311. MARY – CRITICIZED BY MEN BUT COMMENDED BY GOD
(The Faith Forum Series – Batch 11)
It dawned on me this morning, while reading a random portion of scripture, that Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus was an example of a woman that was criticized on more than one occasion, while all she sought to do was to draw closer to the Lord Jesus, to listen to his teachings, to glean something from his wisdom, to demonstrate her gratitude for who he was and all that he had done for her and to enjoy close and intimate fellowship with him, as her Lord.
In Luke 10: 38-42 for example, it reads of Jesus:
- “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and 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, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Understandably, Martha felt abandoned. Imagine having a guest, a high-profile guest and in fact, the greatest guest of all, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God the Son, in your house. Imagine that it is you that invited him to come to your home and you are trying your best to put together your most tasty meal and as quickly as possible, so that the Lord is not kept waiting, yet your sister is not helping! She has chosen what seems like the most inopportune time to be sitting, seemingly relaxing, while you feel hot and bothered and stressed.
Martha was no doubt, doing what she did willingly, not reluctantly but she felt pressured either by the magnitude of the cooking that she was trying to do or the short time in which to prepare it or perhaps both. She needed all the help she could get and considered her sister selfish, for choosing instead to sit with the guest of honour, instead of busying or occupying herself in the kitchen. After all, there was so much work to do and it was in service to the Lord!
Yet, when Martha complained about her sister to Jesus, possibly expecting him to rebuke Mary or to end the chat with her so that Mary could join her in the kitchen, Jesus did not do this. Instead, he commended Mary, as having chosen to do that which was more important than preparing a meal for him. Mary had chosen to sit and relax yes but in the presence of the Lord. She had chosen not to busy herself in the kitchen but to sit still at Jesus’ feet, listening and taking in all that he had to say and teach. Spending time in the presence of the Lord and digesting the spiritual food he offered was rated higher by Jesus, than doing things for him and secular things at that, like preparing food for the physical appetite. While what Martha endeavoured to do was good therefore, Jesus rated Mary’s decision as better.
Mary fed spiritually on his every word. In John 6:27, 35 and 54-58, Jesus emphasized the importance of prioritizing, consuming and feeding on the Word (which he was) over fleshly provision. He stated:
- “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst…Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.“
Although Mary had made an excellent choice in prioritizing Jesus and his words over the physical food that was being prepared for him, this did not stop her from being frowned at and criticized by her sister Martha, who no doubt found her to be lazy and selfish. Mary’s devotion to the Lord was misunderstood.
This reminds me of how some Christians today and some of those in the past, have been misunderstood, as they, in awe of him, simply sought to draw closer to the Lord and to spend beautiful time in his presence, learning from him.
Some people feel led of God to give up their gainful secular employment and to take to the mission field so as to prioritize God’s spiritual business but not everyone understands. The Lord, in his sovereignty, may allow a child of his to be without a secular job for a prolonged season, so that that child can spend quality time in his presence, learning from him and growing in him but not everyone may understand or agree. Even as Mary was misunderstood and therefore criticized by her sister Martha, people, including family members and those in the household of faith, may misunderstand what is happening and criticize that child of God.
I can refer personally to my own experience, where the Lord kept the doors to secular employment closed for me in different seasons and thereafter, using that downtime to teach me precious truths from his Word, so that I could grow in his knowledge and grace. As a result of such teachings and my feeling led of him to do so, I outpoured much of what he deposited in me, unto Facebook Ministry pages and this Website, which I opened.
Indeed, most of the hundreds of Articles featured on this page were written during my periods of unemployment, most of them being what I felt the Lord was leading me to write, after having spent time in his presence, studying his Word.
Yet, people not knowing or understanding what the Lord was doing during my periods of unemployment, have criticized me behind my back and to my face, labelling me as lazy, selfish and unproductive. I have been ridiculed, looked down at and verbally attacked, all because I was not busy and up and about with secular work like other normal people. Yet, I was busy doing the work that I know God called me to do, busy attending to spiritual matters which was far more important but people not knowing or perhaps, not caring to know, I received sharp rebukes.
