from the occasional meditation series ~~
Psalm 46:10 NASB
Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-12:8
Mary of Bethany Jesus had nothing but kind words for her, but,
realistically, Mary-types are very trying to live with! Martha
serves, and Mary sits. Martha serves, and Mary spills the life
savings on Jesus' feet!
But while Mary sat, she listened and thought and made connections. Jesus said He was going to be killed? As a sacrifice? The leaders said it was expedient for one man to die for all? The disciples missed (blocked out?) this bit about His coming death, but Mary knew and wept.
The sisters' story comes in three parts. In Part One, Martha serves, Mary sits, and Jesus talks. In Part Two, the sisters speak essentially the same words to Jesus, in their own ways, and a miracle happens, in their outer and inner worlds.
In Part Three, things are much the same as in Part One. Martha serves. Mary is again at Jesus' feet, and once more He tells those around them that she's ok.
But.
Now Martha is serving her Lord, not some bigshots in the next room, and most especially not the pots and pans.
Mary, though, is not sitting this time. Whether the meal was served at table and chairs or reclining benches, we need to picture her in a crumpled heap on the floor to dump that perfume on His feet and wipe it with her hair.
She has pieced together, through listening and thinking, meditating, contemplating, that something horrific is going to happen.
She acts, out of her love, her knowledge, and her own character.
As we must do.
The sisters' stories have come to us irrevocably intertwined. i wonder if that's because, in a sense, both of them represent ALL of us.
All of us need time to be still, listen, and meditate. All of us need to act on what we have learned.
And we will all act in different ways. We might overlook that Mary did in fact do something in Scene Three here, but what she did was as valuable and beautiful as the daily necessary things that her sister did.
The verse i used above is often translated "Be still. . . " However, the Hebrew is literally "cease," with "striving" added for ease of understanding.
It carries connotations of abandonment, helplessness, reaching the end of oneself, collapsing, and falling limp.
All of which can easily be imagined as the feelings of a woman who has realized someone near to her is about to be executed.
But while Mary sat, she listened and thought and made connections. Jesus said He was going to be killed? As a sacrifice? The leaders said it was expedient for one man to die for all? The disciples missed (blocked out?) this bit about His coming death, but Mary knew and wept.
The sisters' story comes in three parts. In Part One, Martha serves, Mary sits, and Jesus talks. In Part Two, the sisters speak essentially the same words to Jesus, in their own ways, and a miracle happens, in their outer and inner worlds.
In Part Three, things are much the same as in Part One. Martha serves. Mary is again at Jesus' feet, and once more He tells those around them that she's ok.
But.
Now Martha is serving her Lord, not some bigshots in the next room, and most especially not the pots and pans.
Mary, though, is not sitting this time. Whether the meal was served at table and chairs or reclining benches, we need to picture her in a crumpled heap on the floor to dump that perfume on His feet and wipe it with her hair.
She has pieced together, through listening and thinking, meditating, contemplating, that something horrific is going to happen.
She acts, out of her love, her knowledge, and her own character.
As we must do.
The sisters' stories have come to us irrevocably intertwined. i wonder if that's because, in a sense, both of them represent ALL of us.
All of us need time to be still, listen, and meditate. All of us need to act on what we have learned.
And we will all act in different ways. We might overlook that Mary did in fact do something in Scene Three here, but what she did was as valuable and beautiful as the daily necessary things that her sister did.
The verse i used above is often translated "Be still. . . " However, the Hebrew is literally "cease," with "striving" added for ease of understanding.
It carries connotations of abandonment, helplessness, reaching the end of oneself, collapsing, and falling limp.
All of which can easily be imagined as the feelings of a woman who has realized someone near to her is about to be executed.
No comments:
Post a Comment
i look forward to your comments! Thank you for sharing them.