“WHAT DID JESUS SAY ABOUT MOTHERHOOD?” Lk. 10:38-42
INTRO – There’s a war going on against women in our world today. Not using this terminology the way the liberals in America use it, when they suggest that the war against women is when we as Christians stand against abortion & stand up for the lives of unborn children. That’s not a war against women – It’s a war against innocent helpless children who are being murdered in what should be the safest place in the world – their mother’s womb.
No, the war I’m talking about is a literal war against women across our world, where women & girls are seen as nothing more than 2nd rate citizens, as the property of men, & easy targets for abuse of all types. Over the past few wks, we’ve seen news reports of the extremist Muslim group, Boko Haram, & their kidnapping of schoolgirls across Nigeria, forcing them into slavery & all kinds of horrendous activities. It is a tragedy of worldwide proportions & must be stopped.
It is so sad to see this type of thing happening around our world, esp when it is done in the name of some religion or belief system that teaches that women are inferior. I want to be very clear in saying that our God would never lead us to do anything to abuse girls or women in any way. He created women, just as He created man. Ladies, you are made in the image of God, you are beautiful, & you need to remember that! You know that the word “woman” originated in the Garden of Eden, b/c when Adam saw Eve for the 1st time, he said, “Wo-Man!”
The beauty of women is amazing, & I’m not just talking about physical beauty. Unfortunately, in our society, that’s what gets emphasized the most, leading to a lot of insecurities, depression, & discouragement. The true beauty of you women in seen in:
- your seemingly unending source of strength;
- your unbelievable patience & perseverance;
- your unwavering faith as you pray for your kids, if you’re a mom, esp when they are wayward kids for a season; How many of you are thankful for a praying mom???
- your unusually strong sense of perception & discernment;
- your unequalled tolerance of pain – There ain’t a man here today who could give birth to a child!!!
I know sometimes you feel like you’re overlooked, neglected, & unappreciated. And, unfortunately, sometimes you are. I know it seems like your work is never done. Story of a teacher who gave her class of 2nd graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does. The next day in a written test, she included this question: "My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I?" Almost half of the students answered the question with the word “Mother.” How many of you moms can identify w/ that?
Or maybe you feel like the mother of three notoriously bad kids who was asked whether or not she'd have children if she had it to do over again. "Yes," she replied. "But not the same ones." Sometimes you just have days like that.
Well, today we want all of you women to know that you are appreciated. You are special. You are extremely important to your family, to this church FAMILY, & to our community. Those of you who are moms have the huge privilege to impact your children’s lives & your families’ lives in ways that can possibly last for all eternity.
I want to share w/ 3 encouragements for all of you ladies. I know I may not be the most qualified to give advice to women. But let’s let the Scriptures here speak & let the Lord Jesus speak into our hearts. I recognize that this passage is not dealing specifically w/ mothers, but it certainly has some principles that touch moms, & other women, & men, too.
From Martha we learn: Be hospitable & busy – v. 38, 40a – Jesus had a special friendship w/ Mary & Martha, & their brother, Lazarus, whom Jesus would raise from the dead. So it’s not surprising that Mary & Martha would open their home to Him as He came through their village. It was a privilege & honor for them. And it was a needed restful pleasure for Jesus since He was about 6 months away from going to the cross, & the opposition & persecution against Him was growing. He rarely got to stay in a home, & probably rarely got a home-cooked meal. So this was a blessing for Him at this point in His life & earthly ministry.
So, Martha kicked it into high gear, working her fingers to the bone to show Him some great hospitality. Hospitality in biblical times was extremely important & much different that in our day. Today, hospitality means having a few friends over for a ballgame & throwing something on the grill. Jesus & His disciples depended entirely upon the hospitality of others as they moved from town to town in ministry. Early Christians depended on the hospitality of others, too, when they traveled. It meant safety as the roads were dangerous. It meant comfort b/c there were very few inns for them to stay in, & poor Christians couldn’t afford to stay in them anyhow. Hospitality was commanded, commended, & was a much-needed ministry.
Today, in our culture, hospitality seems to be diminishing. It is interesting that in the culture that Van & I experienced in Kaz, the hospitality that we experienced was amazing. Beyond anything I’ve experienced here.
