Martha and Mary

Seth shared this passage with us tonight during our family worship time.  We were all so challenged by it and it caused us to think about this passage in a fresh way.  Hope it will be a blessing to you as well and cause you to draw closer to our Lord. 

(Luke 10:38-42)

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

A woman named Martha welcomed him into her house:

I have welcomed Jesus Christ into my house upon conversion.  How goes His stay?  He is Lord of my house but I am often blind to, and not cognitive of His presence and lordship.

Martha was distracted with much serving:

"Or was drawn off", from hearing the word, from attending on Christ; being taken up in providing for him… so that she had a great deal of business upon her head and hands, which distracted her thoughts, or took them off of divine things, and put her in great hurry and concern.

John Gill

Oh how often I am drawn off, instead of seeking the Lord in Word and prayer, and distracted by my own thoughts and business of life!

She came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?

She therefore applies to Christ, as believing that he would, with her, look upon it as a very reasonable thing that she should take her part with her… And she seems to speak… as if he had not showed that care and concern in this matter, which she thought was necessary. However, she was willing to have his sense of her sister's conduct, and hoped, and even doubted not, but that he would be of the same mind with her: 

John Gill

When I am drawn off I even think that Christ is concerned the most, as well as I, on the business into which I place my attention, the whole while leaving the things of God and attending the things of my own perceived importance.

But the Lord answered her… you are anxious and troubled about many things:

I place my thoughts and attention onto so many things, in the name doing the will of God – work of sorts.  I worry and fret in the business of life, the whole while blind to the presence of Christ, wherein the answer to all my concerns lies.

But one thing is necessary:

Christ's meaning seems plainly to be, that Mary hearing the word from his mouth, and at his feet, was one necessary thing. 

John Gill

The one necessary thing for me, as apposed to the business of the things of this world, is to read the scriptures and be on my knees communing with the Lord in prayer.