Seraphim
“It was unfair,” thought Martha. She was doing all the work while her sister just sat there. They were hosting their friend Jesus for the evening, everything needed to be perfect but Martha had no help, Mary had chosen to sit at Jesus’ feet (Lk. 10:38-42). Of course, Martha’s duties were necessary, someone had to serve but, at that time, there was nothing more important than sitting at the Master's feet.
Have you ever wondered why people sat at Jesus’ feet? Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi; Rabbis would sit as they taught and in turn, students would sit at their feet. When students were not sitting, they were following their instructor from town to town. Jesus taught in many different places and could make a lesson out of a simple walk. This was a way of training the students, everything about the posture of rabbinical teaching was to train the students (Matt. 5:1-2, Lk. 5:3). Jesus was in the business of making disciples, so when Mary, or anyone else for that matter, sat at His feet, they were learning how to become living examples of God’s Word so that they too could make disciples.
Remember the woman with the Alabaster Box? She spent upwards of fifty-four thousand dollars in modern-day currency to saturate Jesus with perfume (Matt. 26:6-13). The disciples reacted with outrage, that perfume could have been sold, the money used for the poor, what a waste to use it all on Jesus. But her gift to Jesus that day was not wasted, the expensive perfume would waft through the air as Jesus trudged down the road to the cross. As each lash of the centurion’s whip penetrated His back, the sweet-smelling perfume would attack the olfactory nerves of all those around and linger in their senses causing them to wonder, “Who loved this man enough to adorn Him with such a sweet-smelling perfume?”
Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Matt. 26:13). This one act of adoration from a nameless woman was cemented in eternity for all to remember because it was a priceless act of love, a follower of Jesus giving Him her best. It is sad to think that the disciples tried to discourage her, they were distracted by the cost of the perfume; Martha was distracted by the domestic tasks at hand. Neither had their eyes on Jesus, neither stopped to think about how priceless their time and access to Jesus was. If only they had just cherished the opportunity to sit at His feet or, like the woman with the Alabaster Box, seen the benefit in taking time to adore Him.
The Seraphim adore God. They are literally on fire for Him as they worship and praise around His throne, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory,” they call out to one another with their thunderous voices (Isa. 6:3). Each of their six wings has a purpose, four of them express their humility before God by covering their hands and their feet and two of them allow them to fly, showing their willingness to serve. As the Seraphim in Isaiah spoke, the doorposts shook and smoke filled the temple (Isa. 6:4). “Woe is me,” said Isaiah as he looked on. He was undone at the sight and sound of the Seraphim and seeing the Lord on His throne. He was a righteous man but he recognized his sinfulness and inadequacy as he stood before God. If the Prophet Isaiah felt condemnation upon himself at the sight of God, how should we feel?
We should be humbled at the sight of God in our lives. Of the Seraphim’s six wings, the first four expressed humility and the last two, reserved for flying, showed a willingness to serve. If we are to become true disciples, we should follow the example of the Seraphim and first worship God with humility and reverence, only then will we be able to serve.
Martha had the right idea about service but she neglected to first sit at Jesus’ feet. The disciples had the right idea about feeding the poor but they forgot about first adoring the Master. Their intentions were good but their humility escaped them. You have good intentions, I can tell, and so do I, but are we humble before God? Do we recognize His holiness and our unworthiness?
One day we will be greater than the Seraphim, but for now, let us heed their example and use most of what we have to express our humility and the rest to show our willingness to serve. Let us be on fire for the Lord. Let our conversations about Him with one another be so dynamic that our voices shake the doorposts where we stand. Let us put everything else to the side and sit at His feet. Let us not think it a waste to spend our best on Jesus, let us adore Him.
