Luke wrote, "Now it happened as they went
that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha
welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary,
who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was
distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said,
'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?
Therefore tell her to help me.'
"And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha,
Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one
thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will
not be taken away from her.'" (Luke 10:38-42)
I cannot help but wonder how many of us are more
like Martha than Mary. Martha was so involved with cooking, cleaning,
and preparing for her guest that she lost sight of who He was
and what really mattered. Mary, on the other hand, was not about
to be distracted by such mundane things when she could sit at
the Master's feet. There is certainly nothing wrong with a clean
house, a lovely table, and a good meal, but there are things that
are more important. Mary understood this. Martha did not!
Martha emphasized that which was less important,
while Mary focused on what really mattered. How are we sometimes
like Martha, and how can we be more like Mary?
- Martha would emphasize the wedding, while Mary would emphasize the marriage.
- Martha would be fixated on the house, while Mary would stress the home.
- Martha would be focused on the outer man (makeup, hair, clothing), while Mary would be focused on the inner man (the heart).
- Martha's focus would be on what she had, while Mary's emphasis would be on what she was!
None of the things that Martha found important
were necessarily evil; it is just that Mary knew what was more
important.
What about us? On the Lord's Day:
- Will we be more focused on the Lord's Table or the dinner table?
- Will we be more interested in meeting the needs of the inner man (our soul) or the outer man (our body)?
It is my hope that we, like Mary, will focus on
the one thing that is really needed. 534 Sixth St., Marietta,
OH 45750.