John 12:2 - So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.
Lord thank You for yesterday. It was such a blessing and encouragement. I set my eyes upon You as we step into this new day and new work week. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
As we head out on the journey today, we find Jesus back in the town of Bethany, six days before the Passover feast. We know from having the completed New Testament this would be the last week of Jesus' life. Jesus knew as well, but still we find Him attending a supper that made for Him.
In today's verse what jumped out was, "and Martha was serving". I've read this many times in the past and it never stood out before. This time however as we stopped to dig in, the Lord led me over to Luke 10:38-42.
Luke 10:38-42 is the first time we see Martha and Mary. Jesus had gone to Bethany and it says Martha welcomed Him into her house. This is also where her sister Mary was sitting at Jesus' feet, while Martha was working to serve everyone who was there. So, in this text it was verse forty that jumped out.
Luke 10:40 - 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.”
Did you catch the, "But Martha was distracted with much serving."?
Now look again at what jumped out in today's verse. "and Martha was serving".
Both situations have the same people involved. Jesus and the disciples are there. Martha and Mary are there. Food and drinks are being served. However, there is one thing that is missing. Martha's distractedness and frustration.
What changed?
The only thing we can see different in these two situations is Martha's focus. In Luke we see she focused on herself and her sister not helping her. In the verse today we see the focus is on Jesus and Lazarus.
"So they made Him (Jesus) a supper there, and Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him (Jesus)."
Christian, where are you focused in all your church attendance, serving, outreach, good deeds, etc…? Sure, the right, proper, Christian auto-answer is going to be "Jesus!", but here's something else to think about. Is Jesus your focus or is He just the goal? Goal being: the end toward which effort is directed.
Why do I ask that?
Because in Luke, Martha's goal was serving Jesus, but her focus was on herself. Whether consciously or subconsciously this was ultimately about her. In the verses today it starts with, "So they made Him a supper". From the beginning it was all intended for Jesus, so when it came to the serving, the heart behind it was already set on serving Jesus, not on self. The goal was serving Jesus and the focus or heart behind it was serving Jesus.
Beloved, before you head into your day, into serving, into doing what's right, going to church, sharing that social media bible verse, stop and talk with the Lord. Ask Him to search you and reveal to you the focus or intentions behind your serving, doing good, etc… Let it not just be in Jesus' name, let before for Him from start to finish. Let your goal and focus be aligned! Just be intentional to check regularly that your focus in what you're doing is Jesus and not deep down about yourself.
Well, that's all for today. Have a great week. Be the Berean and jump into the Word today and let God show you directly what he has to say.
You are loved. You are prayed over. You are not alone.
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