We can learn valuable life lessons from Jesus’ greatest disciple. People would argue who the greatest disciple was. There are some that would argue for Peter. He obviously was the leader of the Apostolic band, and so it would seem logical that Peter would be that person. Some would suggest the apostle John, because John’s identified for us, of course, as “the disciple Jesus loved.” I would argue for Mary of Bethany, and I think as we go through the five lessons that we’re going to see, we’ll find things that Mary can teach us that will transform our life. Certainly, it transformed her life. Not only that, but in her example, we can find disciplines that we need to apply every single day.
Receive the gift with gratitude.
In Luke 7:37, we meet the woman. “Behold a woman… .” She’s not identified but we know that it’s Mary of Bethany. So here’s a woman who is “a sinner, when she knew Jesus out at the Pharisees house, she brought an alabaster box…” An “alabaster box” is mentioned three times in the New Testament. It’s very important, and very expensive also. “She stood at His feet behind Him, weeping, and began washing His feet with her tears. She wiped them with the hairs of her head. She kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment.” You remember the story. Luke 7:49, “Those this sat at the meal with Him began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this that forgive sins also?’ But Jesus turns to the woman and says, ‘Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.’” That’s our first lesson. Receive the gift of cleansing and eternal life.
Keep your priorities straight.
Make sure His word is a priority. Luke 10:38, “It came to pass as he went, that He entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house,” dealing here with, of course, the same family. “She had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus feet.” One of the things you’ll notice in the five passages where you find Mary, she’s always at His feet. It’s the position she chose to take, a position of submission, a position of humility. Notice that she was “sitting at Jesus feet and listening to His word.” He’s teaching. She’s drinking in the word.
Also notice Jesus statement in Luke 10:42, “Only one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen the good portion.” The word that he uses here is the same for “dish”. Martha was worried about preparing the physical food to satisfy the physical hunger. Jesus is portioning out a good “dish,” and Mary realizes that which is the good portion, and notice “shall not be taken away from her.” There are several things that will never be taken from Mary, and this will be the second. The first being the gift she received of cleansing and eternal life. Now she’s receiving the word. So the idea here is keep your spiritual priorities straight.
God’s Word is much more important than my works.
Martha’s word about the works. Mary is focused on the word. God’s word is more important than my works. Mary chooses the best portion — His word, which feeds her soul and nourishes her not just for time, but for eternity. Again, we’re going to see some things that she’ll never lose. This is part of how she got there. She got there because she kept her spiritual priorities straight.
Walk in His Light.
When God “hides His face,” fall of His feet and surrender. Or you could say, when the night is darkest, walk in His light. John chapter 11 is a very well known passage. After Lazarus has died, Jesus shows up. John 11:28, Martha goes and calls Mary her sister, saying, “The master has come and is calling for you. As soon as she heard that, she rose and came to Him.” Notice John 11:33, “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping that came with her, He groaned in the Spirit, and He was troubled. And He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’” We need to learn never to doubt in the dark the things we believed in the light. This is something that I think Mary is teaching us here, because what happens here in her dark hour is what’s going to lead us to the brightest time of her entire life.
Never to doubt in the dark the things we believed in the light.
God dredges out our soul to get rid of the rubbish so that He can fill it with His treasure. And it’s something of inestimable value. Fellowship is not based on understanding what God is doing, but trusting in who God is. I don’t understand what He’s doing many times in life and you won’t either. But do we trust who He is? Do we trust that He is faithful? Do we truly trust that He is good?
Do the work that will impacts eternity.
John chapter 12, first eight verses, “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was that had been dead, who was raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper, Martha served. Lazarus was one of them. Was one that sat at a table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of ointment, spikenard very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with Her hair.” Isn’t it interesting? We see her when she meets Him and when she bids Him farewell, doing the same thing. She “wiped His feet with her hair and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.”
I will just point out to you that in Mark 14 it tells us, “… she broke the alabaster vial.” You remember at the beginning in Luke seven, she bought it in alabaster box; she didn’t break at that time. She saved it. Why did she save it? Why did she break it? Here you will find that she broke the alabaster box and Jesus makes an interesting statement. “Everywhere the gospel goes, what this woman has done would be remembered.”
Mary of Bethany had traveled with Mary Magdalene. She traveled with Salome. And as she traveled with them, she heard Him at least three times. Do you remember what He told the disciples? “I’m going down to Jerusalem, and I’m going to be betrayed. They will betray Me into the hands of the Gentiles, and I’m going to be crucified, and I’m going to rise again on the third day.” You know what? None of those disciples believed Him except one person. And that’s why Mary of Bethany anointed Him. As Jesus says, “She has anointed me for my burial.” She knew what she was doing. She knew why she was doing it. And the point is, do the works of faith. Do the works of faith when all others can do is doubt.
Rest in the promises of God.
Mark 16:1, “When the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought sweet spices that they might come an anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of week, they came to the sepulcher, the rising of the sun. They said among themselves, ‘Who will roll away the stone?’ They looked and saw that the stone was rolled away; it was very great. Entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right, clothed in a long white garment, and they were afraid. He said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him.’” You say, “Wait a minute! We’re supposed to be learning lessons from Jesus greatest disciple, and she’s not here.” We’ve got Mary Magdalene, we’ve got Mary, the mother of James. We’ve got Salome. Where’s Mary of Bethany?
Mark 16:10, “They went and told those who had been with Him. They mourned and wept. They went when they had heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, and they did not believe.” “After that,” verse 12, “He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked in the country.” This is the road to Emmaus incident. They didn’t believe them either. Verse 14, “Afterwards He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the meal, and He rebuked them because of their unbelief and hardness of heart.” So what is the lesson that Mary teaches us in this last episode? She teaches us by not being there. What are the disciples doing? We know that Peter and John were hiding in the upper room, possibly with others. They’re all afraid. “The Roman soldiers are going to break in. They’re going to cease us. We’re all going to get killed. All of our hopes have been dashed. The Savior is no more. We thought he was the one.” You’ll remember the guys on the road to Emmaus, “We thought he was the one that was going to deliver us. I guess we were wrong.” They’ve lost all hope. They’ve lost faith. They’ve lost courage.
Where do you think Mary is right now? Can you just picture her sitting quietly at her home in Bethany anticipating Sunday morning, “He told us He would rise from the dead. And I know He’s coming back.” That’s the lesson she teaches by her absence. She’s not panicked. She’s not grieving. She’s rejoicing. Whenever life seems the darkest, the most difficult, the most painful, that’s the time when we’re being asked the question, “What are you going to do?” We run screaming to God, “Change this, fix that, do this.
There’s something else He’s saying, “What are you going to do with what I’ve given you? What are you going to do with where I’ve placed you?” That’s the decision that we all have to make. Are we going to seeking or are we going to pursue Him? Are we going to make Him the most important priority in our life, or are we going to pray for God to fix everything? When He doesn’t fix it, “Well, it just shows God doesn’t answer prayer. I don’t believe in Him” and then spin off into a life that is completely worthless. Why? Because God didn’t jump to my command.
It always comes down to that personal relationship between ourselves and the Lord. The lesson from this one? Rest in absolute confidence and assurance in the promises and the prophecies God has given us. Rest in the promises of God. Hebrews 4:11 puts it this way, “Let us therefore labor enter into that rest.” How can I find the rest in the turbulent time I need to “labor” today? So when the turbulent times in the darkness come, I can be at peace. Because I know He’s in control and He’s faithful.
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