Transcription

Connor
You’re listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun and practical ways.

Chris
Hey, Jeff. Hi, Chris. It is good to be with you today in the studio. I was afraid.

Jeff
You weren’t going to say anything. What do you mean? I was looking at you and you were looking at me and.

Chris
Yeah. So just. Just in case our listeners don’t know, we don’t really script much of anything, but.

Jeff
We don’t think about this at all. Stuff just comes out of our mouth, and we’re not even thinking about it.

Chris
Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t think it’s important.

Jeff
It’s very important.

Chris
It’s just that we think it’s better not to script things.

Jeff
That’s right. Right.

Chris
That’s right. So it’s a it’s a it’s a choice. Yeah.

Jeff
And I mean, maybe we’re questioning whether or not even if we did write it out, whether it mean anything significant. Right. Sometimes I don’t understand why these listeners keep coming back.

Chris
That’s true. It is true. But by the way, that’s actually a great segway into our segment today.

Jeff
Exactly.

Chris
Because today, Kyle, because Desiree is out. So Kyle put together a social media minute. Yeah. We’re actually he collected some comments, which by the way we love comments. We love.

Jeff
Comments. They’re the best. Yeah.

Chris
And so people who have written in he wants us to highlight some of these and we’ve not read them yet. There you go. So I’ll read one. You want to take the next one after I read this one. Okay. So this one’s from Pat. Pat. Oh Pat says this. We like comments and we’ve been seeing lately and.

Jeff
We didn’t say this. My my bad bro. That’s the part that says we like my bad.

Chris
Here it is.

Jeff
Ready. Exactly. Proof to the previous point that we don’t think we didn’t.

Chris
We didn’t read it. Yeah. My bad. Okay. Well there’s no space here. Yes. You see how there’s no headline space.

Jeff
See that. Yeah. Yeah.

Chris
Okay. Kyle. Yeah that’s okay. So Pat says what a wonderful discussion. It truly helped to clarify things. I listened to you both and I’ve learned so much.

Jeff
Oh baby I listen to you both daily. She said oh wow.

Chris
And I’m very happy you decided to do this podcast.

Jeff
Oh thank you Pat.

Chris
Oh, that’s very nice. You know what? I honestly, truly do believe that those those comments helped me get up in the morning and come to do this. Me too. Because I’m actually really busy. Yeah, and I know you are too.

Jeff
It takes up a lot, especially right now, right? We’ve been doing a lot and a really busy time.

Chris
And so I appreciate people saying that it’s actually beneficial.

Jeff
Yeah, because after a while you just start to wonder does it matter. Yeah. Right.

Chris
Well yeah you always wonder. And so you get feedback.

Jeff
Right. And there’s so many people, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people a day are paying attention, which is special. Karen H says very interesting episode. I learned so much about the life of Jesus from you guys, which is cool. Yeah, right. So if you don’t know in the podcast, if you’re new, we are just going through there’s about 250 events that happen in the life of Jesus. And we’re just going from event to event to event in order. Yeah. And because the Gospels aren’t written in order. So we’re kind of harmonizing the Gospels. We’re going chronologically, all 250 events. And so that’s kind of neat. So she’s learned a lot about Jesus okay.

Chris
And so this one is from William F and says, and only with the Bible guys can you listen to grown men cracking up at 5 a.m. as they exchange bubble blowing stories and laugh along with them? Well, there you go. Hey, I appreciate that.

Jeff
Very profound.

Chris
And I remember that episode too.

Jeff
And it’s a very deep stuff that we cover here, right? That’s right. Only only the finest and most sophisticated that we deal with.

Chris
That’s great. We were surprised that each of us had blown bubbles recently.

Jeff
Yes. Yep. Yeah. Goofy.

Chris
Funny because grandkids and me. Just because I’m just.

Jeff
Because you had an excuse. I was having fun doing it, but I had an excuse.

Chris
I’m cleaning my garage. I found them, okay.

