Og jeg havde valgt Johannes 12 - et kapitel, der er sprængfyldt med emner, man kan tage fat på og tale længe om. Men jeg standsede ved Marta og Maria. Og jeg har et ømt punkt for Marta. I Lukas 10 møder vi de to søstre i en situation, hvor Marta kunne have valgt at blive fornærmet eller såret. Jesus irettesætter hende nemlig, da hun klager over, at Maria ikke hjælper hende i husholdningens arbejde, men i stedet sidder og lytter ved Jesu fødder. Jesus siger til Marta, at hun bekymrer sig alt for meget, og at Maria har valgt den gode del - at sidde tæt på hendes mester og lytte til de ord, der kommer fra ham.
Maria valgte at bruge sin tid på at styrke sit forhold til Jesus. Hun valgte at tage ved lære af alt, hvad han ønskede at dele med de, der lyttede. Hun valgte den gode del, sagde Jesus. Betyder det, at Martas ønske om at tjene Jesus rent praktisk ikke tæller?
Skal vi kun suge til os, og ikke yde en fysisk indsats?
Det tror jeg ikke. Når vi møder søstrene igen i Johannes 12, er de nemlig i gang igen - Maria sidder ved bordet og spiser med Jesus, og Marta varter op og serverer. Har hun ikke hørt efter? Har hun ikke lært noget?
Det tror jeg, at hun har. Den Marta, vi møder i Johannes 12, har forstået, at det er vigtigt at bruge tid på relationen med Jesus. Hun har forstået, at bekymringer ingen nytte gør. Hun ved nu, at Jesus har magten til at ændre radikalt ved hendes - og andres - liv. Det oplevede hun i det foregående kapitel, hvor hendes bror, Lazarus, dør, men bliver vakt til live igen af Jesus, selvom han har været død i flere dage. Da Marta hører, at Jesus er på vej hjem til dem, efter Lazarus' død, løber hun ham i møde og udøser sit hjerte for ham. "Havde du været her, var min bror ikke død", siger hun til ham, og fortsætter "men selv nu, ved jeg, at hvad du beder Gud om, vil han give dig." Marta havde fuld tillid til, at Jesus kunne gøre et eller andet, for at ændre på hendes ulykkelige situation. Hun har forstået, at han har noget, hun ikke selv har.
Når Marta så serverer i Johannes 12, er det et udtryk for kærlighed til Jesus. De holder en fest til ære for ham, som tak for, at han bragte Lazarus tilbage til livet. En fest kommer ikke op at stå uden, at nogen tager fat, og Marta ser ikke sig selv for god til at yde en praktisk indsats her. Hun ved, at når en opgave skal løses, må man smøge ærmerne op, og tage fat - men i modsætning til før, gør hun det nu med fornyet glæde og en bedre forståelse af Guds søn. Hun brugte sine evner til at ære Jesus.
Jeg sluttede min prædiken i søndags med at konkludere, at vi er kaldet til også at tjene Gud med de evner vi har - ligesom Marta, der bruger sine evner som den gode husmor, skal vi bruge de evner vi har, til at ære Jesus. Vi skal blot huske balancen mellem arbejde og hvile - mellem at tjene og tilbede. Maria havde valgt den gode del - den del skal vi også vælge, men uden at gå på kompromis med vores tilbedelse af Jesus.
Hvis du vil læse mere om Maria og Marta, kan jeg anbefale artiklen på følgende link:
http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/library/v3/cbs0316.pdf
Last week I had the privilege of preaching at the Sunday service - a job that I love, but which also requires a lot of work and preparation ... not least because I selfishly strive to do my best every time.
And I had chosen John 12 - a chapter bursting with topics to address and speak at length about. But I stopped at Martha and Mary.
And I have a sore spot for Martha. In Luke 10, we meet the two sisters in a situation where Martha could have chosen to be offended or hurt. Jesus rebukes her when she complains that Mary did not help her with household chores, but instead sits and listens at the feet of Jesus. Jesus says to Martha that she worries too much and that Mary has chosen that good part - to sit close to her master, and listen to the words from his mouth.
Mary chose to spend her time strengthening her relationship with Jesus. She chose to learn from everything he wanted to share with those who listened. She chose the good part, Jesus said. Does that mean that Martha's desire to serve Jesus in practical terms does not count?
Should we too just sit still, soaking in His words and nok make any physical effort?
I don't think so. When we meet the sisters again in John 12, they are at it again - Maria sitting at the table and eating with Jesus, and Martha doing all the serving. Has she not listened to what Jesus said in Luke 10? Has she learned nothing?
I think that she has. The Martha we encounter in John 12, has understood that it is important to spend time building a relationship with Jesus. She understands that worries do no good. She knows now that Jesus has the power to radically change her life, and the lives of everyone else. In the previous chapter, John 11, her brother - Lazarus - dies, but he is brought to life again by Jesus, despite the fact that he has been dead for several days. When Martha hears that Jesus is coming back to see them after Lazarus' death, she runs to meet him, and pours out her heart to him. "Had you been here, my brother would not have died," she says to him, and continues, "but even now, I know that what you ask God, He will give you." Martha was fully confident that Jesus could do something to change her unhappy situation. She understands that he has something she does not even have.
When Martha then serves at the party in John 12, it is an expression of love for Jesus. Lazarus, Mary and Martha host a feast in honor of him, thanking him for bringing Lazarus back to life. A party does not come into being without someone doing some practical work, and Martha does not see herself too good to do some practical work here. She knows that when a task needs to be done, there is no other way than to do the work - but unlike before, she now works with renewed joy and a better understanding of God's Son. She used her abilities to honor Jesus.
I ended my sermon on Sunday by concluding that we also are called to serve God with the abilities we have - like Martha, who uses her skills as a good housewife, we must use the abilities we have to honor Jesus. We must remember to keep a balance between work and rest - between serving and worship. Mary had chosen the good part - that part we must also choose, but without compromising our worship of Jesus
To read more about Mary and Martha, I can recommend the article at the following link:
http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/library/v3/cbs0316.pdf
