All In

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.” 

Luke 10:38-39 (NIV)

While Martha busily prepares a meal for Jesus, Mary sits quietly at His feet.  Soon this causes conflict between the two sisters, and Martha demands that Jesus tell Mary to help with the meal preparation. Instead, Jesus commends Mary for being attentive to Him, “Mary has chosen what is better…”  

Later, just days before Jesus’s crucifixion, we see Mary again in John 12:1-3.  In an act of sacrificial love, Mary pours a pint of pure nard on Jesus’s feet and wipes them with her hair.  It is an extravagant gift, shockingly humble and costly beyond imagination.  Once again she is criticized by those around her.  But Jesus defends her, saying she has prepared Him for burial.  Because of the quantity and quality of the perfume, the scent would have lingered on Jesus for days, perhaps providing the slightest of comfort to Him during the agony He was about to endure.

Mary’s actions are unexpected and even wasteful by normal standards.  The nard was certainly her most valuable earthly possession, and she poured it on Jesus’s feet.  It is her all-in, extravagant response to His all-in, extravagant love.  And it had its beginnings in Mary’s initial decision to put aside the busyness of working for Jesus in order to be with Him.  

Questions: 

• Do you tend to have more of Martha’s focus on doing for Jesus or Mary’s focus on being with Him?  Explain.

•  What is one way that you could intentionally set aside more quiet time to spend with God?  How could you to take this step?  Who could help you?

Prayer:

Spend some time in prayer thanking God for offering relationship to you and asking Him to help you to make more space for Him in your life.  

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