There's Something About Mary

Well, if you've made it past that possibly unsavory title referring to a somewhat inappropriate 90's movie I applaud you.  There is something about Mary, though, and it's my sincere hope we can all learn something from this insightful and dedicated follower of Jesus.  First, let's establish which Mary we're looking at.  This is not the big "Hail Mary," mother of Jesus, nor Mary Magdalene who gets her fair share of spotlight in the gospels.  This is Mary of Bethany.  Know who I'm talking about?  One of the sisters of Lazarus?  The Mary of "Martha and Mary?" I see the light bulb above your head illuminating; the one who sits while her sister Martha runs around getting dinner ready?  Yeah that Mary, and there is so much more to her than simply being set in contrast to her sister.  Perhaps you read my last post and remember her mentioned as the one who anointed Jesus.  Honestly, before beginning that research I hadn't even realized she was related to Lazarus.

Obviously, Mary lived in the time of Jesus' presence on earth, in the town of Bethany, which was located a couple miles outside Jerusalem to the south of the Mount of Olives.  She lived with her siblings, Martha and Lazarus.  Although the family business is unknown, it can be inferred that they were at least somewhat of a wealthy family considering they had a home large enough for Jesus and His followers to comfortably enjoy a meal, had many mourners weeping for Lazarus (some of whom may have been professional mourners as was the custom for wealthier families to hire), and Lazarus was buried in a cave, which meant they could afford to both purchase the land as well as having someone hew out the shelves for the bodies within.  This also seems to make more sense that Mary would have access to the Nard she used anointing Jesus, although it would still be a very extravagant item to have on hand even for a moderately wealthy household.  She is mentioned by name in both Luke and John's gospels and is referred to anonymously in light of her act of anointing in the gospels of Matthew and Mark.  There are three distinct stories and in each she is found at Jesus' feet.  This is a woman I need to get to know.

Let's re-familiarize ourselves with the story of Martha and Mary from Luke 10: 38-42:

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 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.”

This passage is typically presented with a "chill-out Martha" vibe.  Stop running yourself crazy with the details and check your priorities.  However, it was the women's typical role to be preparing the meal and, with a sizable number of guests, I don't find it unreasonable that Martha would expect more help from her sister.  Jesus, though, speaks to heart motivations not simply actions.  Notice He doesn't even comment on how hard Martha was working in her preparations, but speaks straight to her motivations being "anxious and troubled about many things."  So, where is Mary?  When we look at this story through a Mary lens, we see a woman that is so intent upon Jesus' teaching, she has become oblivious to the tasks around her.  In contrast to Martha who can't get past the tasks at hand to enjoy Jesus' teaching, Mary is so enveloped in Jesus' words that everything else has fallen away.  How often am I distracted by the million things on my to-do list and miss opportunities to just be with the Lord in His word?  As the mother of four I've jokingly remarked that I'm like a shark and if I stop moving forward I die.  I think that is an accurate picture of many of our lives in the age we live.  We have intentions to fit in some time for the Bible, right after we write this one email, text this one person, run this errand, make this important call, and/or check Facebook.  Jesus said Mary chose the good portion; Mary chose Him in that moment above anything else she could be doing.  When was the last time we allowed ourselves to be truly swept away in His word amid the noise of our busy lives?  As a mom I relate to Martha's drive to serve others, but our service should not be done out of duty to our positions, rather as an extension of the love we receive through intimacy with Christ.  Jesus shows us that what we do with Him is far greater than anything we could do for Him.  Like Mary, let's make studying at His feet a priority in our hectic lives.

John 11: 1-44 tells the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  To paraphrase, Mary and Martha send Jesus a message saying their brother is ill, and Jesus quite literally takes His sweet time and waits a couple days before heading out to Bethany.  True to her character Martha runs out to Jesus the moment she gets word He's nearing their town.  Mary waits at home until she is told Jesus is calling, holding with eastern tradition, then takes off out of the house so quickly the mourners gathered there follow thinking she might be going to weep at the tomb.  When she sees Jesus she falls at His feet and cries, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."  Jesus sees her weeping and is "deeply moved in his spirit," asks where Lazarus has been laid, and weeps himself.  Then He goes to the tomb, prays, and gives Lazarus a shout-out, which he does albeit mummy-style still wrapped in his burial clothes.  (I beseech you to take a minute and actually read this in your Bible because God's words are powerful and mine are not.)