Due to my situation, I spent countless hours, days, weeks and months, studying and meditating on God’s Word and him being the best teacher, he taught me ever so beautifully. While I desired employment and the insulting statements and behaviour of those close to me hurt sore, I continued to spend time in God’s presence and in retrospect, I have no regrets. I realized that it was God’s will for me to have this time away from the hustle and bustle of life, so that I could spend it with him. There were things he needed me to deal with and beautiful truths from his Word that he desired to impart, not just for my sake but for the sake of other women to whom I was to share the gospel or to edify and there was to be no distractions.
Looking back, those seasons spent almost exclusively in the Lord’s presence were the most beautiful times in my life, ever, me completely depending in my weakness, on the Lord to sustain me and to get me through each day and having my ears open to hear what he would have to say to me, from his Word.
People could have said what they wanted (and they said a lot, some of it reducing me to tears) but God is the judge and so I committed everything to him.
Believe it or not, Martha was not the only one who criticized Mary as a result of her heartfelt devotion to the Lord. Later on in John 12: 1-8, after Jesus had miraculously raised their brother Lazarus up from the dead, he visited them and again, a supper was prepared for him.
Not surprisingly, Martha was again at the helm and she served the meal. Mary though was once again positioned at Jesus’ feet, which is indicative of deference and submission and this time, she was anointing Jesus’ feet with an ointment of spikenard.
This ointment was not any old ointment though. It was quite expensive and therefore, Mary could have taken it and sold it, so as to have some measure of financial security. Yet, she did not do this. Once again, she made a choice where she prioritized that which would bring spiritual benefit over earthly or secular advancement.
Having received so much from Jesus, like his forgiveness for her sins, salvation from eternal damnation and an eternal inheritance and having learned so much from him, him having generously imparted his wisdom to her because she was willing to listen and be taught, Mary now desired to give back to her Lord. She was so grateful, so thankful for him, that she desired to give him something precious. She therefore took her ointment of spikenard and made the decision to anoint his feet with it, wiping them with her hair.
This was indeed commendable. For, Mary decided to give to the Lord, that which was costly, selflessly and sacrificially so. Yet, her actions were again met with criticism. What she did was condemned, this time by Judas Iscariot, who, up to that point, was pretending to be a faithful disciple of the Lord.
Him being an imposter and having money as his god, he could not begin to understand such a selfless sacrifice, him not attributing any great value or worth to the Lord and having no real relationship with him. Ironically, he later sold the Lord for thirty pieces of silver, his objective being to benefit and enrich himself.
The Bible states that Judas was a thief and had only said what he said because he was holding the bag, which meant that he was the Treasurer for the money that Jesus utilized. He therefore lamented the opportunity to surreptitiously benefit from the funds that could have been obtained from the ointment, had Mary sold it and given the proceeds to Jesus.
After Judas’ statement, Jesus, knowing the hearts of all men and the thoughts and intents of the heart ((John 2:24; Acts 1:24; Hebrews 4:12), came to the defence of Mary yet again. He did not agree that her sacrifice had been a waste. He had taken note of what she had done and despite the naysaying, was well pleased with it.
Yet again therefore, Mary found herself being criticized for her actions, the intention being to shame her but her actions had met with the approval of the Lord and that was all that mattered!
The scripture reads:
- “Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.”
Similarly, although some of God’s children desire to give costly things that they have to the Lord, them knowing that his worth far exceeds what they are giving and despite them doing it with a pure heart and motivated by their love for him, this does not insulate them from criticism. Those who have ulterior motives or do not have sweet fellowship with the Lord or not to the extent that they have, misread and misunderstand the situation and consider what they have expended for the Lord, to be a great waste. They think that what was given to Jesus could have served some other useful purpose or that there was no need to pour it all out to him, that some could have been kept back.
On two occasions in my life, when the Lord opened a door for me to obtain employment after being unemployed for painfully lengthy periods of time, despite my best efforts, I was so grateful and humbled by what he did for me, that I resolved to give him my entire first month’s net salary. On both occasions, if I recall correctly, this endeavour, although motivated by my love and gratitude for the Lord and what he had done for me, was met with opposition by a professing believer, who knew what I had purposed to do.
This person tried to reason, that I could give a part, that there was no need to give my entire salary but I stood my ground. There was no way I was going to change my mind and no way that I was going to allow this advice to make me back out from what I had purposed in my heart and was therefore determined to do. The Lord had remembered me and helped me, when nobody else, including myself could. I was so very thankful and this sacrifice was the least that I could do.
