Luke 10: 38 – 42
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 short story from Luke’s gospel has a number of lessons for us as Christians and I want to share those lessons with you. But before I do I would like to draw to your attention a number of points in this story. The first point is the fact that the story focuses on two women. There were men present and it’s even possible that Martha was married but its Martha (a woman) who takes the lead. This is not unusual in Luke’s gospel where women often feature prominently and rightly so. One of the important features of the new dispensation ushered in by Jesus was that women should have a more prominent role in the church. The next point is the fact that Martha opened her home to Jesus or as the Young’s Literal Translation puts it, Martha “did receive him into her house”. This is like saying that Martha opened her heart to Jesus or to use that modern phrase about salvation, she received Jesus into her heart. For when we become a Christian, Jesus comes to dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The next point is that both sisters are in the presence of Jesus. The only difference between them is what they do in the presence of Jesus. One serves and the other prays. And the final point is that Martha talks to Jesus whilst Mary listens to him.
I would also like to point out that this is not the only story we have in the gospels about Martha and Mary. Martha and Mary had a brother called Lazarus and in John’s gospel we are told about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. In chapter 11 of John’s gospel we are told that Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus and that Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus. This suggests to me a close relationship between the three siblings and Jesus. And in the same story about Lazarus there is evidence that Martha and Mary believed in Jesus. Taking this together it seems evident to me that Martha and Mary were believers.
Taking into account everything I have said so far and assuming for arguments sake that Martha and Mary are believers just as Christians are today, we can learn some important lessons about Christian life. If we take a cursory look at this story it is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Mary is a better Christian than Martha. After all, Martha is rebuked and Jesus says that “Mary has chosen what is better”. To avoid falling into this trap we need to look carefully at what Jesus says to Martha. As I said above, on this occasion Martha chose to serve and Mary chose to pray. Both activities are good and that is why Jesus does not rebuke Martha for her service. What he actually rebukes her for is worrying and for trying to stop Mary from praying.
You’ll notice that I keep saying that Mary is praying. What do I mean? Well, in this story we are told that Mary sits at the feet of Jesus listening to what he said. This is something we should do when we pray. We come into his presence, submit to him and listen. Of course this is not the only way we pray but it is one of the most important ways to pray. All too often when we pray we have lots to say to Jesus with our petitions and intercessions but it shouldn’t end there. It is vital that we listen to Jesus because he has lots to say to us as well.
As Christians we are called to be servants. We are called to love one another, to lay our lives down, to give of ourselves in the service of others. But our service, our good works, must be inspired and empowered by the will of Jesus. Otherwise then can end up being fruitless ‘filthy rags’. So before we act in the service of others we need to pray. We need to know the ‘mind of Christ’ as Paul puts it. We need to ask Jesus what he wants us to do. In other words we need to listen to Jesus as we pray. And that’s what Jesus meant when he said that, “Mary has chosen what is better”. Before we act we must pray. Prayer must be pre-eminent in everything we do. Mary chose what is better because she started with prayer. Incidentally, if you want to know how to listen to Jesus I recommend that you read the book ‘Listening to God’ by Joyce Huggett.
Some Christians make the mistake of trying to fill their lives with acts of service or good works whilst neglecting the call to pray. And other Christians try to fill their lives with prayer whilst neglecting the call to service. Neither of these extremes is correct. Our Christian lives need to be balanced between prayer and acts of service. Jesus does not want us to be “so spiritually minded that we are of no earthly use”. Neither does he want us to busy ourselves with acts of service that are not grounded in his divine will. What Jesus wants is for us to listen to him first and then to act as he instructs us.
As I said above, Martha was rebuked for worrying. In chapter 6 of Matthew’s gospel we find Jesus giving a lengthy discourse on the subject of worrying. Between verses 25 and 33 of chapter 6, Jesus uses the words ‘worry’ or ‘worrying’ six times. Worry is born out of insecurity, often rooted in our experiences and it’s the opposite of faith. As Christians we are meant to live by faith. The whole of Christianity rests on faith; it is the rock on which we stand. And faith gives us security; we are safe in the hands of Jesus and he has everything worked out for us. That is why Jesus tells us not to worry and why he rebuked Martha for worrying.
Not only was Martha rebuked for worrying, she was also rebuked for trying to stop Mary from praying. As Jesus said to Martha, “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Jesus knows how vitally important prayer is. Without it we lose our intimacy with Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus is meant to be intimate. That is one reason why he compared his relationship with the church to that of a bride and groom. It is not enough that we know about Jesus (be acquainted with him). We need to know him in an intimate way like a wife knows her husband. It is not enough that we read the bible (the logos word). We need to hear what he has to say to us personally (his rhema word). We need to hear what Jesus has to say to us from his written word as well as what he says to us as an individual through the Holy Spirit. Only then can we act in service to others. And that’s why Jesus rebuked Martha when she tried to stop Mary from praying and insisted that nothing should get in the way of that prayer.
So, in summary, what lessons can we learn from this short story about Martha and Mary? The first lesson is that serving and praying are both good activities but prayer must have pre-eminence and come first. Secondly, that there is no ‘either or’ between the two activities. We must engage in both. And if we get it wrong Jesus will correct us. The next lesson to learn is that our prayer must include listening to Jesus and not just saying things to him. Jesus wants to have an intimate two-way relationship with us and he will speak to us if we listen. Another lesson is to avoid worrying about things. Jesus knows everything there is to know about us and he has plans for us. We just need to trust him and let him lead us and care for us. Finally, no matter how busy we are, we must make time for prayer.
When I first read this story about Martha and Mary I thought that there wasn’t much to it. However, as I meditated on it, studied it and prayed about it, I realised what riches there in this short story. It just goes to show how rich the scriptures are and why Luke wanted to tell this story about these two sisters.