Tuesday, 5 January 2021

Who was Rebellious? Martha or Miriam?

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In Luke 10:38 we see a short story about Mary and Martha. Martha invited Yeshua into her home as Yeshua was teaching and speaking, Martha was making with all of the preparations of being a good host. This story gives teaches so us many things. But, there is one thing on which we should focus right now.

In terms of identity, this story is very interesting. This is a story of contrasting identities. We also see identity being demonstrated in two ways. Martha our host, and the one who invited Yeshua into her home was keeping in line with her identity-that is a mistress or a woman of control and work. This was part of who she was. Whenever we see her in the scriptures she is being practical and working in some way. She has a gift of hospitality and uses it.

Martha remained focused on the work because that is who she was. But, Yeshua shows us that this was not who she was supposed to be. She thought she was working for Yeshua ...

On the other hand, Mary or Miriam was serving her identity in different way. Mary, whose name originating in Hebrew, was being rebellious. This is in fact what her name means.

How so? You may ask. Didn't Yeshua say that Mary has chosen the good portion (verse 42). And, the answer is yes. Miriam, by sitting at Yeshua's feet was being rebellious. She was rebelling against a number of things like tradition and society and in another very real way, she was rebelling against her own identity.

She encountered Yeshua and this encounter led her stop and focus on Yeshua. It leads us to understand something about our identity in Yeshua. As a body of believers, we often look for a finished product before we deal with the individual. We end up focusing on the work or the act of fellow believers rather than the person. This tends to lead us in the direction of valuing people based on their work.

Yeshua was able to look over the work or the act to focus on the value of the individual based on their creation. It wasn't a view to see what value the individual could provide him. Instead, it was what he could provide the individual for the sake of kingdom.

When we are acting within our identity in Yeshua, we are called to be able to do the same. It leads directly into one of the main lessons of this passage. It's about noticing Yeshua and being relational.