LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (64)/ MARY’S FIRST LOVE

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures are taken from the books of John 13:34,35; Lk 10:38-42; Acts 6:1-7; John 11:28-36; 12:1-8;

AT HIS FEET – MARY’S FIRST LOVE (Lk 10:38-42)

This is a wonderful story. It shows the priority of spiritual things. Priority is defined as something that is more important than other things. It is an urgent thing. It must be dealt first before attending to other things. In this story, we see Mary seated at the feet of Jesus. Thru her we see the priority given to spiritual things, loving Jesus above all others. Mary was a special person. There are not many details about her. We do not know if she was married or if she had children. But the few words about Mary have created a precious picture. Her memory is preserved. She is an inspiration to all lovers of Jesus to the end of time.

When Jesus was on earth, He had many enemies but few true friends. There was a family who lived in a village called Bethany, just 2 miles from Jerusalem. This family was made from three siblings: Martha (possibly the senior sister), Mary, and their (possibly younger) brother, Lazarus. The name Martha means Lady, Mistress or Madam. The name Mary means Beloved. Lazarus means God has helped me. Martha talks and behaves as the Landlady. She is a symbol of the ministry of helps and hospitality. In the Jewish culture, it was a sacred duty to welcome strangers, to give them food and shelter. Mary is the spiritual one in the family. She shows the priority of spiritual work like prayer, worship, and the study of God’s Word. Their brother Lazarus is quieter. This wonderful family opened their house to Jesus. They loved Him as their Master, Teacher, Mentor and Friend. In their house, Jesus was allowed to be Himself. They did not ask Him to do miracles for entertainment. They loved Him simply, from their hearts. They were the friends of Jesus. The name of their village, Bethany means ‘house of affliction’ or ‘house of figs’. It is now a small town with a population of about 22,000 people.

“She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word”. On this occasion, Jesus and His disciples came to visit them. Mary decided to sit at the feet of Jesus, to listen to His Word. This is the traditional position of a disciple submitting to his master, mentor or rabbi. It was a position of humility and desire to learn. Her position shows that God’s Word has priority over other activities. In Greek, the word ‘sat’ shows a deliberate choice to be close to Jesus, attentive to His words, even if she was to be discriminated because of that. Mary made a choice to be a mature spiritual Christian, to grow in grace and understanding, and to be a true worshipper of Jesus. ‘Mary heard the word’. The word ‘heard’ means listening. It suggests an active, continuous action. Mary was not just hearing the words of Jesus with her ears, but she opened her heart to receive them. It shows hearing and believing. The words of Jesus were spoken with Love and Authority. No man spoke like Jesus! The words had the power to give Eternal Life, to deeply change and transform people. Mary opened ears and heart shows a deep desire to learn divine truth, to have godly wisdom, to Love like Jesus and to be changed from glory to glory.

“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me.” Martha was busy in the kitchen preparing the dinner for Jesus and the guests. Cooking is never easy. We are told the Martha ‘Was distracted with much serving’. In Greek, the word ‘distracted’ means to drag all around, to be all over the place, to be greatly troubled. To distract it means to draw away your mind, your focus, your attention, from one thing to another. We usually draw away our attention from things we hate to the things we love. We stop thinking about our duty and start thinking about entertainment. Jesus said that Martha was distracted about many things. She was trying to do too many things at the same time. The word ‘serving’ is ‘diakonian’. It means to be a servant, a waiter at the table, a minister or a deacon. The words ‘to care’ means to be concerned, anxious, have an interest. Mary has ‘left’ Martha to serve alone. To leave it means abandon, or to forsake. Alone means solitary, desolate, or single. Martha said: Tell her to help me! The word ‘help’ means to cooperate, to hold the opposite corners together. From these words we see that Martha was serving God by serving men. This is a good work. But she became tired and frustrated. She started grumbling. She was comparing herself with her sister Mary, who sat in the living room, among men, to listen to Jesus. She felt lonely as she was doing ministry. Lesson: This is a common complaint from many pastors and leaders in the church. They know that serving God is a good thing. But they miss the human fellowship, the church ‘gist’. Suddenly, they feel that the Holy Spirit is too ‘spiritual’ and does not understand the frustration of ministry on earth. The Holy Spirit is the Encourager to help us in our loneliness and anxieties of life! Selah!

