Martha & Mary

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 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!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:38-42

From time to time I hear church people use the character Mary to justify things. Lately, I heard someone say that she won't take up any post next year to serve at church because she wants to be "like Mary."

What of Mary was Jesus praising?
When Jesus commented that "Mary has chosen what is better," what did he mean? Did Jesus praise Mary for doing nothing? Not likely, as Jesus's definitely not telling us to be lazy. (Cf. Proverbs 6:6, "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!" or Proverbs 6:9, "How long will you lie there, you sluggard?" Check also the parable of the ten virgins.)

Mary focused on Jesus and was totally enjoying His presence.

What's wrong with Martha?
In v.38, it says that Martha opened her home to Jesus. There's nothing wrong with that. The linking word "but" in v.40, however, is telling. Jesus's reply in v.41 states clearly of her problem -- being "worried and upset about many things." Martha lost her cool while doing good work. She saw much work to be done, she saw Mary's not helping, but one thing she didn't see -- she didn't see the reason of all her preparation, her Master. That was the problem.

What's the application?
How to fix the Martha syndrome? By doing nothing and then look at Jesus's picture? No! By just locking yourself in a monastery, praying and reading the Bible all day? No again! It's by constantly re-aligning our focus, drawing strength from Him as we immerse ourselves in life's often chaotic situations.

Stay focused on the Master as we serve Him diligently. When things get out of hand and chaotic, or when it seems unfair that we're doing more working than others, focus on Him. It's all about our relationship with Him.

Could Mary have worked hard on the preparation before Jesus arrived? Perhaps, perhaps not. We don't know. The passage, to me, is not about working hard or sitting still. It's about staying focused even in the midst of chaos.

"Doing nothing" doesn't necessarily draw us close to the feet of Jesus. Argh ... if you need to take a break or sabbatical, fine. No need to buttress your argument with Luke 10.