SERVING AND BEING SERVED.
“A certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving.” Luke 10:38-40.
In the tenth chapter of Luke is recorded the beautiful incident of the two sisters, Mary and Martha, entertaining the Saviour as a guest. They differed quite widely in their ideas of how they should best use the opportunity thus afforded them. “Martha was cumbered about much serving.” She objected to the course her sister took in improving the time by listening to the instruction of Jesus, and wished him to cause her sister to help her.
What was this serving that so occupied the heart and hands of the busy sister? The German translation signifies, “Martha was very busy serving Him.” So the busy service of Martha was not for self, but for her Lord. Could anything be more noble? Could anything be better? Ah, but Jesus says, “Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” What was Mary’s part?—It was being served by her Lord. Was that more pleasing to Him than the other course? Would He rather serve somebody than to be served Himself? That is just what He came here for, and what could please Him more than to be allowed to do the very work He came here to do?
Listen: “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Mark 10:45. Tired, weary, laboring soul, is the leading characteristic of Christianity, as far as your knowledge and experience go, hard labor in bearing burdens for Christ? How much we have to say about serving the Lord, and, O, the heavy burdens that many seem to bear for Christ! Yes, there is a service for the Master, but if the consciousness of the fact that we are being served constantly and lovingly by our Lord, does not far outweigh all our thoughts of the service we are doing Him, there is something lacking in our experience. Let us talk less about how we are serving Him, and more about how He is serving us.
That was the good part that Mary chose. She was eating of the food that endureth unto eternal life. This would not, like the meat that perisheth, be taken away. But Mary’s service of the Master was proven, by the costly sacrifice that she afterward brought, to be equal to any that her sister Martha could have made. The box of ointment, that represented at least a year’s hard work, broken and poured upon the feet of her Lord, showed plainly that she was willing to serve, but she must be served by the Master, and this delighted both Him and her too. He has said: “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15. What close and tender relationship!
Christ set us an example that we should do as He has done to us. So when we go forth to mingle among the people, we shall not go to be ministered unto but to minister. Possessing the Spirit of the Master, this will suit us better than to have the people serve us so studiously. This serving others while at the same time being served by the Master, will be better than telling so much about our serving Him, while at the same time we are being served and pampered by the people.