Jeff
Lisa H says Jeff hilarious. With a big laughing with with laughing emoji, laughing with tears. It’s not just a laughing emoji, it’s the laughing with tears emoji with the head cocked sideways.

Chris
Right?

Jeff
That’s the extra laugh. And then let’s keep it there. And then there’s a blow your nose and yawn. I believe I understand laughter is so good for the soul. The two of you enrich my soul every day and I’m so very grateful.

Chris
So what is the what is the blow your nose and yawn thing mean? Is that is that a is that a comment that I’m boring?

Jeff
You kept sneezing and yawning that day, remember? I think that’s what she’s talking.

Chris
What do you mean? That day. How do you know? This is rise.

Jeff
And yawn every day.

Chris
You don’t know when this was written.

Jeff
It’s every day. You’re sneezing and yawning.

Chris
Okay, Jeff. That’s hilarious. Then you get. You get a really good face, because that’s a good face. Then she says, let’s keep it there. And then she implies two things that I’ve done sneeze and yawn. Yeah.

Jeff
Now. So let’s keep it there. Implies it’s one of the times where we almost said something we shouldn’t say, and we decided that. Let’s keep it there. That was funny. Then you were sneezing and yawning.

Chris
Well, I’m guessing I want to go on record and say, Lisa, it’s a good thing I have good. I have good self esteem. What?

Jeff
She. She thinks it’s funny. That’s good. Yeah.

Chris
Well no she says Jeff you’re hilarious.

Jeff
Well it’s I get it. I totally I totally get it.

Chris
You actually didn’t know what to say there.

Jeff
I totally get it. No, I understand.

Chris
I’m totally kidding. Lisa, thank you for writing in.

Jeff
Yeah, let’s just keep it there and.

Chris
And let’s just keep it there. Lisa. No, honestly, I cannot help to yawn. And I’ve only sneezed a couple of times. Yeah, in fact, I don’t think you’ve ever sneezed.

Jeff
I don’t remember, boy. A couple times ago in the studio, I felt the whole time like I was going to sneeze and didn’t.

Chris
But you held it in.

Jeff
I held it in. That’s not.

Chris
Even possible.

Jeff
It’s just. Well, I’m a master of my own domain. Okay. Yeah.

Chris
There you go. Sorry that I haven’t mastered the ability to not sneeze.

Jeff
I told you how to get rid of hiccups.

Chris
Guess I’m a lesser then kind of a guy.

Jeff
I told you how to get rid of hiccups. And it works for sneezing sometimes too.

Chris
No, it does not.

Jeff
It does. I’m not lying. Not okay. Here’s my secret.

Chris
Believe anything you’re saying? Nothing. Zero.

Jeff
So he was hiccuping in one of the things, and I told him as we were coming to the studio. This was a few weeks ago, and I said, so any time you have hiccups, if you want it to go away, you just have to think, I am not a fish and I don’t know why, but it makes it stop. And same thing with sneezing. Yeah, I think there’s something. It’s a different side of your brain.

Chris
I’m going to try that next time and then come back and say, oh that.

Jeff
Was the best advice you’ve ever received.

Chris
The worst thing I’ve ever tried.

Jeff
I’m telling you, Doctor Jeff has the answer. So anyways, that idea, you know, laughter is so good for the soul. Did you know the Bible says that that laughter is is good?

Chris
Like it does say that. Yes, it’s good.

Jeff
Like a medicine.

Chris
And in fact, Ecclesiastes says that the goal in life should be to laugh. One of the things.

Jeff
One of the goals. Yeah, yeah. Just so learning to enjoy life and enjoying the people that you’re stuck with. Yeah, I mean, that you’re with is always a good idea. There it.

Chris
Is again. There you.

Jeff
Go.

Chris
He’s so clever. Okay. Because you’re the guy who got the smiley face with the tears on it. Yeah, with.

Jeff
The head tilted sideways. I mean, that’s the particularly good. It’s the.

