Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
Throughout the Old Testament, it was common for the prophets to perform miracles – such as Moses parting the Red Sea or Elijah calling down fire from heaven – to prove that they were, in fact, God’s instruments.
But herein lies the distinction between the prophets and Jesus.
Jesus is not an instrument of God; he is God. The fact that God has taken on flesh, fulfilling nearly 300 Old Testament prophecies, and is now standing in the midst of his people is itself the miracle.
(Not to mention all of the healings that Jesus had already performed).
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Doubling-down on his position, Jesus mentions two Old Testament figures whom people recognized as being God’s instruments without having to perform miracles.
The Ninevites recognized God’s warning in Jonah, and the queen of the south recognized God’s wisdom in Solomon.
In both cases, it was the person who was accepted as being a divine representative; not any miracle they performed. “And there is something greater than Solomon here,” Jesus says.
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So, what does this mean for us?
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If we want to understand God, then we must understand Jesus. Study his teachings. Live his Word. Emulate his heart. Place your life in his hands.
This would be the greatest “miracle” of all, which God desired for the crowds that day, and for us – not some physical healing or parting of the skies – but developing a friendship with his Son, “who has loved us and given himself for us.”
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Image credits: (1) Grace Evangelical Society (2) Christ and the Pharisees, Ernst Zimmerman (3) Pantocrator, Sinai
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Last week, we heard the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan. Today, it’s the saga of Martha and Mary. It’s easy to conclude the message is simple: work is good, prayer is better.
But with scripture, there’s always another layer, a deeper lesson to be learned.
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Let’s consider this from Martha’s perspective. While hosting the Lord, she loses her cool – and I’m glad she does. Often enough, we can be Martha, too.
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Imagine the scene.
Martha is moving around the kitchen for an hour or two, banging pots and pans, slamming drawers, cutting vegetables while mumbling under her breath, hoping to catch someone’s attention.
Seemingly after being ignored, she storms into the dining room red-hot mad finding her sister, Mary, who hasn’t lifted a finger; rather, she’s seated, listening attentively to Jesus.
Interrupting their conversation, Martha bursts out, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?”
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Martha just made several mistakes.
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First, she accuses Jesus of not caring about her burdens. “Lord, do you not care?”
The disciples threw the same jab at Jesus while they were caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the night. Waking a sleeping Jesus, they howl, “Lord, do you not care that we are drowning?”
After accusing Jesus of not caring for her, Martha blames someone else for her anxiety. Somehow, it’s Mary’sfault.
“My sister has left me by myself to do the serving!” This, she presumes is the problem.
Then Martha polishes off her cocktail of complaints by telling Jesus what to do. “Tell her to help me!”
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Have we ever sounded like Martha? Have we complained to Jesus, accusing him of not caring about us? Or being deaf to our cries?
And like Martha, have we told Jesus how to solve our problems? … “Lord, just do this, this, and this and I’ll be fine.”
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What’s the root cause of Martha’s anxiety, and at times, our own?
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She loses her focus.
At least that day, Martha was motivated more by duty than by love.
“Martha, Martha,” Jesus says. “You are anxious and worried about many things.”
The root of the verb, “worry,” means, “to strangle; to seize by the throat; to tear.”
Martha has choked all the love out of her work. In that kitchen, she sees a mess. Water boiling on the stove; vegetables half cut on the counter; flour on the floor; an absentee sister; and a whole lot of “things” to be done with so little time.
What Martha could’ve imagined instead was:
The Lord’s voice humming beneath the boiling water; God’s empty stomach soon to be filled by those vegetables; his impending gratitude for a meal well served; even Mary’s appreciation for allowing her to listen to Jesus while Martha prepared the meal.
Everything Martha did in that kitchen could’ve been done out of love.
Her work is sacred. The home is sacred. Most importantly, her guest issacred. But she’s so focused on “what” she’s doing, as opposed to “why” she’s doing it, that Martha chokes all the joy out of hosting the Lord.
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At times, aren’t we the same way?
Maybe you do more housework than other members of your family; you tote the kids around town; you do more dishes; you attend more sports practices and games.
Maybe you care for an ailing spouse or parent. Another day of phone calls, doctor visits, and pharmacy runs can feel like a drain on our time.
Maybe you drive into the city and work full, tiring days, and sometimes come home feeling unappreciated by an otherwise busy household.
If we focus solely on the tasks that we’re doing – driving, cleaning, childcare – as opposed to why we are doing them, then, understandably, we can feel taken for granted; tired; frustrated.
But when our primary motivation is love, the mundane suddenly becomes beautiful; fulfilling.
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Like Martha, has a blessing become a burden? Do I need to re-order my focus?
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“Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her,” Jesus says.
The better part isn’t necessarily long hours spent in prayer while neglecting other duties; the better part is recognizing that Christ is behind everything we do.
Whether sitting at his feet.
Or cooking in the kitchen.
He is there.
So, do everything in love.
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Image credits: (1) Shutterstock (2) Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, Vermeer (3) Pantocrator, Sinai
Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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What’s at stake in today’s Gospel passage is the very identity of Jesus. After this clash with the Pharisees – the religious leaders of his day – a plot to kill him will develop.
“See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath,” the Pharisees say to him. Why was keeping the Sabbath so important to the Jews? Conversely, why was violating it so infuriating?
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It set the Jews apart from other nations. Thus, remaining faithful to it was an expression of national identity and loyalty to the God of Israel.
Moreover, according to the prophet Jeremiah, the Jews’ failure to keep the Sabbath was a primary reason why Jerusalem was invaded by the Babylonians in 586 BC, why the Temple was destroyed, and why the Jews were sent into exile.
Keeping the Sabbath holy was not merely a matter of private devotion; it was also a matter of national security. What Jesus’ disciples did by eating grain on the Sabbath was akin to burning the national flag.
Insulting, scandalous, even dangerous.
Yet, Jesus allowed them to do so, because he claimed to be, “Lord of the Sabbath.” A claim making him equal to God.
To Jewish ears, this would’ve been blasphemous; they only understood God as one. As it’s written in the Book of Deuteronomy, “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!”
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So, what might this mean for us?
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Summarizing the words of C.S. Lewis, Jesus cannot be merely a good moral teacher. In claiming to be equal to God, he is either a liar, a lunatic, or LORD.
Who do we say that he is?
If we believe that he is LORD, then we should honor him accordingly – above all by worshiping him on the Sabbath.
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Image credits: (1) RedeemingGod.com (2) Jesus Among the Wheat Fields, Where (3) Wisdom International
