NLT Luke 10: 38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! 42 There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it — and I won’t take it away from her.”
NIV Luke 10: 38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the LORD’s feet listening to what he said. 40 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!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the LORD answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
This was the text of the pastor’s message Sunday. It struck me in some different ways than it has before. Some things the pastor pointed out and some God showed me through the message.
Martha started off right! Martha “welcomed Christ into her home,” or “opened her home to him” depending on the translation. She had all good intentions and began strong. She wanted to honor her Lord and show him love. That was what she intended as she began. She had the same intention as Mary as the day began, to show her Lord honor!
It was when she saw her sister sitting at Jesus’ feet that her resentment began to swell. Her focus quickly changed from what her intentions had been, to honor her Lord, to what someone else’s job was. It is when she took her eyes off of the goal, off of her original intention that she began to falter. She began to “worry” NLT, and became “distracted” NIV. What she said and did is what we often look at in this story, but this was the beginning point of her sin and usually my own. She took her eyes off of Jesus. She became distracted and overwhelmed with work. Martha’s focus changed to the task and how hard it was, not her purpose of honoring her Lord. What was wonderful in the planning stage then became burdensome to her in the execution.
Martha looked at things with her human spirit. “Lord, don’t you care…?” NIV or “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair…?” NLT. God has no interest in what appears fair. God works with each person where we are. It is easy to look around and see that God doesn’t try to even things out for His children. One person may suffer so much more than another person and one may see a lot more what would seem to be blessings than the other. Fairness to God is providing the amount of blessing and suffering that each person needs to be the closest to Him. He doesn’t base it on comparisons to other people.
Mary on the other hand was doing nothing… by the world’s standards. She wasn’t laboring; she wasn’t helping; she was being; what is almost a sin in itself in my family… unproductive! My parents raised me with the philosophy that if you weren’t actively working every minute, you were being lazy. You have to be doing.
So what was Mary doing? Mary was, as the pastor pointed out, humbling herself. She was sitting at the Master’s feet, at the Teacher’s feet. She was worshiping him by lowering herself before Him. She was learning from Him while He was there with her. You have to wonder, did her heart know that Jesus would not be here forever. Did she have an urgency not just to worship at the Master’s feet, but to learn what she could from Him while she had Him? This was before the Holy Spirit was in the world. This was a rare chance to be completely with Jesus, with God. We really don’t have any knowledge of what life is without God. Once Jesus saves us, we always have Him with us and in us, in the form of the Holy Spirit. We pull from Him as a resource continually. It has become second nature. Mary didn’t have that. God didn’t dwell in her, always right there with her, leading and directing. When Jesus left, she was alone. You can see why she couldn’t walk away from him even for a minute today to do tasks that would still be there tomorrow.
Mary focused on her need; a need to be with her Savior. She had a need to hear all that He would say. She knew that by being busy, running in and out of the kitchen. Preparing the meal, that she would miss the most important thing… Jesus her Savior. How many times do I miss focusing on my need for Jesus because I have so much else to do? How many times do I talk to God while doing different tasks? It is good to be prayerful and pray continually, but not instead of time spent alone at the Savior’s feet, just listening as Mary did.
Mary could have run around preparing a meal and stepping in and out of the kitchen saying, “Don’t worry Jesus, I can hear everything that you are saying. I am not ignoring you. I just have so much to do that I can’t afford to stop.” She could have said, “I am breaking these beans Jesus, while I listen to you. Keep talking, I am getting what I need to from you as I go on with my work!”
Wow! How often lately do I go on with my work while I give Jesus a bit of my attention? Kind of like saying, “God, I am listening while I work. If you come to anything really important, just yell!” God doesn’t yell. He doesn’t change His tone, He doesn’t increase His volume. It is up to us to stop and listen.
So what is God saying through all of this to my life? I know that as we have had a little more business that I have been pulled away from the amount of study time that I had before. This was something that I feared would happen. This has been a source of stress for me and I haven’t yet figured out how to deal with it. I have felt guilty because Terry is working so hard out in the shop that I am trying to work out there with him and help him as much as I can. I know that I am allowing myself to compare what someone else is doing and trying to get work done just like Martha. For a long time I have known that my place is to stay in Bible Study and in prayer for the shop and at the shop. Terry agrees with this and has supports me in it. Things became 100 times more hectic when we lost our plant manager and so much has fallen on Terry. We know that the plant manager going was right and was a direct answer to prayers, but it is still very difficult. God didn’t promise that the path would get easier with answered prayers.
Father, please forgive me for allowing anything to take me away from your feet. I have struggled, knowing that I can’t live with a limited amount of one on one time with you. Thank you Father for the message Sunday that helped me to see that I am not letting my husband down when I hold on tightly to my time with you. Father, you knew that I needed to be reminded that time with you isn’t a luxury that I can only afford when things are going well. It is a necessity that I can’t live without. You have promised me that you will fill all of my needs Father. I give you the guilt that I feel because of trying to take time to spend in your word. I give you the burden of feeling that I should be out there in the shop working beside of my husband instead of in here with you. I give you the feelings that I have that I am not doing all that I should be doing when I am sitting at your feet, studying your word. I realize now that this is something I have struggled with. I have felt that it wasn’t fair to take the time away from laboring to spend with You. God, I know now that is a Martha spirit and nature. Forgive me for this Father. Speak to me Father and show me what you want me to do. Help us Father to simplify our lives to the place where things and work don’t get in the way of time spent with You. Father I long to know you more and to know your will for me. Thank you Father for the new look that you gave me to an old Bible story. So many times I have felt like Mary, forced to be Martha. God, I know that if I allow life to force me into that place then I am not honoring you by sitting at your feet. Father, please take the shop and all of our financial problems. I want nothing to stand in the way of my time with you. I bring them to your feet Father, as I kneel there.
