To Serve or to Listen

Mary and Martha

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part,
which shall not be taken from her.—Luke 10:42

Robert Brand

In Luke 10:38-42 we find the account of our Lord’s visit to the home of Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. A quick overview indicates that when Jesus came to their home he encountered an objection by Martha. Martha professed to be concerned about her sister Mary’s lack of assistance to Martha’s domestic duties in order to spend time in fellowship with the Master. Our Lord’s response to Martha was brief, direct, and, as expected, insightful.

Lazarus was a close friend of Jesus (John 11:5, 36). Mary and Martha were the fleshly sisters of Lazarus, and we find two other passages in the gospels involving Mary, Martha, and Jesus. One account is the raising of Lazarus, and the other is the anointing of Jesus by Mary. Examining these two other accounts provides some insight into the passage under consideration here.

John 11 contains the only gospel account of the wondrous raising of Lazarus. In this passage we find Mary in the house, and Martha running to meet Jesus upon his arrival (vs. 20). Rather than welcoming him, Martha’s first words to Jesus might be taken as somewhat of a rebuke: “If you had been here, my brother would not have died” (vs. 21, NIV). Her subsequent statement, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” indicated a level of faith that seems wanting in her almost absurd concern over the foul odor of death in the face of the most powerful of miracles (vs. 39). (This is reminiscent of our Lord’s response to the Sadducees’ concern over a seeming dilemma concerning the resurrection—“Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” Matthew 22:29).

Here we see an interesting side to Martha; while unquestionably a believer, she was deficient in recognizing her Lord’s wisdom and methods. Though her sister Mary does repeat Martha’s initial objection in verse 32, the context is different. Mary “fell down at his feet” and wept. We thus see Mary’s statement as more of an inquiry than a rebuke. Paraphrasing, perhaps Martha was charging, “It is your fault that my brother died since you delayed your arrival here,” whereas Mary was questioning, “Is it possible that Lazarus would not have died if you had been here?” Mary’s weeping, along with that of fellow mourners, was followed by the Master’s tears at this scene of the death of a dear friend. Martha’s earthly objections are contrasted with Mary’s sense of spirituality and devotion.

John 12:1-8 provides a narrative of Jesus’ visit to Bethany. At supper, we read in verse 2 that “Martha served” the meal, while Mary was engaged in another form of service to Jesus: a literal anointing. She used a very expensive oil from which emanated a sweet perfume that filled the house. An objection to the costly service was raised; our Lord met the objection with a brief reproof: “Let her alone.” In this scene, we once again observe the sisters in different roles of service: Martha providing the essential temporal service and Mary providing a loving act of humble kindness to Jesus. Both roles were important and necessary.

This brings us to Luke 10:38-42. There is no question that the spirit and custom of hospitality required that a meal be prepared for Jesus, their guest. The account notes, however, that Martha was “distracted by all the preparations” (NIV). We get an initial glimpse of the problem at hand—not Martha’s service, but rather her attitude toward her service. She virtually accuses Jesus saying, “Don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?” (NIV). As if that was not enough, she further demands that the Master request Mary to help her with the temporal provisions. We thus once again see, in just a few words, a lack of trust in the Lord’s ability to handle the situation at hand.

As we note that Mary did not speak a word in this account, Jesus then counseled Martha tenderly, yet in a poignant way: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (NIV). Jesus did not rebuke Martha for preparing a meal; that was a worthy service. He rather identified an attitude problem, one of being “worried and upset.” Freedom from anxiety is offered to believers with the precious promise of “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). Accordingly, the apostle Paul admonishes us, “In nothing be anxious” (Philippians 4:6, ASV). Precious promises are ours for the taking.

Jesus further contrasted Martha’s service with Mary’s, noting that Mary had “chosen the good part” or a higher level of service. In the consecrated walk, the spiritual often depends on the temporal, but only as a means to an end. For example, in order to study or witness, we must have temporal nourishment. Both aspects of life are important. The New Creature, however, has an obligation to make every effort to decrease, when possible, earthly responsibilities, so that the spiritual may flourish and grow. It is a matter of balance and priorities; how we spend our time reveals much about where we are in our walk with the Lord.

Regarding Mary’s interaction with the Master, let us also keep in mind that having fellowship with Jesus was hardly an easy refuge from the task of domestic or other chores. Like the Scriptures, Jesus’ words were “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit” (Hebrews 4:12). Disciples of the Lord would respond “this is a hard saying; who can hear it?” (John 6:60). Jesus’ regal presence, as a result of his human perfection and obedience to the heavenly Father, was likely somewhat uncomfortable for those in his immediate circle of fellowship. In Matthew 8:8, the centurion responded to Jesus by saying, “I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof.” We easily assume that those obedient to the standard of righteousness enjoyed the Savior’s company more than those living outside of the will of God. When overcoming in our personal lives, we find Scriptural counsel to be challenging, yet also welcoming and insightful. However, when spiraling downward in the things of the flesh, that same counsel is uncomfortable at best, and resisted at worst. A lesson is that, as we come into harmony with divine will, we find more and more comfort in the high standard of righteousness. It becomes something to strive for and embrace, not something to avoid or ignore.

In our Christian walk, many opportunities for service are available. We thus have a dual obligation when engaged in such sacred service: the actual “mechanics” of the service, and also our attitude toward that privilege. Let us embrace both aspects willingly and cheerfully.

We can also learn from the Lord’s approach in dealing with Martha. In his usual and yet profound manner, he combined gentle reproof with clear counsel. The Savior’s words are remarkable for their simplicity. This is a good example to follow in our interactions with others.

Let us then learn the lesson of Martha and Mary. As we do all “as unto the Lord,” any form of service in the Narrow Way is commendable. We do, however, have an obligation to decrease any unnecessary temporal responsibilities and increase the spiritual pursuits. Let us so order our affairs of life and, with the appropriate attitude, rejoice in every opportunity in the Lord’s great cause.