Today’s Gospel reading from the Lectionary of this past Sunday brings us to a short but insightful passage from the Gospel of Luke. It tells of the account of two sisters, Martha and Mary, and what activity in our life that the Lord considers most important. Let’s take a look at what our Scripture passage has to say.
As our passage opens we read that Jesus and His disciples have arrived at a certain village (vs. 38). This village was Bethany, which was immediately to the east of Jerusalem, and right next to the Mount of Olives. Bethany was also the home of three very dear friends of Jesus, Lazarus, and his sisters Martha and Mary. When the three hear that Jesus is in town, of course they invite Him to stop by their home.
Martha, who was possibly the older of the two sisters, seems to have been the housekeeper in the family, one who loved to have a perfectly kept home, and was an excellent hostess. When Jesus arrived in the home with His twelve apostles, she goes into action with preparations for a nice meal for them. Martha certainly wanted to set a nice table! Jesus and the apostles would total thirteen, and who knows whether there might have been others who were not apostles, but also followed Jesus around faithfully. So there was plenty to do, much food to prepare to give them all a really good meal.
As Martha gets busy in the kitchen preparing food to feed her numerous guests, her sister Mary sits down at Jesus’ feet to listen to His teachings (vs. 39). Martha has a lot to do, with food to prepare, the fire to get going in order to cook and bake what she is making. Perhaps she has to make a trip to a grocery store in order to get more food. There are dishes to set on the table, pots and pans to wash, more food to prepare. Martha was getting into a tumult, fussing about with all the many details that were too elaborate and not necessary (vs. 40).
As Martha keeps passing the doorway to the room where Jesus and His apostles and disciples were, seeing her sister sitting there listening to Jesus teach God’s Word, she gets more and more irritated. Here she is, all by herself in a hot kitchen getting food for a crowd, setting a nice table for the special guests, working herself ragged, while Mary is just sitting around doing nothing to help! Martha finally had enough, and goes in to complain to Jesus. Maybe He’ll tell her to get up and start helping!
However, that was not what Jesus did. He, in a gentle and comforting way, told Martha that she was getting all worried and frazzled about things that weren’t really necessary (vs. 41). Jesus and the apostles didn’t need an elaborate banquet. Yes, they needed to eat, but His words imply that something simpler would have been fine, perhaps even just soup and sandwiches, and something cool to drink. Jesus told her she didn’t need to get so worried and troubled about being a perfect hostess. He goes on to say that Mary has chosen what is really important, and that choice will not be taken from her (vs. 42).
The one thing necessary is an attitude of worship and meditation, listening with all of our heart and mind to Jesus. We were created to have a deep and intimate relationship with God. Works of service are important, but never more important than spending quality time in fellowship with God. Martha thought that Mary’s worship of the Lord was inferior to her service for Him. However, she was neglecting Jesus by being too busy. Don’t get so busy doing things for Jesus, that you never spend anytime with Him. If we don’t spend any time with Him, the service we do is really only self-serving. When that happens, the service is only busy work, and is done without any devotion.
Sometimes we may have to leave some things undone in order to have fellowship with Jesus. We may also be misunderstood and resented when we say “no” to certain tasks or committees we are asked to do by other church folk. Time in private fellowship with Jesus is more important. “Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.
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