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I cannot count the number of times over the years that I have revisited the story of Mary and Martha entertaining Jesus in their home (Luke 10). It’s a very familiar passage in Bible studies and sermons. I found myself revisiting the passage yet again. There is so much more depth to scripture than we realize.
The narrative is about Mary and Martha having Jesus as a dinner guest in their home. Verse 38 actually states that Martha “opened her home to Him”. Was Mary also a guest or did the sisters live together? Luke doesn’t say.
We know that Martha was running around preparing dinner, playing the role of hostess as her culture would dictate, while Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said” (V. 39). Luke tells us that Martha was “distracted” by everything a good hostess needed to do (v. 40). The Greek perispao means to be over-occupied, too busy, about a thing.[1] Jesus basically said that Martha was worrying about many things but missed the only thing that mattered. Luke then states that Martha complained to Jesus about Mary not helping with the duties of hostess (v. 40). I think that we can all imagine this scene in modern day settings. The super servant breaking a sweat with everything a good Christian should do while others seemingly sit around doing nothing. At one point in time, each of us has likely been in the role of Martha, feeling resentful, or Mary, feeling shamed. Luke doesn’t give many details, but I imagine the house was small and Mary heard what Martha said to Jesus. “Lord, don’t you care” that Mary is sitting around doing nothing while I’m working my tail off (v. 40)? Did Mary feel that cultural shame of not fulfilling the expectations of the people around her? Did she feel pressured to do what everyone expected of her? What kept her sitting at the feet of Jesus in that moment? Purpose Run Amuck The response of Jesus to Martha must have been beautiful to Mary. “Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her” (v. 42). Jesus understood Mary’s heart of love and devotion and recognized Mary’s desire to learn His ways and hear His heart. Martha was doing right and good things. Martha had prepared and hosted the dinner. At the same time, Martha was completely missing the presence of Jesus. Mary and Martha were both in the room but only one of them was worshipping and loving the Lord. The moral of the story isn’t to sit down and listen more and serve less. The aim of the story is that whether you are serving or sitting, be in the presence of Jesus. I can be doing good and right things; church attendance, serving the community, taking care of family, all while in the vicinity of Jesus and still be missing His presence altogether. He is present with me. I must be present with Him. If my sense of purpose as a follower of Jesus is off-center, misguided, or self-driven, I will miss His presence. An off-center purpose is focused on goals and achievements. How many people came to my ministry effort? A misguided purpose as a Christ follower is based on fear of failure, being shamed by my religious community, or fear of God’s disapproval. A self-driven purpose for following Christ is focused on me and how well I am received, whether others think I am spiritual. A self-driven sense of purpose will give me a bad attitude as I serve. I will compare myself to others or compare others to myself with criticism and judgment. The One Thing Jesus said that Mary had found the one thing that mattered: living in His presence. Whether I am serving or sitting, the only thing that matters is that my heart is focused on the presence of Christ in me and around me. If I am loving and worshipping Him, everything around me is OK. If everyone around me is focused on the presence of Jesus, he will lead and guide them to sit or serve in loving worship. In this way, we are all in harmony with each other. It sounds idealistic and overly simple. In truth, it’s hard because we are human. We live in a culture of worry and distraction. Scripture continually calls us to a counter-cultural life. Paul told the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes 5:16), a call to live in Christ’s presence continually. Paul told the Philippians “Do not be anxious about anything” (Phil 4:6), but trust Christ to hear and answer prayer. Writing again to the Thessalonians, Paul said to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thes 5:18). The center of this kind of living is a heart and mind focused on the presence of Jesus. While sleeping, serving, sitting, mowing the grass, shopping for groceries, live a life in the presence of Jesus. At some point in the Christian journey, I pray that my desire to be in the presence of Jesus is more important than social standing, goals or achievements, identity of self, or any of the many things society would have us be worried and distracted by. The one thing that matters is the presence of Jesus. Copyright @ TA Boland 2023
[1] Vines Expository Dictionary
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