Different people, Different Needs, Common Solutions

The elder brother of the prodigal son is one more case worthy of study. He was faithful, hardworking and loyal, a person of sober habits, yet he reacted angrily when he came to know that his father was fussing his wayward brother who had returned after squandering all his wealth. As so often happens in families, the sibling who cries the loudest gets all the attention while the others tend to be taken for granted to the point of being overlooked. The elder brother needed confirmation of his worth.

When Peter and some of the disciples went back to fishing, stunned by the recent events, what a heart-warming meeting followed with Jesus who waited for them on the shore with forgiveness, words of comfort, lots of fried fish and bread, and not a single reproachful comment! That’s the kind of love that this young man expected, a physical expression of an abstract feeling that is often buried in the busyness of present - day lifestyles. Jesus, true father and friend that he was, took the time and effort to reach out to his dejected disciples and reinstate them as valuable members of his family. The elder brother also, in a sense, was lost. Some things are too deep to be expressed by mere words alone and have to be sensed by the spirit, but communication gaps within a family often result in the blessings falling through those gaps without reaching the person for whom they were intended. Human relations have to be cultivated - they don’t just happen. When the elder brother finally understood his father’s love and felt his reassuring arm around his shoulder, he was born again into a new relationship with his father.

Knowing that you are loved and being made aware of it makes all the difference in a person’s life.

Martha is yet another person who can do with some help. She never questioned her role as the matriarch of the family and her home was a restful haven for Jesus and his disciples. She executed her duties joyfully with no expectation of reward, but one day, she was somewhat overwrought and her emotions got the better of her. She saw her sister Mary sitting idly (as she thought) at the feet of Jesus, and blurted out, “Lord, I could do with a helping hand here. Look at all the people who have followed you to Bethany! They’ve tracked their dusty sandals all over my house and I saw little Elon wipe his hands on my best curtains. Lord, this is too much. Can you please tell Mary to come help me? Don’t you care?” And Martha wiped a tear from her brimming eyes. Jesus immediately recognized the pain behind that cry for help, and the gentle shepherd that he is turned to look at the lost sheep that was crying to be noticed. Setting aside everything else, he took the time to share a special word with her, teaching her the great principle that while bodily exercise is profitable, the merits of spiritual exercise have everlasting effects. Martha needed just that moments individual attention from the Lord to change her perspective and view her duties, not as something done for people, but as an excellent offering of her love to the Lord. That gentle pat on the head was all it took to show her how worthy and appreciated she was in the Lord’s eyes. Her momentary annoyance was the typical reaction of a hyperactive achiever who sees, for instance, a poet lounging in the shade of a tree, pen in hand, musing on the mystery of life, appearing, to the unobservant eye, as a jobless dreamer. The poet is also an achiever but in a different way, and Jesus helped Martha to appreciate the difference. At that moment, Martha was truly born again! One caring person, a moments attention, a word of godly counsel is all it takes to bring change.

A body is made of different parts for its proper functioning. Diverse people, languages and cultures make up the world. We need our Marthas and our jobs, as also our Marys, Peters and Jacobs, for a balanced life. If we didn’t have rotten eggs and hydrochloric acid, how could we appreciate the fragrance of the rose or the jasmine? If we did not have the caterpillar, can we ever expect the butterfly? The tiny ant helps me to marvel at the elephant just as the earthworm teaches me to respect the anaconda. The law brings awareness of sin. If not for Jesus' cruel death on the cross, how could we ever look forward to an empty tomb and a glorious resurrection? Everything has its proper place and nothing is to be rejected because of our perception of it.

So, look kindly upon Rebekah and also upon your neighbor, the man on the road, your annoying colleague, your husband, your wife, your children. God loves us all, and mercifully, he looks kindly upon us.