Chris
Best. It’s the best one. It’s the best one of all the emojis.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah.

Chris
Top. Well good for you for doing the best emoji. Maybe I’ll have.

Jeff
Kyle print it off.

Chris
For you. Print it off and.

Jeff
We’ll put it in a frame and we’ll put it up on my wall in my office.

Jeff
Okay.

Jeff
So this is one of those stories today in Luke chapter ten. It’s the only passage that shares this story. Bethany is the town. Bethany is just over the hill of the Mount of Olives. Right. So if you’re heading towards the eastern gate of Jerusalem, there’s the there’s the. The Garden of Gethsemane is down in the bottom of the Kidron Valley. Then it goes up the hill, and that that whole side of the hill is what we would call the Mount of Olives, kind of facing towards Jerusalem. And then Bethany, you crest it and Bethany is on the other side of that hill. So it’s a, what, an hour walk outside of Jerusalem, maybe. And it’s only because of the hill and the hills in the valley. Right. It’s not really that far. Maybe a mile or two, a couple miles.

Chris
It certainly doesn’t look that far.

Jeff
It’s not very far. It doesn’t feel very far. Yeah. So Jesus is really close to Jerusalem is the point here. And he’s with his friends. And these are two, two of his three best friends apart from the disciples. So the Bible says, as Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he taught, but Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me. But the Lord said to her, my dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details. There’s only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it and will not be taken away from her.

Jeff
Wow.

Chris
There’s about ten sermons wrapped up into those.

Jeff
Go for it.

Chris
Okay. Number one, you could. You could do. Oh, absolutely. Maybe not a ten week series. That’s a little exaggerated, but you could definitely pull out a four week series just from this one passage. Yeah. We’re talking.

Jeff
What, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 five verses. Yeah yeah yeah for sure.

Chris
Yeah. So so let’s talk about who Mary and Martha were. So my my note in the Life Application Study Bible says Mary and Martha both love Jesus on this occasion. They were both serving him. But Martha’s thought. But Martha thought Mary’s style of serving was inferior to hers. She didn’t. Well, guess I thought this was going to explain who they were. But this does not. She doesn’t realize that that in her desire to serve, she was actually neglecting her guest. Are you so busy doing the things for Jesus that you’re not spending any time with him? Don’t let your service become self serving. Which is a comment right there, right? Yeah. Jesus did not blame Martha for being concerned about household chores. He was only asking her to set priorities. Service to Christ can degenerate, degenerate, degenerate into mere busywork that is totally devoid of devotion to God. Yeah. So? So. Wow.

Jeff
Yeah. Have you ever been. My mom is this way. Sometimes she’s just fussing over every detail.

Chris
Oh goodness gracious. Absolutely. Well, we did small group last night, and when almost.

Jeff
Everything is done, she grabs like a cloth and she’s wiping. Yes. And I’m like, that’s the third time you wiped that, right? But it’s just like, how to move that cup over here. And oh, that napkins not folded. Right. You know, and it’s just it’s just it’s why it’s more work. Yeah.

Chris
Well by the way, I just saw TikTok yesterday. Where where this guy was making poking fun of his wife a little bit and he said he goes, this is how my wife thinks that every house guest is going to behave. And he comes walking through the door and he’s pretending to be the house guest. And he goes, hey, he goes, thanks for having me in your home. And then she turns and he runs up the stairs and goes inside the bedroom and sees the son’s bed not made. And he goes, I knew it, I.

Jeff
Knew it.

Chris
Right?

Jeff
Which is hilarious. I knew it, I knew it. These people are slobs.

Chris
Right, right. Which was just.

Jeff
So funny to me. And I just thought like.

Chris
That is that is sort of my wife a little bit where she. We had small group last night and she was like, can you vacuum this, vacuum this, wipe this, do this. I’m thinking, wow, that’s that’s a lot, you know? But we’re going to do all of it, right? Yeah.

