Living in Lassin, we have seen how much work is involved with sustaining life. Here we have only one advantage - matches. Food must be grown; this is an entire career. Water must be carried for drinking, cooking, bathing, and washing cloths, and dishes. Carrying water may take an hour or more.
Firewood must be located, cut, and carried. A fire must have been kept going at a smolder between use in Jesus time. Meal preparation involves each of these tasks. These constitute the activity of an entire day.
So, when Jesus came to dinner bringing his 12 friends and possibly some other followers, the meal task was multiplied by 5 at least! Who could blame Martha for asking for help? It was a chore to whip up even the simplest of meals.
Perhaps, a wild, undocumented scene may have been as follows. Jesus says, 'Let's go visit our friends in Bethany.' Off goes the group. Along the way, Jesus and His disciples pickup sticks and begin to tie them into bundles and place them on their heads. They pass a market. The group disperses. Bread and fish are bought. Someone finds a cup of oil and a small bag of salt. Oil lamps and vials are filled; this is going to be a late night of visiting. They stop at a well. Each person fills their water bag to the brim. By the time the group gets to Bethany, the only task left is the actual meal preparation and cooking. Although the work load is great, it could have been much larger! The thoughtfulness of Jesus could have taken some very simple, but important and undocumented forms.
Steve
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