In our LiveLent Booklets, we are thinking about ‘Communicating like Jesus’ and seeing how Jesus treats each person he meets as an individual. In most of the encounters we read about in the gospels, Jesus is talking to the person for the first (and often only) time in their lives. We are going to consider an encounter Jesus has with a family who he knows well, people who are his friends. Read Luke 10: 38-41.
The bible passage started by telling us that Jesus and his disciples came to Martha’s home. That is Jesus, plus his 12 disciples, so imagine you had 13 hungry men turn up at your house. You are immediately thinking ‘what’s in the freezer’ and what have I got that I they can eat while I am cooking a proper meal. This room full of men have spent a lot of time with each other and know each really well, so it is very unlikely to be a quiet room, even when Jesus is speaking - there would be comments, jokes, banter.
I don’t know what the scene now looks like in your mind, but I also want you to think about what you know of middle-eastern households, whether in bible times or today. If at all possible, the men and women rarely socialised together especially when the women are unmarried, and the men aren’t relatives. When Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to come back into the ‘women’s section’ of the house, she was probably as concerned about the scandalous way Mary was behaving, as an unmarried woman sitting in a room full of men, as needing help to prepare the meal.
Luke describes Mary as sitting ‘at the Lord’s feet.’ This isn’t describing an adoring, lovelorn posture, but it is a common phrase used in bible-times for describing a student learning from a wise teacher. Luke is describing Mary as being a student and Jesus is her teacher. So, if Martha is saying ‘Who does Mary think she is, spending time in a room full of men?’ The answer Luke gives us is that she is a student - a disciple! Someone listening to and learning from Jesus.
Jesus accepts that Mary wants to be a disciple - a learner and says to Martha that she too should come and learn because his teaching is for everyone. Jesus once again breaks through socially imposed barriers, and questions what is acceptable. Yet again, Jesus is telling those who though they were excluded, that they are included in the Kingdom of God. Jesus, not only on this occasion, but on a number of occasions says women and men are loved equally by God, both made in the image of God, both able to be disciples of Jesus, both able to know God as Father and both able to be involved in enlarging God’s kingdom.
Jesus is showing through his actions and his teaching that God’s kingdom is for everyone. For the foreigner, the outcast, the marginalised. Whether Martha found Mary’s actions disturbing because she was ‘breaking the rules’ or whether it was purely because of the help she needed to prepare a meal for 13 hungry men, Jesus’ reply makes it clear that in his eyes Mary had every right to be where she was, learning from him, hearing him teach about the Kingdom of God
Throughout Jesus’ teaching, we find him saying again and again, in many different ways, that no-one is automatically excluded from being part of God’s kingdom, but everyone has to choose to be included. Many of us will be pleased to know that though Jesus encourages us to become a student of his teaching - a disciple, there are no exams to pass, we just need to announce that we trust that Jesus is who he said he is – God with us
So, to sit at Jesus’ feet, to be in God’s presence is often a delight, a comforting place to be, but if we are truly listening and learning it is also a challenging place to be. For Mary, to be in Jesus’ presence, involved her facing criticism from her ‘nearest and dearest’, her own sister. We will also find it challenging, as Jesus challenges us to move out of our comfort zone, but we need never feel alone in doing this, as Jesus will always be there encouraging and lead us.
If you aren’t familiar with this hymn, listen to it on YouTube: ’Noel Richards to be in your presence.’ Let these lyrics lead you into talking to God about your desire to be a disciple and learn from him.
To be in your presence, to sit at your feet,
where your love surrounds me, and makes me complete.
This is my desire, O Lord, this is my desire.
To rest in your presence, not rushing away,
to cherish each moment, here would I stay.
This is my desire, O Lord, this is my desire.
(Noel Richards © 1991 ThankYou Music)