...do whatever Jesus tells you to do...

“38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what He was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.’ 41 But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, 42 but few things are needed —indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her’” Luke 10:38-42.

When it comes to prayer or listening to the voice of God in your life, none of us can cop the plea, “I just don’t have time! There aren’t enough hours in my day to pray.” So Martha, while she resembles all of us at times, cannot say that the main thing in her life is the workload she had in the kitchen. The real problem that Martha was struggling with is a problem I saw every day during my years in Africa. Men and women each have their own “space” in this culture, and Mary was intruding into the space allotted to men when she sat at the feet off Jesus. So, Martha’s complaint is really this: “Who the heck does Mary think she is?!” You see, Mary in crossing into an important boundary both within the house, religion, and the culture. The only places where men and women can sit together is outside where the children are playing, or in the married bedroom. Even at meals, the men ate first and in a separate room, followed by the women who ate later with the children in another room. It was culturally shameful of Mary to sit at the feet of Jesus when her proper place in the house was the kitchen.

But Jesus is all about the Kingdom of God, and in the Kingdom of God Mary and Martha and all the men and women have a God-given right to listen to Jesus and hear the Gospel carefully so that they too can share it with others. The call of Jesus is a boundary-breaking call to follow Him! We have forgotten this in so many religions and denominations where only the men can preach and teach and lead the congregation. This story should serve as not just a reminder that everyone is entitled to Baptism, Communion, the forgiveness of sins, ordination, but also to full participation in the Kingdom of God in the church.

In fact, by sitting at the feet of Jesus, Mary is preaching the Gospel in a loud voice by listening to the voice of Jesus. And Mary didn’t even utter a single word. Never forget, dear friends, what Mary, the mother of Jesus, said at the wedding feast in Cana: “Do whatever Jesus tells you to do!” That’s all Mary was doing when she chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen, for how can you do whatever Jesus tells you to do if you don’t listen to Him? Think about it this way: Who else, besides Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew Jesus more than anyone else? Who else but Mary, the mother of Jesus, spent more time with Jesus than any other single human being on earth — ever?!

Do whatever Jesus tells you to do!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.

From the Bible:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” Ephesians 2:8-10.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”

Romans 5:8.

“One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless” Proverbs 14:16.