By nature I am a Martha but, because of Jesus I can also be a Mary!

Growing up, each year my family would have a Thanksgiving dinner with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins on my dad’s side of the family. Grandma would prepare the meat, bake the pies, and everyone would bring a side dish. After eating together, it came time to clean up. This was my least favorite time for two reasons. While the women argued over who got to do the dishes like it was some sort of competition, the men got to go outside and play catch or watch TV. I would try to help, since I knew it was my responsibility as a female, but I would never fight to wash dishes! I have seen plates and bowls jerked out of hands and people given the task of “clearing the table” as if it was the bottom of the chore hierarchy. At some point in my teenage years, I was labeled as “the one who never helps”. I didn’t mind. I’d just go on about my business and say, “I’ll be out with the guys, you all have fun.”

It’s no surprise then that the story of Martha and Mary has been one of the hardest for me to understand at times. Now that I am grown and am more like Martha than Mary, I sometimes resent the “Mary” moments. Who will do the work if everyone sits and listens. What about Martha? Doesn’t Jesus see Martha doing all the work? Who will eat if no one prepares the food? I read about Martha and Mary and think of my family’s Thanksgiving Dinners. 

Yet my context is not the same as Martha and Mary’s, sitting in a room with Jesus some 2,000 odd years ago. In Luke 10:38-42, what happens is revolutionary! Jesus is actually giving Mary permission to sit with the men! To learn! To learn what only men were allowed to learn!  He broke a barrier and not only gave permission for a woman to learn but affirmed that it is good for women to learn, and that learning will not be taken away from them. Jesus set women free! 

Today as a Christian woman, I am blessed to walk in freedom given to me by Christ Jesus by his death and by his life and interactions with women. Whenever I get frustrated at the paths that block women today, feel degraded or made to feel lesser than, I remember how Jesus changed the lives of women. He died to set all free, even women. He desires for men and women alike to learn from His word, the Bible and glean all it’s wisdom. What peace we can have in his presence as we learn from our gentle-hearted Savior. I may be a Martha by nature, but because of Jesus, I also have the privilege to be a Mary and for that I am so thankful!

Nikki Fiedler

To learn more about how Jesus changed everything for women, check out the following article: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/jesus-changed-everything-women/