And so, despite how low my bank account was and the extent of my financial difficulties, despite all of the other things that the money could have been allocated to, on those two occasions, I turned every cent of my net salary over to the Lord, for the advancement of his work. How I looked at it, I had been without employment for so long, that I could afford to go without an income for another month. For me, it was easy to do, due to the extent of the appreciation that I had in my heart for who the Lord was and what he had done.
In summary, the two accounts given of Mary, where she was unjustly criticized for her actions, which were fueled by her love and devotion for the Lord, reminds me that, while a Christian may mean well and have a pure intention, people, including family members, fellow brothers and sisters and those planted in the membership as tares, may misread the situation, choose to not understand, criticize the noble action and label that Christian with all sorts of denigrating and derogatory adjectives, like lazy and wasteful. They may make stinging remarks, even as I have received to my face and behind my back BUT GOD!
God sees and God knows. He is the one that we must aim to please and forget about people and their endless opinions. I have always said, that it is God that has the blueprint for my life, not anyone else. People can say what they like therefore, thinking themselves to be right but we must learn to block out the voices of the masses, so that we can tune in to the voice of God, the only voice that really matters.
Whatever we are purposed in our heart to do for him, especially if we know that he has called us to it or wants us to do it, we ought not to let the dissenting voices and opinions of people distract or derail us. These voices and opinions do not matter!
We would do well to do as Mary did and be purposed to spend time at Jesus’ feet, despite what people think or say. Let them call us lazy because in the fervency of our love and devotion, we choose to spend time away from the busyness of the secular world, so that we can focus on that which is spiritual. Let them say that we are wasteful when we decide to take all that we have, even as the widow with the last two mites did in Mark 12:41-44 and give it to him.
At the end of the day, it is the Lord we aim to serve and to please, not man. People need not understand, as they are not the ones we are serving.
Colossians 3: 23-24 tells us, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
Despite the berating, the insults and the downputting, it is comforting to know, that everything we do for the Lord and unto the Lord, out of a pure heart, selflessly and sacrificially, receives high commendation from him.
Romans 14:4 comes to mind when it comes to those who are critical of the Lord’s servants, as they simply seek to serve him. It states, “WHO art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.”
Romans 8: 31, 33 to 35 and 37 also states:
- “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, WHO can be against us?…WHO shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. WHO is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. WHO shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
Interestingly, as I drew to a close and sought to temporarily copy and paste this Article unto another page where I had saved information to be uploaded to the Website, I found something I had written over eight months ago on 17th October, 2023, which fits perfectly in with this topic. I have therefore decided to add it here.
I wrote:
People are passionate about politics, passionate about money, passionate about romantic relationships, passionate about their car, passionate about their looks, passionate about their talents, passionate about their children.
They’re passionate about climate change, passionate about world days, passionate about national holidays, celebrations and festivities. They’re passionate about weddings, passionate about culture, passionate about celebrities and Hollywood, passionate about fame, getting ahead and popularity.
They’re passionate about their pets, passionate about health issues, passionate about social media and passionate about home making. They are passionate about parties, passionate about pleasure, passionate about vice, passionate about movies and intoxicating substances.
They’re passionate about religion, passionate about aliens, passionate about other planets and passionate of what lies beneath the sea. They’re passionate about intellectualism, passionate about education, passionate about their jobs and passionate about promotion.
They’re passionate about entertainment, passionate about race. They’re passionate about history, travelling and passionate about food.
People are passionate about all sorts of things and all sorts of causes. Why then must I be scoffed at, if I am passionate about Christ? Leave me alone let me be passionate about my Lord. Leave me alone let me be passionate, fixated even, about the things that pertain to Him.
Call it fanatical. Call it strange. I don’t care. Of a truth, Jesus is the only one worth being passionate about. Everything else will fade and those with their passions, will one day part from them but Jesus will remain. He is the only yesterday, today and forever. He alone is excellent, pure, faithful and strong. By the grace of God, may I be passionate about my Lord for as long as I live. May this never change and should I ever begin to slip due to the many useless distractions in this world, may the Lord in his mercy and grace and faithfulness, restore me to my devoutness. May all I ever see, above all the other passions in this world, be Jesus my Lord.
(Written on 02nd July, 2024)