Jesus replied to busy Martha that one thing is needed. Not many things that bring distraction. Only one thing! And Mary has found that treasure. She has chosen that one good thing. What is that best thing? It is to be one with Jesus! Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His Word. To sit at His feet means that she submitted to Jesus, to be one with Him. She was ready to receive His Word. Please note that both Martha and Mary are ‘Christians’. The difference was that Mary chose to invest in her soul first. She wanted to attend first to spiritual eternal things for the good of her soul. This was her priority. Her priority was right. After attending to the words of Jesus, she could use the remaining time and strength to do the chores in the house. This was divine wisdom. This was agape Love. Selah!

Jesus calls Mary’s choice ‘the good part’. The good part or the good portion is always a choice. Men and devils cannot take it away from us. Ministry is good. God rewards His servants when they serve Him. But ministry can become a source of distraction from the concentrated focus of studying God’s Word and prayer. I am not saying that Martha is a worldly Christian woman. She loved Jesus too. But because she was the hostess of the home, she felt that she must be more practical. She saw it as her duty to entertain Jesus and the disciples. She wanted to cook many dishes, possibly to impress Jesus with her ministry. But she became anxious in the kitchen. Anxiety made her impatient. She rebuked Jesus saying He does not care. She almost blamed Jesus for encouraging Mary to be lazy and selfish. Lesson: being too busy with the physical needs, leads to anxiety, complaining, and drifting away from spiritual things. The loss is greater than the gain! This is foolish. May we examine ourselves! How do we serve Jesus? What is the place of prayer and the study of God’s Word in our lives?  

Jesus gently rebuked Marth by saying that Mary has chosen the good part, the best part. Comparing the two ministries, studying God’s Word, prayer and worship on one side, and the ministry of helps, provision to the needy and taking care of God’s house, on the other side, the first one has a greater value. The spiritual things have pre-eminence over the natural things. This is a spiritual law. “Therefore, do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men” (Rom 14:16-18). To live we need to eat and drink. But the Kingdom of God is made of eternal spiritual things, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. We should focus on the spiritual things first, and later, we can attend to the needs of the body. We should not allow anyone to speak evil about the good choice we made, to focus our best on spiritual things.

There two reasons why Jesus gently rebuked Martha: 1-She overdid her work until she became distracted from spiritual things. 2-She stopped appreciating the greater value of spiritual investment. For example, we can bake a cake and present it to a prophet. That is good! But to waste hours decorating that cake with flowers, that may be wrong. A simple tasty cake is better. Cooking many dishes on Sunday morning until you become so tired that you fall asleep during the sermon, that is wrong. A simple meal is better. Use the remaining time to study the Bible, pray, praise God and go to church. Let Jesus always be your first Love! Give Him the best of your Strength and Love!

MARY AT THE TOMB OF LAZARUS – FIRST LOVE IN PAIN (Jn 11:28-36)

Let us study Mary during her time of pain and sorrow. Her brother Lazarus was sick and then, he died. Martha and Mary sent message to Jesus to come and heal their brother. But Jesus came ‘too late’. Lazarus has died and was buried four days ago. The whole house was in deep morning. Then Jesus and His disciples finally come. They stay at a place outside the village. Martha goes to see him. Jesus preaches to her and tells her that resurrection is not an event, but a Person. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. At the end of ‘the sermon’ Martha goes home. She tells Mary: “The Teacher is calling for you”. Mary gets up immediately and goes to meet Jesus. Lesson: during all situations, even in grief, First Love goes to Jesus! The Jews who came to visit and to mourn with the sisters, did not understand why Mary went out in a hurry. Lesson: unbelievers will always misunderstand the actions of First Love. Mary loved Jesus but now, she was struggling with some questions about Jesus. Doubt tried to steal her heart. Why did He not heal her brother… Why did He come so late? But when she saw Jesus, she forgot all her questions and doubts. She fell at His feet. That was the place she knew. That was the access to stand in Grace. Faith returned to her broken heart. She worshipped Jesus. That is the only language of love.

