John 12:2
There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.
Our personal understanding of our spiritual standing with God is made manifest in our day to day activity. How we believe and what we believe are directly related to how we act and how we live our lives. Are we workers like Martha, or are we partakers like Lazarus? This is the question.
What you are about to read may come as a surprise; it may even rattle your sails a bit, but that’s a good thing. It is time to flip the world upside down. It is time to turn our theology inside out and reexamine how we interpret scripture. It is time for us to read the Bible through a Jesus filter and begin to truly understand what the Good Book teaches. So I’ll ask: are you ready?
Martha is a worker. Martha is always doing something. Most of the time she’s preparing a meal. Have you ever asked yourself the question why? I’m sure you’ve heard it said (as have I) that Martha is an example of a good working servant for the Kingdom of heaven. “If the church had more Marthas it would be a better place.” But I don’t believe that’s the correct way to interpret scripture. (Guilt and obligation come from this kind of interpretation.)
While it is a fact that Martha served Jesus and had a Kingdom mindset, we have to examine her motives, the reason behind her service. A look at Luke 10 shows us that Martha’s service, though extremely helpful, was done to gain approval from the Lord out of a legalistic sense of duty. (Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”) That kind of service is not what God wants from people. I call it “me-centered service”, and though it goes to benefit the Kingdom, it’s all about the server and not truly about the King.
Then there’s Lazarus, the man who was dead and is now living, sitting at the table with Jesus. Why isn’t he making dinner? He was, after all, just given a second chance at life! Lazarus is a picture of the grace-led Christian. I’m sure that He did wonderful things for the Kingdom as time went on, but he also recognized the fact that nothing he did for Jesus would make Jesus love, respect, or honor him any more than He already did.
Lazarus realized that the work had been done; his life had been made new. He realized that there was nothing left for him to do in this world except commune with Jesus, receive the fullness of His love, and live. That’s an awesome realization: there is nothing left for us to do in this world except commune with Jesus, receive His love, and live!
Martha, though helpful, was consumed with her works. Do you think she ever enjoyed a meal with Jesus? I don’t. I’ve been a chef and understand all the hard work that goes into preparing a meal. I understand how that hard work takes away from the wonder of the meal when it’s finally time to sit and eat. Poor Martha, she missed out! She never understood that Jesus came to give her rest, not require more service from her. Jesus didn’t need her food in order to enjoy dinner; He was the food. Lazarus understood that Jesus was the way, the truth, the life, and the resurrection. He had firsthand knowledge of death under law and resurrection to a new life under grace.
Friends, we need to be Lazarus Christians. The Bible tells us that we are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We need to accept His rest, His provision, and His unmerited favor in our lives and stop trying to earn what has been freely given.
**Service in the church is necessary, but can’t be done out of compulsion or guilt. That is the point. Serving Jesus should never feel laborious, difficult, or annoying. True Kingdom service can only begin after you realize that you have the right to sit down with Jesus and simply enjoy His company and fellowship.**
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