Luke 10:38-42
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
As we review this wonderful story of the interaction between Jesus and these two sisters, I want to make one thing abundantly clear. There was nothing wrong with what Martha was doing. Jesus never scolded Martha for the work she was putting in. In matter of fact, what Martha was attempting to do was necessary, essential, important and proper. If anyone stepped out of line, it was Mary. But after accessing the decision of both sisters, Jesus maintained, Mary chose best.
This determination can be somewhat confusing for those of us that generally follow protocols, decorum and structure. We like everything in ‘black and white’, with no shades of gray. But Jesus uses an entire array of colors, attitudes, conditions and situations to bring each of us to the place(s) we need to be. The key to understanding the move of the Holy Spirit is to develop a keen sense of spiritual discernment.
Timing is everything. There is a time for everything. And occasionally timing and opportunity require that we do away with our plans and programming, and follow the leading the the Lord. There’s no stigma or criticism of our planning, but sometimes it just doesn’t fit the situation we’re facing with at this moment. And that’s what happened with Martha and Mary.
Martha wanted to make a good impression on Jesus because she was concerned that her service to him wouldn’t be valued. Mary, on the other hand, was so impressed by Jesus that she saw more value in being served by him than serving him. There’s no doubt she knew what to do. And she also knew her actions were not in keeping with tradition. She was Martha’s sister after all. They both knew what was expected of them, but Mary had an expectation of Jesus that superseded her upbringing, training, education and even the ire of her sister.
Martha, on the other hand, was “distracted”. Had she not been distracted she may have understood the enormity of the moment. Had she not been distracted she may have discerned the anointing in the atmosphere. But distractions have a way of causing us to myopically focus on insignificant things and meaningless situations. Think about it. She was preparing to serve a meal to the “Bread of Life”. That’s one of those times you just rip up your schedule and say, “Yes Lord”.
I would also remind you that at no time did Martha address Mary directly. She was kinda trying to embarrass her into serving the way she wanted her to serve. She thought a word from Jesus would surely move Mary back into the kitchen. But that was not to be.
I don’t know what Mary was dealing with. We have no way of understanding why her need was so urgent and immediate that she was willing to be ridiculed, talked about and lambasted by her own sister, but after all was said and done, Jesus said, as for Mary, she chose the good part(better thing)!
Dearest people of God, decorum, protocol, structure and planning are vital aspects of human interaction. Without some form of governance we have chaos. But in no case should our planning and programming supersede, or eclipse the leading of the Holy Ghost. Never should what we hope to do, distract us from what the Lord is presently calling us to d. Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
God Bless
