Choosing that good part

The story of Mary and Martha, teach us an important lesson about how important it is for us to align our priorities in a way that keeps us from missing out on the most important thing. The story of Martha and Mary illustrates this lesson well.

The story of Martha and Mary

While Jesus was in Bethany, Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus (the man that Jesus raised from the Dead) invited Jesus into her home. While He was there, Martha was stressed out because she was trying to be the best possible host. Her sister Mary, on the other hand, chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to his every word. This is the same Mary who anointed Jesus with oil and wiped his feet with her hair (John 11:1-2 NKJV).

Martha wasn’t happy that her sister had left her to do all of the work and she wasn’t shy about letting her feelings be known.

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.”
Luke 10:40 (NKJV)

That seems like a fair complaint, doesn’t it? Martha was doing her best to make Jesus feel comfortable and well cared for and Mary wasn’t helping her at all. Have you ever had a sibling like that? I guess it’s easy to let someone else do all the work when you have a sibling like Martha.

What did Jesus do? Did He command Mary to help her sister? No, not at all, and here’s why.

The real problem was that Martha was going far beyond what was needed to be a good host when only a few things were needed and it was causing her to miss out on the most important thing. Jesus didn’t come to His friend’s home to be waited on hand and foot or to have an extravagant gourmet meal. He came to spend time with his friends.

Here’s how Jesus responded to Martha’s request:

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 10:41-42 (NKJV)

Jesus addressed Martha by speaking her name twice, which is a term of endearment. He was gently bringing to her attention that she didn’t need to make everything perfect at the expense of spending time in the Lord’s presence. Like Mary, she would have done better to spend time in the presence of Jesus and learn from Him instead of fussing over unnecessary details.

This is a lesson for all of us

How many times have we stressed ourselves to the limit over every minor detail while making preparations for a special occasion? Everything has to be served at the right temperature. We’ve got to use a special tablecloth and the best dishes, the napkins need to be folded into the image of a swan, and we need to buy presents and figure out how to entertain all these guests. And on and on it goes until we work ourselves into a frenzy. Don’t get me wrong, making preparations and being a good host is a good thing, except when it causes us to miss out on that good part.

I hope you’ll all remember to share your moments with Jesus and remember not to spend so much time with unnecessary details that you miss an opportunity to fellowship with friends and family. Remember, it’s more important to be present than to be perfect.

May God bless you with His peace,
Daniel