Martha always gets a bad rap in the Bible as a perfectionistic over-achiever while Mary seems to get a “pass” on sitting at Jesus’ feet. But it isn’t always that simple. Follow along as we explore a fresh perspective of Martha and Mary and Jesus’ response to them.
Martha – need the back story?
There have been many articles, Bible Studies, and even books written about Martha. She usually gets a pretty bad rap.
If you’re not familiar with the account of Martha and her sister, Mary, you’ll find it in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem and stopped at the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary, and their brother, Lazarus. (You may also remember the account of Lazarus who later died and whom Jesus raised from the dead.)
Anyway, in this particular account, when Jesus arrived at Martha’s home, He had all the disciples with Him. I don’t know about you, but if thirteen people showed up at my doorstep at mealtime, I would be freaking out. And especially if one of them was Jesus. I may have meat in my freezer but it has to be defrosted. Veggies in my fridge? Check, but only enough to make salads for 5 – 6 people. Canned food? I mean, come on, this is Jesus we’re talking about. Would you be serving Him canned corn? I. don’t. think. so.
Are you getting the idea? How was Martha going to pull together a meal for sixteen people quickly? I imagine she was freaking out . . . just like I would have been. And before you get all sanctimonious on me here, let’s remember she was human, just like the rest of us. I don’t imagine she had read the New Testament accounts of the bread and fish that Jesus multiplied. And I know she didn’t have Pinterest so she could look up a quick recipe for hummus or pita bread that she could make in just a few minutes.
Just a normal woman?
So, Martha, feeling the stress of the situation, looked around the kitchen and didn’t see her sister, Mary. Where could that girl be, just when Martha was at her wit’s end? She followed the sounds of the group in the living room and found her sister, all right. She was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to Him teach.
“Are you kidding me?” thought Martha. “Not only is she NOT helping me, but she is sitting at His feet. She’s not qualified to do that . . . only men are allowed to study under a rabbi. Her place is in the kitchen with me, preparing the food and being host to this group of men. I’ve had it with her! Jesus can deal with this.”
With that, Martha marched right into the living room and demanded that Jesus have Mary get up and help her prepare the meal. Martha never stopped to think about what Jesus thought about the situation. If she had, maybe she would have thought twice about what she was saying. She was only thinking about her expected outcome – getting help with the food prep and serving.
Just like us?
Don’t WE do that all. the. time? We only see our own lives. We have a pretty good idea of how things should be done (our way). And we know how everything should work out. If everyone will just follow our plan, we’ll have the right:
- education
- job
- spouse
- house in the best part of town
- number of children
- ministry in the church
So we try to do our part to make sure the plans are working just like they should. But when they start to go off the rail, we have to work that much harder to get them back on track. Am I right?
Where do we get the idea that our plans are SO important . . . maybe more important than what Jesus thinks about them. I know, harsh, right? But here’s the thing – Jesus cares about us and He cares about our plans. But He’s God! He’s more concerned with preparing us for heaven and having a relationship with us than whether our plans work out just like we hoped. God wants us to be happy, don’t get me wrong. But we’re happiest when we follow His plans, not our own. Sometimes that means not getting the job we thought we would. It may mean being single when all your friends seem to be happily married. And it might mean never being able to have that child you wanted so badly.
Anytime we think OUR plans are so important they should be automatically blessed by Jesus (just because we’re Christians) . . . well, that’s when things tend to go off the rails.
Martha, Martha . . .
So, let’s go back to Martha for a moment. She had plans and she knew exactly how they should work out. She and Mary would finish the meal together because Jesus was going to fix this. Martha could still salvage the meal and her reputation . . . and win “hostess of the year” award (which she would share with her lazy sister).
Can you imagine Martha’s surprise when Jesus reprimanded her instead of Mary? Irony, I know. : )
Jesus stopped what He was doing and looked at Martha.
“Martha, Martha,” He said, “you’re so worried about the little stuff (your plans), and you’re blowing this whole hostess thing all out of proportion. I get it that you want to do so much to honor Me, and I appreciate the thought. But where’s your heart? Your priority is getting the food ready, not in worshiping Me. Don’t you realize your priority reflects what you worship? Mary’s choice was Me. I won’t take that away from her.”
Yes, this is called “literary license” – this is what I think Jesus was saying to Martha. They were close friends and He knew she loved Him. But she was so anxious and worked up over being the perfect host, she completely forgot about the why she was going to all this trouble.
Mary, on the other hand, chose to sit quietly and learn from Jesus. She figured out what was important – the living, breathing Word of God was sitting in her living room. She KNEW Jesus was the Messiah and He was the ONLY thing she needed.
What does this mean for us?
Sometimes we have to choose between good and evil. That’s usually fairly easy to see and understand.
But, sometimes the choice is not quite as obvious. We may have to choose between good, better and best.
It isn’t wrong for us to entertain others or to want our house to be clean when people stop in to see us. Didn’t Jesus tell us we should welcome others into our homes? I believe we are called to entertain in the name of Jesus. We provide the sweet savor of Christ’s love to others as we entertain. But entertaining isn’t the end-all and be-all of our lives. Having the perfect home, serving the perfect meal, using the best china and silver . . . that shouldn’t be our focus. Our focus shouldn’t be on the working, but rather the relationships we build and sustain.
It isn’t wrong for us to study the Bible, but are we supposed to study it to the exclusion of all else? Neglecting your family, your job, your home, all your relationships?
It’s your heart Jesus is concerned with – “why” you are entertaining or sitting at His feet. Dear sister, don’t let it be for outward show, for the “hostess or Christian of the year” award. If you are performing so you get the glory or so others applaud your kindness, you have failed on the why.
Take your plans to Jesus, but let Him strip away anything that isn’t part of His plans for you. Let Him tell you what is good, better and best. Your problems become small, your worries insignificant and your delight overwhelming when your focus is on Jesus. I can honestly tell you this, my sister, you’re going to look back someday and be so glad you chose best.
Best changes everything.