We all want the best part of whatever we are involved in. No one wants a sports team that is always losing, food that is left over for days, or a home in bad need of repair if they could have the best there is in these situations. We all like the best! Yet, because of our lack of foresight, we somehow end up settling for less than what is possible for us.
In Luke 10:38-41, we find someone many of us could identify. In our text, Jesus has entered the village of Bethany, where Martha and her sister Mary lived. Martha invites Jesus into her home. In verse 40, Luke tells us that she was “cumbered” with much serving. The Greek word for cumbered means distracted. What she was doing was not wrong, and it was something that must be done if she was going to feed and provide shelter for Jesus and those with Him. She was busy taking care of Jesus’ needs, and Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet.
Before we throw Martha under the bus, let’s look at the value of what she was doing. By her actions, she showed that she had respect for Jesus. She should be commended for the care that she gave her household. In Proverbs 31:27, we are taught that a woman should take care of her household and not be idle. I am sure she wanted to share and do her very best for her friend and Master, Jesus. However, she allowed her service to make her anxious and critical of her sister. Therefore, Jesus reproves her in verses 41-42. He recognizes that she is troubled about getting everything done that needs to be done to host her guest.
Luke 10:38-41 “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.”
Proverbs 31:27 “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
In verse 43, we see why Jesus reproves Martha. Jesus says, “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Martha was serving Jesus but not seeking to know Him. This is what He desires of us. He wants us to seek Him, not what He can do for us or how we can best serve Him. All of that will come when we put knowing Him above everything else. So many settle for knowing the minimal about Jesus and fall short of knowing Him. They know about Him, but so do the demons of hell. He wants us to know Him, to experience Him fully.
In Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Jesus said Mary was doing the thing that was needed. She was sitting at Jesus’ feet while she had the opportunity. Sometimes, the things of this life grab our attention, and they seem to be essential to our lives, but if they rob us of our time with God, they are not best for us. Nothing should cause you to skip your time with Jesus. It may mean you must get up at 4 a.m. to study alone. It may mean you need to lay some things aside to spend time with God. Whatever it takes, we need to rearrange our schedule, cut some things out that seem to run us ragged, and do what is best. Nothing is more important than spending time with Jesus. It will have eternal value. It will set the stage for the rest of your day.
When we take the time to put Jesus first, to ensure we do not miss our time with Him, we show the value we place on our relationship with Him. If our family had an emergency, we would drop everything and attend to it. Why? Because of the value we place on our relationships with our family. We must step back and take a long look at our lives and determine if we are giving as much attention to the spiritual as we are to the physical parts of our lives. It is vital to our eternal soul that we arrange our priorities with Jesus at the top. When we fail, He will forgive us, but we should not plan to fail or fail because we did not plan. When we spend time with Him, everything else will find its rightful place, and others will benefit more from that than the trivial temporal things of life. Mary chose the best, have you?
Excellent