Mary waiting to be called was a part of custom, though I was struck with how it echoes Jesus' words just a chapter earlier in John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."  Do we wait patiently for Jesus to call, or attempt to charge ahead with our own plans?  Are we prepared to run to His voice wherever He may lead?  Mary heeds the call and runs to Him, and once again we find her at His feet.  She doesn't play the blame-game, but she simply tells it how it is.  If Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died.  She speaks to Him plainly and truthfully.  Jesus is deeply moved by this display of faith.  This is how I want to pray.  I want to speak words of truth that come from the very core of my being.  It doesn't need to be long-winded or lofty, just true and full of faith that I can trust my Lord to respond with what is best for me.  Mary doesn't tell Jesus to hurry up and bring Lazarus back.  Oh, how many times have I told God Almighty exactly how He could fix my problems?!  How many times have I prayed my will in His name instead of trusting Him that whatever He decides is best?  Like Mary, let's pray at His feet earnestly and openly, but leave the "how" up to Him.

Jesus' anointing at Bethany is found in Matthew 26: 6-13, Mark 14: 3-9, and John 12: 1-8.  Since I'm sure you still have that Bible handy from looking up John 11: 1-44 and since I covered the scripture of this event in John in my post on smell, I'm going to leave it to you to re-read those passages.  Did you do it?  Remember you're only cheating yourself here...  Alright, did you notice that the John passage seems to expound upon the events in Matthew and Mark?  In my research I found that John was written after the other gospels and there are a couple possible reasons why he chooses to name Mary where she had remained unnamed in the previous accounts of the anointing.  One reason, and this can apparently be applied to other eyewitnesses of Jesus listed by name in the New Testament (not just John), is that these are people who were involved in the early church in Jerusalem and their names would be well known.  I like the idea that this account would be read and someone could have recognized Mary's name and gone to ask her about her experience personally.  Another possible reason I found was that earlier omissions of Mary's name may have been for her own protection.  John tells us that the chief priests had a plot to kill Lazarus because many were coming to believe Jesus by Lazarus' testimony.  Protection of Lazarus' family may also be why his story is only found in John's gospel.  Perhaps before the time of John's gospel they needed "protective anonymity."  I digress...

Back to our mentor, Mary.  Mary pours out this extravagant gift upon her beloved Lord and teacher, but what motivated her to do it?  Why then?  Why hadn't she used it previously as part of Lazarus' burial?  I don't know.  It was obviously God's will for the anointing to take place with all the significance behind it, but I'd love to ask her someday what prompted her to take that particular opportunity.  Sometimes we're called to things that don't make much sense in the now, but have infinitely more significance in the bigger picture.  Writing this blog is one example of that principle being played out currently in my life.  I don't know exactly why I'm spending hours of my limited free time researching and writing and publishing out into the void of cyberspace.  But, I feel called to it and want to pour myself out fully for my Lord, and I trust He has a purpose in the bigger picture.  What area of your life do you feel Him calling you to act out in faith, even if you can't foresee the results? Would we still be willing to act if we knew it would bring immediate criticism, as it did in Mary's case?  She had barely popped the top on that Eau de Nard and those present were indignant at such an expensive "waste" that could have gone to other causes.  It has taken me years to be able to begin this blog.  It took me over two months to draft my first post and then another three days agonizing over whether I would actually publish it.  I have been paralyzed by the fear of criticism.  Not so much the constructive kind as much as the seemingly insurmountable who-are-you-to-write-this kind.  I feel completely inadequate to the task, lacking all kinds of formal training I feel I need to fall back on, but God says His grace is sufficient for me because His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12: 9).  So I'm just gonna ride that out.  Jesus commended Mary for what she did and said, "wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."  What stories do we want to leave of our lives?  What will be your legacy?  Like Mary, let's worship Him with all we can give and not allow fear to rob us of our gifts.

Mary of Bethany was always at Jesus' feet.  She was there studying, petitioning, and worshiping.  She was there in joy and in sorrow.  She was there regardless of what anyone thought of her for being there.  It's a place of humility and intimacy and even greater power.  Jesus, may we spend all our lives and lay all of our blessings at your feet, give us faith to trust You with it all.                            





Still need to learn how to correctly credit sources within a paper (boasting gladly of my weaknesses?), but until then, here's my sources for this post:

Bible, English Standard Version Study Bible

Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg

John Courson's Application Commentary, New Testament

Daily Life at the time of Jesus by Miriam Feinberg Vamosh

Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham

The MacArthur Bible Commentary by John MacArthur