Day 301: Choosing what's better – Luke 10 vs 38 – 42

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village, and a woman named Martha  welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.  40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”  41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  42 Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 English Standard Version

Hard working wives and mothers will have a lot of sympathy for Martha. They too may have missed out on many good things in order to make sure husbands and children were well looked after. But I don't think the Lord's words should be seen as a rebuke. I suggest they were a necessary reminder and an important lesson. And it's a reminder and lesson that busy men need just as much as busy women. What sort of woman can we speculate Martha was from vs 38?

She had the means to entertain a group of people. It may've been money left in her husband's will, or she may herself have been a successful business woman. She must've also had a real interest in God to welcome Jesus into her home. What else can we see about her in vs 40.

She had a servant heart – always busy providing for others. But she also had a human heart. She felt hard done by when those who could and should've lent a helping hand did not do so. In this case she even chides Jesus for not caring about her having to carry the load. I'm sure there’ve been many women since Martha who've felt hard done by when husbands or colleagues have left them with an unfair portion of the work. And sometimes it leads to anguish even with the Lord.

So what is the reminder and the lesson that Jesus gently, but firmly, gave to Martha? (vs 41-42)

I'd say the reminder is that some things in life are more necessary than even other important things. When the crowds who'd been miraculously fed by Jesus from just a few loaves and fishes came looking for Him the next day, He said: “You want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. Don't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you.” (John 6:26-27) I was struck by the fact that Jesus said Mary had 'chosen' what was better. I honestly don't think the Lord would've rebuked Martha if she too had come and sat and listened to His teaching, even if it meant the meal afterwards was not quite so large and fancy.

Which leads to the lesson from this incident. We will always have choices to make in life - and ultimately we will choose what we consider to be most important. We may consider people's looks more important than their personality. We may value a large salary more than the product or service we are giving. We may prefer the acceptance and applause of people more than the approval of God. But what was the result of Martha's choice (vs 40) and what did Jesus say this leads to? (vs 41)

The modern word would be 'stress'. The busy-ness of Martha 'distracted' her from sitting at the feet of a teacher like Jesus. And her focus on things that were good (like providing a good meal for everyone) caused her to fret and worry. That can be true of so many of us in life. We may be so anxious about daily needs (important as those may be) that we become distracted from time spent with the Lord. It can be true also of those involved in active roles in the Church or on the mission field. Our busy-ness in such work can easily distract us from what is even more important – personal time at the feet of Jesus. May God help us to be wise in how we use our time and energy each day. We mustn't neglect families and friends – but Jesus must always have our first and best.