Jeff
So to kind of put it in perspective, Mary is the oldest sister. Yeah. There’s Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Yes. And apparently this is Mary’s home. I mean, Martha’s home, Martha’s home, because it says she invited Jesus to her home. And, you know, when you invite Jesus, he has, like, 12 of his closest friends come with him. So this must have been a substantial home. This must be a woman of substantial means to invite 13 guys into the house all at the same time. And then Mary is the younger sister, and then Lazarus. Mary, Martha and Lazarus are famous for another story that we’ll talk about. Pretty soon. Yeah. Pretty soon. Yeah, yeah. But in this instance, you know, it was expected in Jewish culture to take good, good care, extravagant care of your guests. That was an expected thing.

Chris
And by the way, still exists today. Yes. Right. So us having guests are nothing compared to nothing the rest of the world. Well, most of the rest of the world.

Jeff
Yeah, but especially in the in that Jewish culture in the Middle Eastern culture, man alive, they’ll just my friend Abdul, his mother, every time we go to her home, she lives in a little tiny house, a little tiny village. I mean, she has a brick home, and it’s not a super prosperous community. Most people are pretty poor and struggle. But when we go to her home, she cooks enough food. You know, there’s only four of us there, but she cooks enough food for the whole village, it seems like. Right. And it’s because. Oh, well, you might want two bites of this and you might want a bite of this, and, hey, try a bite of this. Right, right. And she just cooks. And it’s because is that’s what they do is they just go overboard with extravagance of caring for their guests. And of how many times do we see Jesus in different people’s homes all throughout Galilee? He’s in people’s homes, whatever. But Mary and Martha, they seem to be famous just for their hospitality. Mary, Martha and Lazarus. So they seem to excel. Especially Martha seems to excel beyond in their hospitality to to Jesus. Right. And so there’s nothing to be ashamed of in that, that she works hard and she’s proud of her work. But she’s frustrated with Mary because Mary’s not working. And have we ever been there before? So. So there’s a note here. It says many older brothers and sisters have an irritating tendency to take charge. A habit developed while growing up. We can easily see this pattern in Martha, the older sister of Mary and Lazarus. She was used to being in control, and the fact that Martha, Mary, and Lazarus are remembered for their hospitality takes on added significance in this culture. Jeff
And then she feels like she’s worried about the details and she wants to please, she wants to serve, she wants to do the right thing. And some of this may have been driven by cultural expectations. She wanted to be the hostess with the Mostess, right? Right. It may not been so much about Jesus, because the correction Jesus seems to give is Mary. She’s hanging on to the thing that will never go away. And that’s me, right? And you seem really concerned about just being the best host, right? Right. That may have been the issue. It wasn’t that she was trying to serve. It was that it was her position in perhaps as the as the server, because it seems to be the correction Jesus is giving there.

Chris
I have a tendency to give Mary a lot more grace or excuse me. Yeah, Martha, a lot more grace here because because the way that that note read is that it said she’s the one used to being in control. But but older children also have to take the responsibility, right. So if there’s nobody left. And so they’re used to saying if I don’t do it it doesn’t get done. So there’s a little bit more grace here for Martha. And and it doesn’t tell her intent. She could have wanted to do all this just so her guest, Jesus, would have been absolutely pleased. And maybe for her, she was wrapped up in saying, this is the way that I’m going to serve Jesus the most. Because, you know, it’s funny because so I have I have a mom who’s an Italian cook. Okay. And so so I’ve been I’ve been trying to eat well, okay. So this past time I went home and I’m, and I’m, I get to my mom’s house at like 10:00 at night and she goes, what can I make you? And I’m like, I’m like, mom, I’ve already eaten. And I’m. And I’m not going to eat at 11:00 at night, you know, and certainly not what you’re going to make me. Right. Because what she’s going to make me is really bad, right?

Jeff
4000 calories, all carbs.

