WEDNESDAY January 30
Troubled by Many Things
In order to be a disciple, we need to know Jesus personally. We must have a close relationship with Him. This can come only by spending time with Him. In our busy lives, with so many important things vying for our time, how easy it is to get caught up in things, even good and important things, and let our relationship with God slip.
Read Luke 10:38-42. How does this episode reveal how even good things can distract us from what is most important? What message for you can be found in the story of these two female "disciples"?
Mary heard His word. No one can be a true disciple who does not hear His word. The text said, too, that she sat at His feet. First-century teachers sat on high stools while their students sat at their feet on lower stools or the floor. To sit at one's feet means to adopt the posture of a disciple or learner. That she sat at Jesus' feet meant that she was His student (compare Acts 22:3).
In contrast was her sister, Martha. The Greek text says that she was "drawn away" by much serving. In one sense, this could be understandable. After all, the Master had come to their house, so it was their responsibility to tend to their guests' needs. At the same time, her plea that her sister help also echoed customary conventional values and expectations. Mary's place was in the kitchen—the part of the household designated for women—not in the dining area with the men.
Yet Jesus did not rebuke Mary; He chided Martha. He named her twice, perhaps showing concern. Martha's complaints were justified, but Jesus' rebuke reminds us there are issues more important than other necessary things. We all need to take heed, for sometimes we allow the urgent to crowd out the important, or the good to exclude the vital and necessary.
How can you find the proper balance in your own life between things that must be done and spending time at the feet of Jesus? What adjustments might you need to make? At the same time, can one ever be too much like Mary and not enough like Martha? If so, how?
THURSDAY January 31
The Woman at the Well
Read John 4:4-30. How did Jesus go about winning the confidence of this woman and, essentially, turning her into a disciple?
The process of winning the woman of Samaria deserves the most careful study on the part of all who set out to win others to Christ.
There were four main stages in this process: (1) The awakening of a desire for something better (vss. 7-15); (2) The awakening of a conviction of personal need (vss. 16-20); (3) The call for a decision to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah (vss. 21-26); (4) The stimulus to action appropriate to the decision (vss. 26-30, 39-42).
Imagine what must have gone on in the mind of this woman. First, this stranger, a Jew, shows her unexpected kindness. The next thing she knows, He reveals to her some of her deepest and darkest secrets, something that most likely no one but she knew. Her response, "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet" (vs. 19), is a confession, not only of her own sins, but that Jesus is Someone special. Notice, too, that when the woman sought to change the subject, Jesus did not press her anymore with her sins. Instead, He picked up on her conversation and used it to point to more truth, ultimately leading her back to Himself, this time not as a prophet but as the Messiah. Impressed by Jesus—no doubt mostly by His knowledge of her secrets—the woman believed Him.
Look at how she witnessed to her own people (vss. 29, 39). What so impressed her about Jesus? Might there not have been a bit of a confession in her own witness? How effective was this witness?
The Lord changed this woman, apparently no bastion of purity and piety, into a powerful witness for Himself. What lessons can you draw from this story about (1) not judging the hearts of others, and (2) forgiveness and grace even for the worst of sinners?
FRIDAY February 1
Further Study:
Read The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, pp. 607, 608, 656, 657, 669, 670, 785, 786, 940-942; Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 524-536.
"The 'one thing' that Martha needed was a calm, devotional spirit, a deeper anxiety for knowledge concerning the future, immortal life, and the graces necessary for spiritual advancement. She needed less anxiety for the things which pass away, and more for those things which endure forever. Jesus would teach His children to seize every opportunity of gaining that knowledge which will make them wise unto salvation,"—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 525.
"One of the characteristics of the Gospel of Luke is its frequent references to Christ's ministry for the womenfolk of Palestine and the ministry of some of them on His behalf. This was something new, for the role of Jewish women in public life had been a relatively minor one, although in isolated instances, prophets like Elisha had ministered to women and been ministered to by them."—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 769.
Discussion Questions:
Go back over the story of Mary being told about becoming Jesus' mother. Again, think about what amazing things she was told to believe, things she could not possibly understand. Think about many of the things we Christians are told to believe that we cannot possibly understand. And though we do not understand them, we still have faith and even reasons to believe them. Bring your thoughts to class and, as a class, talk about these things and why we can and should believe them, regardless of what we do not understand. How can we help others who are struggling to believe in things that, in the end, have to be taken on faith?
At a time when, in most countries, the membership of the church seems to be predominantly female, why should the church not discourage female discipleship?
Jesus was revolutionary, transforming, liberating, innovative, restorative, sensitive, and supportive. No one was ignored, marginalized, or ostracized in His presence. Contemporary disciples should emulate Him and model His example for all classes, cultures, genders, peoples, and nations. How can you help your local church be a place where all are welcomed and can find a role in service?
