jesus was correcting Martha. As a good friend, I believe He was making a wise observation. Both Martha and Mary took Jesus advice to heart because in the second story Mary has taken her worship of Jesus to a higher level. Story number two does not tell us what Jesus forgave Mary of, and why she was crying.

Also in story number two, Martha doesn’t seem to be upset over meal preparations, or in the midst of an emotional meltdown. Did she learn what Jesus wanted her to know from the first story? Yes, I believe so. Have we learned what God wants us to know, or are we in the midst of our divine education right now? That's up for debate.

Of course, this post is dedicated to the fascinating woman that I have the privilege of being a husband to. My gorgeous "Martha," Bobbi Lynn (McFarlen) Kinker. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve you for the rest of my life.





The Bobbi I first fell in love with.