Many of you ladies, & some men, are much like Martha. In fact, many of you probably suffer from the Martha Syndrome. You willingly open your home, showing Christian hospitality in the most wonderful ways. In fact, that is exactly what you & I are supposed to do w/ our homes. Just like all our other earthly possessions, God has given us our homes to be used to minister to others, to show the love of Christ to others, & to share the Gospel in word & deed whenever possible.
- 1 Pet. 4:9 – “Show hospitality to one another w/out grumbling.”
- Rom. 12:13 – “Share w/ God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
- Heb. 13:2 – “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some have shown hospitality to angels w/out knowing it.”
It’s important that we be busy & that we work hard to show Christian hospitality. We need the Marthas of the world. We need the folks who can “put the big pot in the little pot” & show genuine Christian hospitality. And Martha definitely shows us that.
From Mary, we learn: Be attentive to the teachings of Jesus – v. 39 – In this story, we see 2 distinctly different personalities. We see 2 completely different responses to Jesus’ coming into the home. While Martha jumped at the opportunity to cook a big meal for the Lord, Mary jumped at the opportunity to sit at His feet & listen to Him talk. The tense of the verb here tells us that she was sitting right in front of Him at His feet, actively listening to Him, seemingly hanging on every word He said.
How desperately important for us in our lives today that we sit at His feet & listen attentively to His words! This is one of main reasons we are taking this entire year & staying in the Gospels every Sunday AM – WE NEED TO HEAR FROM JESUS! Mama, you need to hear from Jesus so you’ll have what you need:
o When you’re up in the wee hours of the AM w/ a sick child
o When you’re dealing w/ your child being bullied at school
o When your teenage daughter is being pressured to have sex
o When your teenage son is beginning to show signs of depression
o When your college-age child is struggling w/ career decisions
o When your adult child is having marriage struggles, or when their spouse is diagnosed w/ cancer, or when some sort of addiction invades their life
We ALL need to hear from Jesus! His words are life! We need to say what Peter said in John 6. Many people were turning away from following Jesus, & the Lord asked His disciples if they were going to leave, too. Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
In a Scandinavian country there is a beautiful statue of Christ that stands in a town square. The statue is noteworthy because the face of Jesus is not visible to those who stand in front of the statue. When a traveler complained, “I cannot see His face,” a man replied, “If you wish to see HIs face, you must kneel at His feet.” Mary shows us the importance of doing this.
From Jesus: Be willing to stop doing what’s good for what’s best – v. 41-42 – I like to write things in the front pages of my Bible. First thing I ever wrote: “Busyness in the King’s business is no excuse for neglecting the King.” This is exactly what Martha was doing, & this is exactly what Jesus as trying to teach her in this moment. As important as the hustle & bustle was, she was missing the “one thing” that was most needed – to simply be w/ Jesus.
Busyness is killing us. It’s hurting our families. It’s hurting our friendships. It’s hurting our churches. It’s hurting the mission of God in each of our lives. It’s hurting us at the very heart of our walk w/ Christ. The level of our frantic activities makes us feel like we are very spiritual, when, in reality, we are empty inside b/c we are no longer making the time to simply be w/ Jesus. And sometimes, the pace of our lives causes us to completely miss Jesus as He calls to us. Actual conversation last week at FAITH: “Do you want to trust Christ to save you?” “I’ll get around to that later. I know I need to, but just not right now.” Disastrous consequences of busyness.
Mama, can I tell you that it’s ok if you stop & spend time w/ Jesus? We can all fall into the Martha Syndrome. We can all find ourselves consumed w/ all that we THINK is so important that we have to get done, to the point that we lose touch w/ our best Friend. We can call kill ourselves doing “good” things that we fail to enjoy the “best” thing – an intimate, growing love relationship w/ Jesus.
So just STOP & spend time w/ Him. And when you STOP & do that, He will bring these 4 things to you:
- Soundness – sanity may be a better word! 2 Tim. 1:7 – “God has not given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, & a sound mind” (or self-control, or sound judgment).
- Truth – In those moments w/ Jesus, He will teach you HIS truth about who you are, how much you mean to Him, & what His plans are for you. John 8:31-32 – “If you hold to my teaching, your are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, & the truth will set you free.”
- Opportunities – Eph. 5:15-16 – “Be careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, b/c the days are evil.”
- Peace – John 14:27 – “Peace I leave w/ you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled & do not
