38 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.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 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.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
— Luke 10:38-42
I am what you would call a ‘Martha’. Busy beyond belief, always running one errand or another, the first to set up and the last to pack away.
My catchphrase in 2015 was “I have not got time”, and the enunciation and intonation varied depending on the situation. You see, we Marthas are always busy.
I have read Luke 10 numerous times and I’ll be honest – I’ve never been a fan of Mary. I usually visualise myself in Martha’s shoes. Once she got over the shock/excitement that Jesus Himself was coming to HER house, she must have spent 48 hours getting everything ready.
Shopping brought.
Food cooked.
Floored cleaned.
Toilet dazzling.
Guests invited.
Now came the big day. Jesus was sat down in the living room and she was about to serve some refreshments….but where was Mary???
In my mind, Mary was the troublesome younger sister who could hardly be trusted to boil an egg let alone serve the King of Kings, but the least she could do was attempt to help out.
But no. She’s feeling lazy. She takes the easy way and and just sits there…..listening….the cheek!
And yet, Mary was the one who got it right. I read this story today with a smile, because I constantly do the ‘Martha’ thing of thinking that productivity means busyness and serving others trumps serving myself.
But let’s remember Mary. Mary sat at Christ’s feet and He did not reject her.
So take some time out today to ‘serve yourself’. Refresh yourself in the Word. Catch up with the Holy Spirit. Listen out for what God is saying.
It’s a new year – less Martha and more Mary…
Stephanie Speaks On 