Jesus cares for women

Modern Bible critics often attack Christian teaching for its ideas about the role of women. They point to the Scriptures as their evidence, usually the Old Testament. However, Jesus elevated women. He had women friends and supporters. Two of them are described in John’s Gospel:

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. (John 11:1–2)

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. (John 11:5–6)

Before describing what happened next, I cannot leave out the well-known account of Jesus and His disciples having lunch at Martha and Mary’s home. Luke’s Gospel describes how Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to Him;

But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

But the Lord answered her, “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 10:40–42)

When this passage comes up in a Bible study for women, those gifted in serving often defend Martha. After all, someone had to make lunch. However, being busy in the kitchen was not the point; she was distracted by it and upset with her sister. Not only that, she was telling the One who created the universe what to do about it!

I’ve been in her situation. Something needs to be done and no one is doing it, so I get on my high horse and tell God to mobilize people, to do something. Or I jump in with both feet because I’m angry no one else is doing it — without asking the Lord first to make sure He wanted me to do it.

I’ve also been in Mary’s place, but not with a good attitude either. I see the women in the kitchen and think they are using the dirty dishes to avoid what is really important. Blah, blah, blah. This short story of lunch at M & M’s house has much to say to me . . . such as serving with anxiety is not the way to serve. It’s far better to first sit at His feet, find out what He wants done, then get to work. I am not His boss.

However, when their brother became ill, Martha’s faith is revealed:

So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:20–27)

Martha had saving faith. She “tipped over” that day in the kitchen, but this time she focused on Jesus and His identity and powerful promises. John wanted his readers to know that.

Perhaps Luke wanted his readers to realize that even with faith, there are times when believers operate in the flesh. The evidence is obvious in our words and actions. I can be hard at doing something but resentful toward others for not helping me, and telling Jesus what to do instead of listening for Him to tell me what needs to be done.

Martha is a strong reminder that I can sometimes lapse into trusting my own ideas instead of paying attention to the teachings of Jesus. Mary chose to listen to Jesus during that situation, but that doesn’t mean she was a perfect saint. We all fail and even cause others to stumble, yet these women were graciously treated. Jesus was gentle with Martha and encouraged Mary. He is like that, and not at all against women.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, in every situation You prove that You know my struggles and how to meet my needs. You speak to my heart when I sit at Your feet. When I tip over, You gently restore me. When I am confused or misunderstood, You clarify things. You are my champion when I think biblically and You gently poke me when I don’t. You are my Savior who never puts me down because I am a woman. Instead, You build me up and continually remind me of Your love and grace. I am a child of God, beloved forever and secure in Your care.

When God is silent

Certain people have been on my prayer list for years. Some of them are not yet saved and because God must do that saving work in their hearts, I’ve prayed and prayed. For a few, He has answered and lives have been changed, but for many of them, nothing happens. God is silent.

The story of Lazarus begins that way. Martha and Mary knew Jesus well. They knew His power and that He cared deeply about them. When their brother became ill, Jesus was the go-to guy. He could easily heal Lazarus, but . . . .

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. (John 11:5–6)

Jesus lingered . . . in silence. And in that silence, Lazarus died. Most know the rest of the story. Jesus went to the tomb, called this man’s name and, “The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth.” At that, Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:44)

For Martha and Mary, this silence and Jesus’ slowness in coming meant a greater thing than they could imagine. Both of them knew that the dead would rise in the resurrection at the end, the last day. As they wept for their brother, they still trusted Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Yet both of them reasoned that had He arrived earlier, Lazarus would not have died. At that point, they thought they had lost their brother, but they did not lose their faith in Jesus.

In today’s devotional, Chambers asks, “Has God trusted you with a silence—a silence that is big with meaning? God’s silences are His answers.” Chambers adds that one wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness gets into me — increasing my confidence that He has heard me; His silence is the proof that He has.

I’d not thought of God’s silence that way. It seems more like a ‘no’ or at best a ‘wait’ yet as soon as I read this, I knew it was true. This silence regarding some of my prayer is an assurance. As Chambers says, when I assume the greatest blessing from God is a ‘yes’ answers to my prayers, He will bless me in that way, but I will miss out on the blessing of silence, the blessing of knowing Him well, of knowing that His silence is a deeper thing than what I once thought.

He is teaching me that prayer is to glorify Him. He is also teaching me that silence is connected to intimacy. I can sit with Him, walk with Him, even pray to Him and hear nothing — simply because I now know that He is with me, loves me with an everlasting love, and I can bring Him glory by retaining strong faith in Him, even when He says and does nothing. He is who He is, and that is enough.