Yesterday's Stories - Mary and Martha

"Take out the trash. Do the dishes. Make your bed. Stack chairs. Complete some ordinary, boring, exponentially droll task." These are the words of millions of people everyday. Accomplishing such jobs are simple acts ofservice. They're boring, and seemingly insignificant, but they aren't to be disregarded as useless. Jesus had quite a lot to say about this servitude, and His actions were always much louder than His words. Ultimately, service is to be a pretty significant portion of a Christian's life. Or is it?

---

Martha kept on feeling the sting of just how menial her life was. It was as if she was some kind of Jewish scribe, sitting, never moving, never having fun. Then again, Jewish scribes got paid for their work. She didn't.

Day in and out, sitting there, completing necessary, but seemingly purposeless acts. This was Martha. A Jewish woman in her early 30's. Two siblings. A house. Not a lot to enjoy. Ever since the passing of these sibling's mother, Martha had stepped up to the role of the responsible, sage one in the house. She swept, she cleaned, she prepared food. She didn't get out much. One of her few pleasures in life came from strangers seeing the beauty of her home. She took plenty of pride in that.

Then, there was Mary. Martha had always described her as three things: A bomb, a butterfly, and a bum.

She had this supernaturally powerful propensity to talk and talk and talk and talk. She loved being with people, experiencing things, laughing, eating, and generally getting out of the stuffy house her sister spent so much time in. Being out, however, resulted in her not helping with many of the chores. Martha wasn't super fond of that.

Now, it's not like Mary and Martha disliked each other. They just had plenty of differences, which occasionally made it difficult to get along and communicate properly. And of course, if they weren't great at getting along regularly, you can just imagine what it was like for them when something controversial was going on around them.

"That Jesus... He just sounds so wonderful! What do you think, Martha?"

"Don't be naive, Mary. Anyone can go around telling stories about themselves and how great they are! Very few people are actually great, though."

"But everyone's been talking about Him. Seriously. Like, everyone. He seems to have this wild effect on people, and no one can explain it. Isn't that exciting?"

"I'd love to think so, Mary, but there are bigger problems in my world that need to be solved before we turn to some wild man claiming to be God."

"You just lack faith. You don't care about anything."

"Ha! At least I'm responsible, and know how to care for things!"

"You... that's a lie! I can be responsible!"

"Wouldn't that be a lovely change."

"Hmph."

"Hmph."

Their relationship was at a standstill like this for a long time. They both felt like chocolate pudding scraped across too much ham. Mary always stretching Martha by being irresponsible and idle, and Martha doing the same to Mary by being this boring, emotionless stickler.

Something had to change. They both wanted it, but that desire was outweighed by their individual stubbornness. Stinks, right?

Finally, Martha thought. Something interesting. Something exciting. Something where she would get to prove herself right to Mary once and for all. He was coming to their town after weeks of enthusiasm and impatience. It was Jesus.

Finally, Mary thought. Something interesting. Something too cool to be true! Something where she might get Martha to see her side of things. The right side of things. He was coming into their town after weeks of enthusiasm and impatience. It was Jesus.

Okay, technically, that was just a rumor. Mary had heard from a friend who heard from a friend who heard from a friend that He was considering stopping by Bethany, their town. But still.

It was the morning of. Martha got up before the first hour to make sure everything was especially lovely in the house. Whether or not He was the Messiah, she was going to prove to Mary that responsibility was the way to go. This was it.

It was the morning of, and Mary got up at the third hour. She was impressed by her own skill. And nervousness. She spent most of the morning making sure she looked as beautiful as could be. Whether or not He was the Messiah, she was going to prove to Martha that the right words and enough faith can get you anywhere in life. This was it.

And... nothing happened. They were waiting for some crazy awesome "Bum-bu-du-duh!" and fanfare and flower girls dancing ahead and this beautiful white steed and this shockingly good looking man... and it didn't happened. In fact, it took quite a while for them to recognize that apparently, that wasn't Jesus' style. When He finally did arrive, they learned that He had been in the city for more than an hour before anyone recognized Him. He was accompanied by nothing more than a few other men, something common for a Jewish rabbi.

That's so cheap, thought Martha.

That's so classy, thought Mary.

Martha was reluctant to head out of the house, as it wasn't quite ready for guests, but she did anyway. He was less than a mile away. It was time.

Mary was still getting ready when she saw Martha head out. She couldn't wait! This guy was the talk of the town. It was time.

The next hour went by like a whirlwind: Martha inviting Jesus and His companions into the house, serving a meal, and finally, Mary found herself at Jesus' feet.

This was like nothing she had ever experienced. This Guy wasn't just a smart teacher or a cool dude; this Jesus was the real deal. His words hit Mary like bullets of truth, greatness, and awesomeness. After the huge shallowness she experienced in her own life, how refreshing it was to meet someone who could explain God, and the Torah, and the prophets, and life to her! Snap, she thought. He is amazing.

Mary, Martha thought, how typically lazy of you to not help dust the floors or clean the house after mealtime. It had gone too far. Martha was fed up.

She walked (okay, stomped) right over to Jesus, and said “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

She was worried. What if Jesus sided with Mary? What if He wouldn't even talk to her? What if the house wasn't good enough?

“Martha, Martha," He said, "you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Mary was watching on this whole time with sadness. Look at Martha, she thought, working her tail-end off for me and Jesus so that we can have a nicer time. Can I really blame her for working hard and being responsible? Is she right, after all?

Martha, having just been blown away by Jesus' words, was disappointed that He sided with Mary. It was clear she was doing something wrong.

Look at Mary, she thought, sitting there, looking lovely, doing something truly good and not worrying about the things of the world. Isn't that what this Jesus is all about? Is she right, after all?

At that moment, both the sister's did something that they hadn't done in quite a long time, and wouldn't know about for quite a long time.

She is my sister, they both thought. Maybe, just maybe, she's right, and there's something I desperately need to learn from her life.

---

"A warm body don't mean I'm alive."

Andrew