Luke 10

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Luke 10:38-42, As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,  but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

This is a wonderful chapter – please be sure to read through the whole thing. 

Our focus verses for today include the story of Mary and Martha.  I think we often misunderstand this story.  Afterall, the problem with Martha is not that she is busy serving and providing hospitality. Certainly, Jesus commends this kind of service to neighbor many times, notably in the parable of the Good Samaritan which immediately precedes the story of Mary and Martha. The problem with Martha is not her serving, but rather that she is worried and distracted. She is fluttering about, messing with the food preparations, legitimately more concerned with finishing dinner than anything else. 

Martha’s distraction and worry leave no room for the most important aspect of hospitality -- gracious attention to the guest. In fact, she breaks all the rules of hospitality by trying to embarrass her sister in front of her guest and by asking her guest to intervene in a family dispute. She even goes so far as to accuse Jesus of not caring about her (Lord, do you not care…?).

Martha’s worry and distraction prevent her from being truly present with Jesus.  She has missed out on the “one thing needed” for true hospitality: listening to your guest (especially if the guest is Jesus!)  Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.

Jesus’ words to Martha may be seen as an invitation rather than a rebuke. Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. The one thing needed is for Martha to receive the gracious presence of Jesus, to listen to his words, to know that she is valued not for what she does or how well she does it, but for who she is as a child of God.

In a culture of hustle and bustle and over-scheduling, we are tempted to measure our worth by how busy we are, by how much we accomplish, or by how well we meet the expectations of others.  We are often Marthas, thinking the busier we are, the more productive we must be.  But being distracted and worried often gets in the way of our spiritual walk.  Being distracted and worried gets in the way of us listening to Jesus.

When is the last time you sat at the feet of Jesus and simply listened to him?  How often do you set aside time to just be still before God?  Even Jesus himself made time, in the midst of a very busy schedule, to be alone with God. 

We know that God calls us to be listeners of his Word and doers of the Word.  But how often do we participate in activities without really soaking up God first?  When we do that, we are bound to serve without joy, with pride, for the wrong reasons.

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, I want to sit at your feet and simply soak up your wisdom and love.  In Your Name, Amen.