Brave Enough To Sit

Jesus and his disciples . . . 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!” Luke 10:38-40, NIV

IT WAS BOLD OF MARY TO STOP. To sit. To listen. In the first century, her designated place was in the kitchen—serving, preparing, hosting, and welcoming. But she was drawn enough to Jesus to cross the gender lines drawn for her. Like a peaceful protest, she abandoned others’ expectations of her and sat down before Him.

I like Mary. She is braver than we give her credit for, given her culture and time. Women were never invited to join men at the male-dominated table of learning and philosophical debate, so Mary invited herself to be with Jesus. He had come to her village with His disciples, and her sister Martha invited them in for a meal. But instead of helping Martha in the kitchen, Mary moved to where the action was and listened to Jesus speak. Martha wasn’t having it. She felt abandoned and left to host this group on her own. So she marched straight over to Jesus to tell Him about it. His response to Martha and her frustration?

“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 10:41-42, NIV

What are we to do with this moment?

The fact that women are even present in the narrative of Jesus’ life is a big deal. It’s no secret that they were seen as second-class citizens during His time. And here we see Jesus, a famous rabbi, validating Mary’s actions and worth, showing her kindness and respect. Grace showed up in her house, and she clung to it.

But let’s not forget Martha. She is brave as well. She comes before Jesus with her full frustration at having to carry the load of entertaining on her own. She holds nothing back and tells Jesus to instruct her sister to help her.

Jesus doesn’t blink an eye at Martha’s frustration. He doesn’t chastise her bubbling and boiling-over emotions. Instead, He gives her a gracious and simple truth: to take her long list of responsibilities and reduce it to one thing—Himself. His words to her essentially say, “I’m in your house, and I love you, and I want to know you. Come sit with Me.”

Doesn’t grace often look like a gentle word to a griping heart?

When it comes to the time we spend with God, of course, we can’t just sit around all day, ignoring everything else. But we can certainly swing the pendulum the other way by stopping our busyness, sitting with God, and learning from Him. Often, it’s not for lack of an invitation that we don’t come to God. It’s for lack of stopping, listening, and taking our full selves to Him.

Mary’s strength is her bravery to leave her cultural norms behind. Martha’s strength is her ability to come with her real self, all of it, before God. May we learn from both of these women when grace comes knocking on our door.

GRACE REFLECTION: What about Mary and Martha strikes you in this story? Whom do you relate to more? Why?