Do You See This Woman?Намуна

Devotional:

The Woman Jesus Enlightened

I love to open my home and host friends and family for holidays, Bible studies, and fun gatherings. However, I also like a clean house, so I can relate to the woman we’re going to study today. 

Martha, like me, had some Type A tendencies. She’s different from the other women we’ve studied in that she was a leader in her community with an honorable reputation. Yet, just like the other women, her encounter with Jesus left her transformed. 

The first mention of Martha in the Bible is associated with her gift of hospitality. This gives us a glimpse into her character. As we’ve seen, Jesus was rejected by most prominent figures in His day. But Martha went against the grain and openly supported Him. In fact, her home is mentioned several times as a place of refuge for Christ.

Martha had invited Jesus and His disciples over for dinner, and in her mind, the pressure was on. She was on her feet, cooking, cleaning, and making preparations. After all, she was entertaining the Son of God!

Notice the question Martha asked Jesus after He arrived: “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” I picture her huffing and puffing in the kitchen, clanging pots and pans around to drop some hints. 

Martha most likely wanted to be sitting at the feet of Jesus too and found herself thinking, “Thanks a lot, Mary. You’ve left me to do the dirty work, and you’re just sitting there, not lifting a finger!” 

Jesus responded by giving Martha a new perspective. We all need His perspective when our thoughts run wild. 

Jesus lovingly told Martha to not let her many duties rob her of the blessing of His presence. He wasn’t saying that serving and preparing aren’t good things to do, because they are. He just wanted her to prioritize what mattered most.

Jesus was essentially telling Martha, “The whole point of opening your home was to spend time with me. Here I am, and you’re too worried about everything and everyone else.” 

When we seek Jesus first, everything else takes its proper place. The gifts He gives us are all good, but we should never choose them over Him.  

In His response to Martha, Jesus also showed her that women have a different role in God’s kingdom than they did in her culture. He was teaching her that a woman’s place wasn’t just confined to the home. 

We’ve already learned that Jesus didn’t comply with social norms. He shattered prejudices and showed that women aren’t second-class citizens in God’s eyes. He freed women who had been ostracized, healed women who were trapped in sin, and treated women with respect. 

In this story, we see that Jesus also accepted women as His disciples. He taught them scripture and enlightened them with profound spiritual truths. 

Jesus complimented Mary’s action of sitting at His feet—taking on the posture of a disciple—and used her as an example to show that women, too, are welcome to listen and learn at the Lord’s feet.

In fact, women played a prominent role throughout the life of Jesus. Over and over again in the Bible, He sought women out and gave them a platform.

For example, Jesus appeared first in His resurrected body to Mary Magdalene, then commissioned her to go tell His disciples that He had risen—the essential message of Christianity. He also revealed the new covenant of His coming Spirit to the Samaritan woman at the well, then used her to change her community.

It’s clear that women have a divine role in Jesus’s kingdom. He continually empowered them with His teaching and sent them out to spread His Word. Jesus enlightened Martha with this truth, and He wants to do the same through you.

Reflect:

• How did Jesus lovingly challenge Martha’s perspective in this story?
• How can you prioritize your relationship with Christ above everything else?