Fellowship Is Needful

Let me tell you a story.

A long time ago, a woman hosted a Man in her house. She had heard that He was passing through her small village in Bethany, and she decided to open her doors to him. She envisioned the appetizing platters she would lay before Him. She fantasized about making Him feel at home and showing Him the women in their village were hardworking and hospitable, able to make even strangers feel comfortable.

That Man was Jesus, and the host, Martha, lived with her sister, Mary.

As soon as Martha received the news that Jesus would visit her house, she set off to the market, her basket in her hand.

She bought lentils, grain, and cumin. The salted fish in her fireplace would make a great combination for her lentil stew and cumin seasoning. And she had already kneaded some dough in the early hours of the morning. She would put that on her fire stones to bake as soon as she got home. But she doubted the dough would be enough to make bread for the men that went about with Jesus. Hence she bought more grain.

Standing in front of an old man’s shade, Martha carefully bargained the price of a half measure of dates and a half measure of pomegranate. She would serve them a combination of the dried fruits after the main dish.

As she approached the end of the busy market, she met some of her friends and joyfully told them she was expecting a special guest. Some thought she spoke of a suitor, but none bothered to ask her any details.

On entering the narrow street to her house, she got words that Jesus had already arrived. His disciple sat across the pounded mud floor, but they didn’t look dusty. Mary must have given them water for their feet before settling herself at the Master’s feet.

“Master, you came!” Martha exclaimed and sat beside Mary.

“You look well, Martha.” Jesus smiled at her, and she blushed. Martha looked at the disciples, greeting them one after the other. Some of them were sullen, and Martha remembered her plans to spoil them with good food. After all, they didn’t have any woman going about with them, and she was sure their faces would brighten up after she served them.

Half an hour later, sweat trickled down Martha’s face as she hastily worked the grinding stone on the grains she had bought while lentils boiled aggressively on the fire. Martha could hear some words of the teaching happening in the room. Still, she was more interested in finishing up her cooking and serving Jesus and His disciples.

Meanwhile, Mary sat, glued to Jesus’s feet, her head hung in awe as she looked up at Him. She drank in His aura and chewed on every word He said as though her next breath depended on them. Sometimes, Mary furrowed her brows in confusion. Other times, she tilted her head for a better view of the Master, and yet other times, she let out a smile from the corner of her mouth from grasping things the Master said.

‘How can one Man have this much knowledge?’ Mary thought to herself. Even the rabbis in the synagogue never explain scriptures this way. But this friend of hers taught the scripture as though He was present when every word was written. After months of being with Him, even his disciples still paid rapt attention to His teachings. The young woman was blown away!

The faint sound of grain getting crushed beneath the grinding stone could be heard from the kitchen. But then it stopped, and the kitchen was silent. Clay dropped to the ground and smashed into small pieces, and Jesus paused for a few seconds. Everyone was taken aback as Martha stumped out of the kitchen, visibly furious and sweating.

“Mary, you should come and help out in the kitchen!!” Martha pressed her lips into a firm white line, the smell of smoke diffused from her clothes into the room

“But the Master isn’t finished yet.” Mary appealed, her gaze darting from Jesus to Martha.

“Master, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the serving myself?” Martha further protested, turning to Jesus.

“Martha, you worry yourself about frivolous things. Only one thing is necessary, and that is what Mary has chosen. I tell you, it will not be taken from her.”

Dear Believer,

I politely interrupt your adventure to tell you that going to church, being ‘in the workforce,’ and sowing seeds are not enough. God needs you to stay with Him like Mary and get spoon-fed by His Spirit.

Don’t get me wrong, fellowshipping with other believers is very important. But whatever building and growth you’ll experience in your faith walk will have to come from going into your closet, personalizing the truth you hear in church, and staying with God through prayer and the study of the Word.

Upon receiving strength from fellowshipping with God, you can then go about the Lord’s business, knowing that it is powered by the Spirit of God Himself. So, I urge you to be less like Martha: less concerned about the real substance of the truth of Christ and laden with the weight of proving a point with deeds and church attendance. Be more like Mary: prioritizing fellowship and communion with God through His Spirit.