Chris
Yes, yes. And gladly. Hand it to me. Right. And but but the thing is, sometimes I have to actually let her feed me. Sure, sure. And so in the morning I got up the next morning, and this went on for several days in a row. And so I knew I was going over to Liz’s mom’s house for breakfast. But I’m staying with my mom and and she goes, let me make you something. And I know my mom and I. And I thought to myself, if I don’t, it’s kind of like that Middle Eastern culture we’re talking about, right? If I don’t Mediterranean thing. Yeah, if I don’t, if I don’t let her feed me, she’s not going to feel like she has loved me and served me right. And for me to go, oh, mom, these eggs are just the best eggs ever. And if I don’t do that, she she’s not going to feel like she has really, really given herself to me because that’s what she wants, man. She wants me to say, man. Mom, you’re the best cook ever, right? Yeah. And so I tend to give Martha a lot of grace here. So I think that maybe Martha was trying to serve Jesus in her own way. That was wrong. Right? But.

Jeff
But I don’t think it is wrong. I don’t think it’s wrong. Because when Jesus healed Peter’s mother, well, she immediately got up and goes, makes dinner for everybody.

Chris
Right? But but what I’m saying is the thing the serving him wasn’t wrong. But but yelling at Mary was the wrong part, right?

Jeff
It’s a motive thing.

Chris
Yeah, right. Yelling at Mary, saying like, hey. Help Mary to serve you like in the same manner in which I’m serving you and what Jesus is saying. Martha, what you’re doing may be fine. What Mary is doing is better.

Jeff
Yeah, except I think what he’s challenging her on in verse 41. And I think we’re flip sides of the same coin here. But he says, my dear Martha, so he feels affection for her, and he knows that she has affection for him. Right. That’s a pretty that’s evident. That’s a significant phrase, my dear Martha. He doesn’t say ma’am.

Chris
Yeah, well, that’s that’s the most significant phrase, my dear woman. Yes. Yeah.

Jeff
And so he’s calling her by her name and calling her dear. So there’s an affection there that goes beyond a social hostess. Oh, she’s inviting the famous guy in town to to visit. And he says you are worried and upset over all these details, but there’s only. Right. Yeah.

Chris
Which still could be a good thing.

Jeff
Yes, except there’s only one thing worth being concerned about. So it seems like he’s challenging more her motive for the details because he doesn’t challenge Peter’s mother getting up and cooking for him. Yeah. Right. Right. So the caring for Jesus and the fussing over Jesus, that’s fine. He doesn’t correct the woman who comes eventually and breaks the the oil on his feet and cries over his feet and his tears. So that’s really extravagant, right? And I think Martha is being extravagant here, but she’s frustrated going, this is a time to work, not to listen. And what happened is her eye was off the guest. Right. So so her eye was on the work and not on the guest. Right. And that seems to be the challenge there. Right? So so I think sometimes we get so caught up in the process that we forget the purpose. We forget, we forget the person.

Chris
There’s no question that is the lesson, right? Right. So so she is. And by the way, I liken this to well, you can liken it to a lot of things, but it is the person who goes to God or excuse me, goes to church, serves church. Maybe they do small group on Wednesday nights, you know, maybe they attend church, maybe they serve in a in a pantry of some kind of a food pantry. And maybe they’re just so busy, busy, busy, busy. And yet their relationship with their Heavenly Father is almost nonexistent. Right? Right. So so they and it’s because perhaps they feel like doing is is the priority over being right. Right, right. So doing is you know, it’s it’s there’s a lot caught up in it doing like doing makes you feel better about yourself. Right. Doing also alludes guilt. Right? Right. So some people are like, I’m so unworthy, I have to pay my penance and do. That’s right. Right. And so doing is I mean, it’s wrapped up in a lot of good things, but a lot of things that are sort of connected to other things. And so and so people do for a lot of motives. Right, right. But yet at the same time, their intent, their heart is just ignorant. It’s not bad. They still think doing is a good thing. And so like people who who serve, they go, look at me, I’m serving. And then Jesus is like, yeah, but you’re missing the whole thing, right? You’re missing the whole thing. I’m in your house. I perhaps I won’t be here again. And by the way, there’s.

