Page 7 - January 2025 - Truth & Tidings

Introduction a different facet of her gracious character.
Mary lived with her famous brother Sitting at His Feet: Learning
Lazarus and assertive sister Martha in (Luke 10:38-42)
Bethany, a hillside hamlet on the Mount
of Olives that John calls “the village of Mary’s first recorded interaction with
Mary and her sister Martha” (11:1). Mary Christ occurred in the house of her sister
1
might have been overshadowed by her Martha. Martha invited the Lord to come
more prominent siblings, but the Holy in for a meal. While Martha was busily
Spirit chose to weave her beautiful story preparing supper, Mary sat at the Lord’s
as an enduring tribute to her faith and feet and listened to His teaching. Martha
devotion. By observing her interactions was “distracted with much serving” (Luk
with the Lord Jesus, we learn the value of 10:40) and grew increasingly annoyed that
cultivating a deeper spiritual understand- her sister wasn’t giving her a hand. Appar-
ing and closer personal relationship with ently forgetting to whom she was speak-
the Savior. ing, Martha rebuked the Lord, accusing
We meet Mary of Bethany by name three Him of not caring that Mary sat at His feet
times in the Gospels, and in each case the while she did all the work. But the Lord
author showcases her humility by linking affirmed Mary’s choice by telling Martha,
“Mary has chosen the good portion, which
her actions to the feet of Christ. As we dis- will not be taken away from her” (v42).
cuss her encounters with the Lord Jesus,
we will note how each occasion highlights Mary lived in a world that devalued
and marginalized women. From the first
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the page of Scripture, however, we learn
ESV. that God created both male and female
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