Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42
Mary and Martha both loved Jesus. Mary loved being with Him and hearing His words. Martha showed her love by serving Him. But in bustling around to be sure everything was perfect, she didn’t leave herself enough margin to just be with Him.
Why was Martha wrong? Would all “Mary” and no “Martha” be a good thing? How to find the balance?
Too Much?
I confess to having a lot of Martha in me. My first instinct is to do something. I love to dive into making plans and checking things off my to-do list. I like to think that my list consists of good things that show love or that benefit someone or that are productive in some way. But they are still busy-ness rather than stillness at Jesus’ feet.
I find it difficult to quiet the running blather in my mind so that I can hear God’s “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12 KJV). I feel the tension even as I sit here writing an article on the need to be more like Mary. But….
Or Too Little?
If I were only like Mary, if I was always sitting and meditating on Jesus’ greatness and His teaching, this article wouldn’t get written. None of the other valuable tasks would get done, either.
In his New Testament letter to the church at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul rebuked those who just sat around expecting others to do all the work; he exhorted the Christians there to “not grow weary of doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:10-13). In his letter to the church at Ephesus, he said that God has created us for good works that He has already planned for us (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus said to let those good works lead others to glorify God (Matthew 5:16). But….
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their emphasis on perfect behavior — down to the pickiest details — in the absence of a heart attuned to God (Matthew 23:23-28). Paul said that he had a history of Pharisee-level good works, but that he discounted them all in favor of his relationship with Jesus (Philippians 3:4-11).
Or Just Right?
How does God want us to combine the best of both Mary and Martha?
I think the answer is in the order of our priorities. Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33) before worrying about material needs. I’m sure that applies to my to-do list, as well. The first item on the list should always be God and His kingdom.
The Psalmist tells us to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The Gospel of John says that “of His [Jesus’] fullness we have all received” (John 1:16), and Psalm 23 says that “my cup runneth over” (KJV, modern translations say “overflows”). How can a cup be filled to overflowing if it’s always moving around? I need to sit still before I can receive the fullness that Jesus offers.
Max Lucado has written a beautiful children’s story about the power of simply spending time with God. “You are Special” tells of a land of “Wemmicks” who cover one another with stickers to show their approval, or lack thereof. Stars mean that one is approved; dots mean rejection. But for those who spend time with Eli, the woodcarver, and who are secure in His love, the stickers don’t stick. Approval from others just isn’t a priority for them. (Click here for an 8-minute reading of the entire book.)
Imagine if I could just shut up and spend a few minutes with God each morning, letting Him fill me up. Then my activities for the rest of the day would be powered by the overflow.
Oh, how easy it is to do the reverse, plunging into the day with a gas tank on empty! Then it shouldn’t be surprising when I run out of steam before I run out of “stuff” to do.
Mary First, then Martha
The Bible doesn’t tell us what happened to Mary and Martha after this conversation. Did Martha sit down, leaving tasks unfinished, and enjoy Jesus’ company? Did they both listen for a while, then both get up and serve a simple meal rather than a banquet? Did they take turns, and take notes to discuss with each other later that evening?
However they ended up that day, they both left us with a valuable lesson: Life is best balanced when it is heavily weighted toward Jesus!
Note: A couple of similar articles on this site are “Focus on God” and “More than just Activities“.