Captivated By Our Savior

There was the frantic clanking of pots and pans, the harsh sound of broom bristles against dirt floors and the hearty aroma of hot vegetable soup and freshly baked bread in the air. The roughness of dirt residing on skin and beads of sweat collecting on one's brow was visibly apparent.

 

Jesus was here to visit!

 

There was so much to do, in so little time!

 

In all the chaos of the preparations, there was but one heart that yearned to catch every word that slipped from her Savior's tongue. Determinedly, she fixed her eyes on His gentle face. His countenance was soft, yet strong.

 

 

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."  (Luke 10:38-42)

 

 

Mary was captivated by her Savior... she was enraptured by His love for her and she yearned to prove her affection in a tangible way. Mary, in an earlier chapter, came to Christ with her alabaster jar. She anointed His feet with her tears of repentance and wiped them with her hair.

It has been assumed, by many others, that Mary's alabaster jar was her dowry. A dowry was something she would give her husband if or when she was to be married. In addition, Jewish women in those days never let their hair down in public. Only on their wedding nights did they show themselves in that manner. Truly, Mary unashamedly exposed herself in the presence of her Savior. She desired Him to understand the genuineness of her adoration. In Mary's eyes, Christ was the only thing on earth that mattered most to her.

 

Now, on the other hand, Martha was not all wrong in her service to Christ. Often, life calls us to be busy with responsibilities and to carry out specific duties, whether it is school or work. But Scripture clearly states that Martha was "distracted". How many distractions are set up or forth coming in your own life? Repeatedly, we fill up our calendars with a considerable amount of "good things" but end up distracting ourselves from what really matters most to our Savior, which is a heart ultimately after Him.