Mary and Martha: The Better Thing
| Luke 10:38–42
Mary Provided Jesus instructions
even at
the cost of not being fed
Jesus and His disciples
had arrived in the Jerusalem area,
and as
He prepared His followers
for
what was to come,
He delivered
some intense training on
key
aspects of the faith.
He was likely doing some such teaching
at the
home of Mary and Martha, sisters to Lazarus,
when this conversation took place.
Ironically, as He lectured
Martha worked intently on the preparations
involved with
hosting an important person like Jesus.
She wanted to show Him the
honor He was due.
By contrast,
Mary
took the opportunity to sit
at
His feet and absorb
His every word.
When Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her,
she assumed He would affirm her critique
and come to her aid.
The original Greek wording
indicates her confident expectation.
Jesus’ response was gentle, but firm.
“My dear, dear Martha.”
He rebuked her—tenderly—for her
trivial concerns
and her unnecessary focus on comparison
Jesus did not criticize her work,
only her expectation that
Mary must join.
Mary provided
the flesh- and-blood example of
devoted discipleship that Jesus was asking for.
It was also significant that
Jesus deemed a woman to be
worthy of His teaching.
In that first-century culture,
women did not often receive an education.
That Jesus publicly
affirmed
her choice was no small compliment.
It’s tempting for us, as well,
to serve at the
expense of being fed
We can unfairly evaluate the focus of others
and compare them to ourselves.
May we prioritize our own heart and soul nourishment, even over service.
There are so many ways we can and do go wrong.
We throw ourselves into service at the
cost of
spending time with You;
we judge others because their
obedience to You looks different from ours.
Teach us to pursue You first.
| Luke 10:38–42
Mary Provided Jesus instructions
even at
the cost of not being fed
Jesus and His disciples
had arrived in the Jerusalem area,
and as
He prepared His followers
for
what was to come,
He delivered
some intense training on
key
aspects of the faith.
He was likely doing some such teaching
at the
home of Mary and Martha, sisters to Lazarus,
when this conversation took place.
Ironically, as He lectured
Martha worked intently on the preparations
involved with
hosting an important person like Jesus.
She wanted to show Him the
honor He was due.
By contrast,
Mary
took the opportunity to sit
at
His feet and absorb
His every word.
When Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her,
she assumed He would affirm her critique
and come to her aid.
The original Greek wording
indicates her confident expectation.
Jesus’ response was gentle, but firm.
“My dear, dear Martha.”
He rebuked her—tenderly—for her
trivial concerns
and her unnecessary focus on comparison
Jesus did not criticize her work,
only her expectation that
Mary must join.
Mary provided
the flesh- and-blood example of
devoted discipleship that Jesus was asking for.
It was also significant that
Jesus deemed a woman to be
worthy of His teaching.
In that first-century culture,
women did not often receive an education.
That Jesus publicly
affirmed
her choice was no small compliment.
It’s tempting for us, as well,
to serve at the
expense of being fed
We can unfairly evaluate the focus of others
and compare them to ourselves.
May we prioritize our own heart and soul nourishment, even over service.
There are so many ways we can and do go wrong.
We throw ourselves into service at the
cost of
spending time with You;
we judge others because their
obedience to You looks different from ours.
Teach us to pursue You first.
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