Martha- A Journey of Giving and Discipleship

 "While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home."

                                                               Luke 10:38

One of the things that I love about the Bible is that it is just real and always true. Sadly, too often, we can form opinions about people in the Bible that are not fully accurate. Martha is one of those people. All my adult life spent in Bible studies I always heard the same thing: "be like Mary; don't be like Martha". Because of this, I feel like Martha gets a bad rap.

Now admittedly, by nature, I lean towards Martha's tendencies. I am a doer. I love to make lists and check said things off my lists. Decades ago, I would even lie in bed at night and rehearse in my mind the things that had gotten done that day! Thankfully, I no longer do this, nor do I genuinely believe that my identity or my worth is based on my accomplishments. And yet, I still like to get things done! I despise undone things hanging over my head. 

If we completely focus on Mary and Martha, it would be easy to conclude that one sister was right and one sister just got it wrong. However, when Jesus is involved, it is never just about the people involved. It is about Jesus. And Jesus loved both Mary and Martha and had a beautiful plan for them both. What I love so much about Jesus is that He always meets us where we are and He never leaves us in that place.

We begin our story about Martha seeing that she opens up her home to Jesus and at least twelve others and she welcomes them. This is a woman who, off the bat, is giving and desires to do the right thing. She is a "good girl" and probably a rule- follower. She understood the Jewish traditions of hospitality and she was going to adhere to them even if that meant extreme self-sacrifice and being exhausted. 

Jesus saw Martha's heart and her willingness to give sacrificially. When He called her name twice, "Martha, Martha," it was not being said in a negative way as I have so often been taught. Instead, it is biblically an indication that this is a divine encounter. It is her God-moment and Jesus wants her to recognize its significance. He wants her spiritual eyes to be fully open to the beauty and importance of this moment in time. And, they were.

Jesus compliments Martha by telling her that He desires her company more than anything she could ever do for Him. This would have been a complete paradigm shift in Martha's thinking. Women were so denigrated culturally during this time that this thought probably had never even occurred to her until Jesus told her.

In John's Gospel, we see Martha once again. Her brother, Lazarus, has died and Jesus was coming to see her and Mary. Martha was the first one to run to Jesus as Mary remained in the house. Her faith is clearly evident as she tells Jesus that if He would have been there that Lazarus wouldn't have died. She also adds that she knows that whatever Jesus asks God, even now, that it will be done. Jesus reassures her that Lazarus will rise again.

Martha clarifies Jesus' statement by telling Him that she knows Lazarus will be raised on the last day. Again, Jesus reassures her by telling her that He is the resurrection and the life and that anyone who believes this will never die. He asks her if she believes this and she confirms that she does. In her darkest moment of grief, she still has extraordinary faith in Jesus.

She was, however, also a pragmatist. She understood the effects of death on a body that had been lifeless for three days. When she pointed this out to Jesus, He responded by telling her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed that you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:40).

Prior to Jesus' crucifixion, Martha is seen again with her siblings serving Jesus. She desperately loved Him and believed in Him. She gave sacrificially and grew in her discipleship with Jesus. She was becoming everything that God had created her to be, which is the ultimate goal for each one of us.

Today, I no longer see Martha as the "bad sister". I now see her as one who continued to grow in her walk with God. She was giving, faith-filled, and sacrificial. She did not rebuff what Jesus said. Instead, she stretched further to love and serve Him more. She was teachable and honorable. For me, she has become a role-model to keep journeying in earnest with the Lord. I will choose to run to Him first with all my concerns and I will trust His heart for me in return. As the Lord continues to reveal Himself in my life, I pray that I will have as much faith with what He says as Martha did!