A TALE OF TWO SISTERSTHE STORY OF SERVICE AND LISTENING TO GOD

A PRESENTATION BY JOSHUA FARINHA, DANIEL HO, and VINNY LOPOPOLO

MARTHAMEET

SHE COOKS

SHE CLEANS

AND SHE MAKES SURE HER GUESTS ARE

ENTERTAINED

And then there’s…

MARY

This is what she does.

SHE EATS

SHE SLEEPS

BUT…

SHE DEVOTES THE REST OF HER TIME INTO LISTENING TO JESUS.

Summary

• Jesus and his followers arrived in Bethany and were greeted by Martha. (Lk 10:38)

• Her sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to him while Martha served him. (Lk 10:39)

• Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her. (Lk 10:40)

• Jesus tells her Mary has chosen the right thing to do. (Lk 10:41-42)

Reflection

• Do you think it was fair for Jesus to chastise Martha for serving him?

• How do you think Martha felt?

• How do you think Mary felt?

• Who do you think was doing the right thing?

In-Depth Analysis

• Sitting at His feet– Sitting at His feet implies that he is her

master and teacher.• Scholars believe it was against Jewish culture to

teach Women the Torah.• Makes this an extremely radical move.

Analysis Cont’d

• Story demonstrates the importance of women– Women at the time were not considered as

important as men• Jesus came for ALL of us.• Author centers the story around a man (Jesus) and

two women (Martha and Mary)

Analysis Cont’d

• The Story reminds us to:– Avoid distractions and worries

• Jesus rebukes Martha for being “anxious and worried about many things” (Lk 10:41) and not focusing on what’s truly important.

– Balance listening to the word of God with serving Him

• Mary realizes that the word of God is just as important as servitude.

• Jesus teaches us that we must focus on listening and get distracted by trivial matters.

Works Cited

• http://www.biblebb.com/files/KSS/kss-martha.htm

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_Bible#Mary_and_Martha

 • http://gbgm- umc.org/UMW/jesusandwomen/marymartha.stm