Servant or friend?

When someone suddenly drop by your home, which comes to your mind – being a host first or being a friend first?

To be a host, you need to prepare your house, cleaning and getting food and drink all ready. To be a friend, you are excited to fellowship and converse, desiring to know more of your friend and strengthen that relationship.

Actually, it all depends on what kind of friends you have. If your friends are the picky and inquisitive types, then being a host is better. They come for the food, inspect your house so as to make gossip and mostly to come and ask you to do favor for them. But, by and large people visit others because they value their friendship and to find out how our friends are getting on in life. Fellowship and conservation then is more important.

This thought cross my mind as I reflect about what took place last week over the National Day holiday when my daughter invited her cell’s friend for a sleep over. Gosh! My first thought was to get the necessary food and drinks for them, what to prepare for breakfast and whether our house was clean and tidy. I guess my wife has that thought in mind too. When the friends came, I became a bit agitated when none of my family members prepare drinks for them. “What kind of host are we?” So, I need to take charge. … [Little did we know that actually the friends brought along a lot of food].

But, my wife did a better job. She talked to 2 of them in the kitchen. That cool me down a bit and so I casually participated in the conservation. Then I just excused myself into the study room and listens to sermons on Youtube.

…

Then, it all became clear on this passage about Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42

³⁸ Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Some preachers say that Jesus was saying to Martha that worship must come first before service. It is the “being” before the “doing”. For me, I now understand what Jesus was saying, HE values my friendship more than my service. He is not talking about worship, singing praise, praying, Bible reading or even convening a worship service when they visited Martha’s house.

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)

Mary has chosen to be Jesus’ friend and sit down to converse with him. Friendship involves talking and listening. There is nothing wrong with being a servant or a host. In every events and gathering, we need to meet the physical needs. Do it, but don’t that distract or burden you. I guess Jesus is telling Martha that day: “My dear Martha, enjoy the serving; enjoy even more the fellowship and conversation. I am not here as your BOSS, but as your friend.”

Agape