Martha “met” Jesus. But Mary “fell down at the feet of Jesus”. Lesson: Even in pains, in doubts, even when she does not understand what is happening, First Love always worships Jesus. Martha received a good teaching. Mary wept kneeling. From that holy place of faith Mary saw how Jesus was weeping. Mary was touched by the tears of Jesus. Mary saw how Jesus was groaning in His Spirit, being troubled. Why did Jesus’ groan like that? Because He was standing in a place of death. God’s perfect plan for man was Life and not death. But man’s sin brough death on earth. Death was man’s final enemy. It was the enemy of Jesus too. Mary saw how Jesus defeated the power of death by His death. She saw how Jesus called her brother back to life again. Martha received a sermon. Mary received the miracle of Resurrection Life. The Jews said that the weeping of Jesus was a sign of Love. “Then the Jews said, “See how He (Jesus) loved him (Lazarus)!” (Jn 11:36). Yes, Jesus loved Lazarus! Jesus loves us! In few days time, Jesus will pay for the miracle of Life for Lazarus with His own life. This is the greater agape Love, first ever Love, no man can give, and no man can take away. Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). “For love is as strong as death” (SS8:6). Mary witnessed the greatest Love of all.

MARY ANOINTS JESUS FOR HIS BURIAL (Jn 12:1-8)

This is the last time we see Mary of Bethany. There is a thanksgiving party celebrating the resurrection of Lazarus. As usual, Martha was serving food. But this time, she did not complain that Mary left her alone. She has learned her lessons. She was happy to serve food to the guests. She was not jealous on Mary. Jesus was in the house and her brother was alive and well. Everyone was in a happy mood. Well, not everyone… Some Jews came to attend the party as spies. They were not happy about the resurrection of Lazarus. Because of the miracle, many people now believed in Jesus. The Jews were planning how to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. They thought that they could wipe away the proof and even the memory of the miracle. Lesson: the unbelievers hate Jesus and His miracles, but they cannot stop them!

As the celebration was going on, Mary did something strange and totally unexpected. She took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil. Mark tells us that “She broke open the jar and poured it on Jesus’ head” (Mk 14:3). Mary did not just gently open the jar. She broke it. Why? Possibly, because she wanted it to be a sacrificial offering. When a poor man offered a dove to God, the priest used his hands to cut off the bird’s head. Its blood was offered on the altar. In the same way, Mary broke the jar so that all its content was poured on Jesus. Nothing will be left for her. The price of the ointment was 300 silver coins. This was a very expensive perfume. It was worth a year’s wages. Some said that she kept it for her wedding day. If that is true, then that day, standing before Jesus, she let go of her romantic wedding dreams. Judas, the traitor, complained that Mary’s sacrifice was too much. She called it a waste. He said that the money should have been given to the poor. He did not care for the poor but as the treasurer of the group, he wanted to steal the money. Lesson: religious unbelievers come to church but in their hearts, they worship Mamon. They hinder the true worship of God. They hate the First Love! Jesus defended Mary’s action. He accepted her sacrificial offering. He said that Mary prepared Him for burial. He also said that the poor people will always be around, but He will not always be with them. The door of opportunity to worship Him will not always be opened. Again, Mary chose to do the best thing!

Question: why did Mary worship Jesus with her sacrificial offering? During the party, Jesus was thinking about the Cross. In six days, He will be crucified and die a shameful death. Martha loved Jesus but she did not understand His loneliness and pain. She was happy because of what she saw: Jesus was in the house and her brother Lazarus was alive. To her, nothing else matters. But as the party was on, Mary sensed the loneliness of Jesus, His pain for the soon coming Cross. That is why she offered Him something prepared for His burial. This is amazing. As everyone was laughing, drinking, eating, singing and dancing, Mary understood the pains of Jesus. Where could she have gained such a sensitivity? Surely, at His feet. Each time she stayed at His feet, she not only heard His words, His teachings, but she felt His breath, His heart, His tears. Lesson: Intimacy with Jesus develops deep spiritual sensitivity. First Love imparts genuine Love, religion knows nothing about. By connecting with His heart, by her sacrificial offering, by her worship, Mary encouraged Jesus. God used Mary to tell Jesus that He is not alone. That the terrible price to be paid to redeem sinners is worth it. This is an amazing moment in the life of Jesus! Paul said: “I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for His body, the church” (Col 1:24). God bless Mary! May God bless all who desire to participate in the sufferings of Jesus and to encourage Jesus! Worship the Lord!

“Down at Your feet, oh Lord

Is the most high place

In Your presence, Lord

I seek Your face, seek Your face…

There is no higher calling, no greater honour

Than to bow and kneel before Your throne

I am amazed at Your glory, embraced by Your mercy

Oh Lord, I live to worship You!”

(By Jonathan Butler)