Presuppositional Patterns: A Biblical Study of the Unmarried Woman’s Role - Part Five

Read: [Intro] [Part One] [Part Two] [Part Three] [Part Four]

Now that we have discovered that the primary role of an unmarried woman is to care for “the things of the Lord,” it would behoove us to understand what those “things” are. There are two examples given in Scripture that especially give light to the meaning of this phrase. The first is found in a brief exchange between Jesus and Martha in her house.

“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But only one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

It’s not that it’s wrong to be hospitable and to serve your guests. It’s just that that was not what Jesus wanted Martha to be doing with her time right then. It is fascinating to note that the Greek word for “distraction” is the same one Paul used with the negative participle in 1 Corinthians 7 when he said he spoke these words so that the unmarried might “attend upon the Lord without distraction.” (emphasis mine) Additionally, the word “careful” that Jesus used is rooted in the same Greek word as Paul used when he discussed what things the married and the unmarried “careth” for. Martha was distracted from attending upon the Lord because she was caring for other responsibilities. Mary, on the other hand, had her focus right. She “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word.” Though we do not know for sure whether Mary was married or not, the example she provides perfectly fleshes out the teaching of Paul in 1 Corinthians.

The Lord has provided the time of unmarriage for young people so that they can sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word. He knows that there will come a time once they are married when they will not have the freedom to devote the same amount of time to such intense study and undivided focus. It will be their responsibility to care for the things of the world – how they may please their husband or wife, and eventually, their growing family. However, a foundation will have been laid during their unmarried years to adequately prepare them for this change in role and responsibility. We do ourselves and our future marriages a great disservice if we squander our time of unmarriage in ways that distract us from caring for “the things of the Lord.”

The second example is found in Acts 18:24-25, the only other place in the Bible where the exact phrase, “the things of the Lord” is used.

“And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the LORD; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the LORD, knowing only the baptism of John.” [emphasis mine]

It was obviously the Scriptures that were the source of Apollos’ teachings. The word “mighty,” upon closer inspection, seems to indicate that the Scriptures were rooted within him as a source of power. He was not merely passing on second-hand information. He knew the Scriptures by heart. No doubt, this is why he was able to quickly transition to preaching Christ as the fulfillment of Scriptural prophecies when he was further instructed by Aquila and Priscilla. He was a humble student of the Scriptures and a very effective teacher of truth.

“The things of the Lord,” then, are to be found in the Word of God, the written pages of Scripture, and the Person of Jesus Christ (“the Word made flesh”), as we sit at His feet and spend time with Him. Since we have seen that the responsibility of an unmarried woman is to care for “the things of the Lord,” every decision she makes must be considered in light of whether it will assist her in fulfilling this responsibility or distract her from it.