Jeff
No record one more.

Chris
Time, right? There’s no record. Oh, he comes back. Oh of course. Yeah. For the for the famous story. Yeah, yeah, yeah of course. Yeah. Duh. But but you know, but the bottom line is, is these are special moments. Yeah. Right. You have me right here and in all these details. They’re good details. Yeah. Because. Because yeah, Peter’s mom does serve me. The woman does serve me. You know who breaks the alabaster fairness?

Jeff
If if Martha didn’t make sure dinner was cooked, it literally says a big dinner she was preparing. Yeah. So if she didn’t prepare it. What were they eating that day? Because it only records two times that Jesus took sack lunches and fed lots of people. Right, right. So the rest of the time, people actually had to cook. And you got to remember back then, you didn’t just run down to Nino Salvaggio and buy a bunch of pre-made stuff, throw it in the oven.

Chris
Rewarm it. You threw a local reference.

Jeff
Right, right.

Chris
So, by the way, Nino’s grocery store.

Jeff
There it is. Yeah.

Jeff
So so you don’t just run down to a fancy grocery store and have a bunch of pre-made stuff and pop it in the oven and rewarm it. So if you’re going to have chicken, she had to go butcher a bunch of chicken this morning, right? Right. A bunch of chickens. If they had lamb, they had to butcher the lamb today. And, and and people didn’t just hand food out a window in a sack to you. Right. Or, you know, Uber Eats didn’t just run by ding dong. And here’s here’s your Thanksgiving dinner. And so there’s a tremendous amount of work just for a regular meal. You know, they’ve got to make the bread today, right? Right. So she’s probably been working since sun up and all this. And that’s why I think now this is that that moment where my mom refolds the napkin, resets the goblet, wipes things down for the ninth time rather than because she’s been preparing, but she’s been preparing all day. I can’t say this in these next couple of minutes is not when the food is finally going to be prepared. It’s already been being prepared. Everything all it would have had to have been for a dozen people or more. It would have had to have already been being prepared. This is the work is mostly done. And what she wants is the final details. Yeah. And at this point now he’s like, you’re still obsessing about the little things. And Mary finally realizes the purpose of this gathering is not. Yeah. The cobbler.

Jeff
Right.

Jeff
The purpose of this gathering, it’s not the napkins. The purpose of the gathering is here now. Right. So let’s just spend some time together on this. And that was it.

Chris
And by the way, so if you’re a person who has a schedule who’s overloaded with serving, and your relationship with your heavenly father isn’t what it should be, then just know that those those two things are not the same. That’s right. And one clearly takes priority over the other.

Jeff
That’s right. Right.

Chris
So and if on.

Jeff
The other side, on the other hand, if you are only just going deep with the father all the time, you’re not actually serving well, hey, there’s an issue there.

Jeff
Too, right?

Chris
Right. That’s that’s exactly right. That’s exactly right. Yeah. But you.

Jeff
Put your weight.

Chris
And it’s not just and it’s not just serving and doing good deeds. It’s also religiosity. Right? Right. Where actually the religion Jesus points out with the Pharisees elsewhere that that religion and religiosity can be the barrier between your relationship with your heavenly father. So don’t let that get in the way as well. So and then.

Jeff
I would say one more thing, and I know we should be wrapping up the next time we see Martha with Jesus that he’s in the home. Not not when Lazarus is resurrected, but when he’s in the home. This isn’t an issue. She’s with Jesus, too. Yeah. So she seems to have figured.

Jeff
Out, yeah, this.

Jeff
Thing, and I would think so, which is really.

Chris
Cool. After this, after this incident. Yeah. All right. Well, that’s a great discussion and a great place to end. And we will see you next time on the Bible, guys.