What a Waste, Part 2

In Christian churches, ministries, and circles, serving in 103 capacities at the same time seems to be in vogue. We all know the person who can teach Sunday school, play in the worship band, help in the youth group, organize outreaches, volunteer to lead Vacation Bible School, decorate the children’s wing, and curate the church website all at the same time. And it’s not that there’s anything wrong with serving, or even serving in multiple capacities. But when we find ourselves in that position, it’s a great opportunity to pause and reflect on a very familiar story—the story of Mary and Martha.

We saw last week that Mary gave her most precious treasure to Jesus, worshipfully and unreservedly. But I believe she was able to serve him in such a beautiful way because she had first refrained from serving and instead simply sat and listened. I’ll show you what I mean.

Two Kinds of Waste

See, when Mary broke her alabaster jar of perfume and spent it all on Jesus, the disciples accused her of being wasteful of money. They thought the perfume should have been sold to help the poor. They may also have considered her careless about her future since the expensive perfume was probably the only savings plan she had. But Jesus commended her action, knowing Mary’s heart of worship behind it. So how did she develop a heart so full of worship and thankfulness that she was willing to pour out the security of her future all at once, reserving nothing for a fallback plan? I have a feeling that the answer lies in a previous story.

Our first encounter with Mary is when Jesus attends a supper at Martha’s house. While Martha was distracted with all the preparations for the meal, Mary simply sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his teachings. Martha was so annoyed at Mary’s absence in the kitchen that she actually approached Jesus and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me” (Luke 10:40). To Martha, Mary was being wasteful not of resources but of time. But once again, Jesus defends Mary’s choice, replying, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

Trouble for Type A

Now, to be quite honest, I tend to be on Martha’s side here. I’m a firstborn and a Type A personality through and through. I don’t relax until all the tasks are scratched off my list. If there’s work to do, I’m going to be doing it, and I’m going to be eyeballing you if you’re not helping. That’s why I thought this interaction was rather hard on Martha—after all, someone has to cook at a dinner party, right? It’s not like they could send Lazarus to pick up a Hot n’ Ready.

But then I remembered that, for once in history, it’s not necessarily true that someone had to cook in order for them to eat. I mean, their dinner guest was Jesus! The wine-maker! The bread-breaker! The fish-multiplier! If both women had wanted to sit at his feet and listen, I’m sure Jesus could have provided some miracle food. Or maybe Martha could have kept the meal prep a little simpler. Either way.

The Heart of the Matter

But really, it wasn’t about the cooking or the sitting, was it? It was about the hearts that motivated their choices. Martha chose what seemed most important to her, and so did Mary. The difference was that one of the choices was good and the other was better. Cooking is fine, but I can see Martha chopping the onions with resentment and vigor, building anger toward Mary as she worked. Soon she became so annoyed that she actually accused Jesus of being uncaring and commanded him to make her sister help!

So cooking is good, but listening is better. While Martha is stewing (literally and figuratively), Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening. We don’t hear much from Mary in this story. In fact, we don’t hear much from Mary at all. In all three stories that involve these sisters, Martha has plenty of lines whereas Mary has only one. But here, Mary doesn’t say a word to defend herself. Instead, Jesus defends her, showing us that serving him is good, but sometimes waiting is better.

God’s Economy

The truth is, God-honoring service stems from God-honoring worship. God is all-sufficient and has no need of us. In Psalm 50:12, he puts things in perspective: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.” He doesn’t need our service or worship, but we were created to need both. The end of that Psalm states it clearly: “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving… Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (v 14-15). We are called to give him sacrifice and glory not for his benefit but for our own.

Jesus didn’t need the sisters’ service; he wanted their hearts. That’s why, in this instance, sitting was better than serving. My dad was talking recently about the upside-down nature of “God’s economy.” God doesn’t always value or spend in ways that make sense to us. If it were up to us, we would keep the gifted, passionate, godly people on the front lines of ministry where they can impact many people and be used to the full. But God often chooses to move these people from the front lines back to the reserves for a season, limiting their impact and letting them simply sit at his feet again. In his book The Normal Christian Life, Watchman Nee captures this truth perfectly. “We like to be always ‘on the go’: the Lord would sometimes prefer to have us in prison. We think in terms of apostolic journeys: God dares to put his greatest ambassadors in chains” (293).

 Always at His Feet

So while Martha found Mary’s choice to be a waste of time, Jesus disagreed. In God’s economy, Mary had chosen the most valuable way to serve him that day—not by doing but by listening. That fueled a love for him resulting in beautiful service to him, and even that service was done at his feet. In fact, all three times we see Mary with Jesus, that’s where we find her. After her brother Lazarus died, Mary threw herself at the feet of Jesus in humble grief. Then Jesus turned her sorrow to joy by bringing Lazarus back to life! This miracle took place shortly before Mary anointed Jesus with her valuable ointment, showing that time spent in humble worship of God results in genuine service for God.

Whether learning, grieving, or serving, Mary was always at Jesus’ feet. It may seem like she didn’t do much, but her choices pleased Jesus. For all the Marthas and Marys out there, let’s be reminded of this precious truth: “The service of the Lord is not to be measured by tangible results. No, my friends, the Lord’s first concern is with our position at his feet and our anointing of his head. …Often enough the giving to him will be in tireless service, but he reserves to himself the right to suspend the service for a time, in order to discover to us whether it is that, or himself, that holds us” (283). Source: Nee, Watchman. The Normal Christian Life. Carol Stream: Tyndale House, 1997.