04/10
A Case study
of Mary and Martha
Luke 10:38-42 - As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
This short passage tells a story not so much about good versus evil, or right versus wrong, but rather good versus great and right versus more right. The story paints a picture of Godly priorities with wise lessons for how to prevent spiritual exhaustion and burnout.
Martha and Mary, along with their brother Lazarus, were two dear friends of Jesus who lived in Bethany, a town just outside Jerusalem. It’s not hard to imagine that Martha wanted everything perfect when Jesus, the famous Rabbi, came to visit. Getting everything perfect was her main priority that day and probably for the weeks and months leading up to it. Martha didn’t get the help she wanted from her sister Mary. It wasn’t that Mary was lazy – she prepared for the arrival of Jesus as well, but once Jesus arrived, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, along with the disciples, while Martha continued to work. To sit at the feet of Jesus implies readiness to accept and obey what Jesus teaches, submission to Jesus, faith in who Jesus is, discipleship, and love. At this point, no one was doing anything wrong or sinful, but Mary was doing something of a higher priority. While there is nothing wrong with hard work, what is more important is to recognize Jesus, be connected to him, listen to him, and be in a relationship with him. It would be difficult for Martha to have a relationship with Jesus if she only filled her time serving and doing things for Jesus. And in this way, Mary gives us the first lesson to prevent burnout, to do what is most important first, and not what is most urgent. Our days should begin with Jesus and being in his presence, not only because it is most important, but because it sets the tone for everything that comes at us the rest of the day.
Many Christians get caught up in Martha's mentality as well; doing so many things for God that we forget to simply be in an intimate relationship with him. This would be like running errands all week but neglecting to put gas in the car. Eventually, you're going to run out of gas and not even be able to run errands. Martha did nothing wrong by working hard for Jesus – that was good. Her problem was that she became distracted by so much serving that she was neglecting what mattered most. Martha’s real problem wasn’t Mary; it was Martha. She had become distracted and had taken her eyes off Jesus. She was distracted from Jesus, and this is a place that many well-meaning Christians find themselves in. The second lesson here is that we need to recognize our fuel sources and remember that for the Christian, that fuel source is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, not works or good deeds or anything we can conjure up in our strength. Charles Spurgeon said this about this passage: “The Martha spirit says, if the work is done, is not that all? The Mary spirit asks whether Jesus is well pleased or not. All must be done in his name and by his Spirit, or nothing is done.”
We can almost sense the love in Jesus’ voice as He corrected Martha. Martha did good and with a good heart. She wanted to serve Jesus, but she had not added what Jesus referred to as the one thing that was most needed. The Bible speaks of this one thing in Psalm 27:4. King David says these words; "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple". The third and final lesson for us is that 'Being' is always of greater importance than 'Doing', meaning that before we do anything for God, we need to be in his presence, and in this way, we will choose what is best over what is good, and we will also have the added benefit of avoiding spiritual burnout so that we can run the race to the finish line.
Martha and Mary, along with their brother Lazarus, were two dear friends of Jesus who lived in Bethany, a town just outside Jerusalem. It’s not hard to imagine that Martha wanted everything perfect when Jesus, the famous Rabbi, came to visit. Getting everything perfect was her main priority that day and probably for the weeks and months leading up to it. Martha didn’t get the help she wanted from her sister Mary. It wasn’t that Mary was lazy – she prepared for the arrival of Jesus as well, but once Jesus arrived, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, along with the disciples, while Martha continued to work. To sit at the feet of Jesus implies readiness to accept and obey what Jesus teaches, submission to Jesus, faith in who Jesus is, discipleship, and love. At this point, no one was doing anything wrong or sinful, but Mary was doing something of a higher priority. While there is nothing wrong with hard work, what is more important is to recognize Jesus, be connected to him, listen to him, and be in a relationship with him. It would be difficult for Martha to have a relationship with Jesus if she only filled her time serving and doing things for Jesus. And in this way, Mary gives us the first lesson to prevent burnout, to do what is most important first, and not what is most urgent. Our days should begin with Jesus and being in his presence, not only because it is most important, but because it sets the tone for everything that comes at us the rest of the day.
Many Christians get caught up in Martha's mentality as well; doing so many things for God that we forget to simply be in an intimate relationship with him. This would be like running errands all week but neglecting to put gas in the car. Eventually, you're going to run out of gas and not even be able to run errands. Martha did nothing wrong by working hard for Jesus – that was good. Her problem was that she became distracted by so much serving that she was neglecting what mattered most. Martha’s real problem wasn’t Mary; it was Martha. She had become distracted and had taken her eyes off Jesus. She was distracted from Jesus, and this is a place that many well-meaning Christians find themselves in. The second lesson here is that we need to recognize our fuel sources and remember that for the Christian, that fuel source is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, not works or good deeds or anything we can conjure up in our strength. Charles Spurgeon said this about this passage: “The Martha spirit says, if the work is done, is not that all? The Mary spirit asks whether Jesus is well pleased or not. All must be done in his name and by his Spirit, or nothing is done.”
We can almost sense the love in Jesus’ voice as He corrected Martha. Martha did good and with a good heart. She wanted to serve Jesus, but she had not added what Jesus referred to as the one thing that was most needed. The Bible speaks of this one thing in Psalm 27:4. King David says these words; "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple". The third and final lesson for us is that 'Being' is always of greater importance than 'Doing', meaning that before we do anything for God, we need to be in his presence, and in this way, we will choose what is best over what is good, and we will also have the added benefit of avoiding spiritual burnout so that we can run the race to the finish line.
Reflection Questions
1.Martha was distracted by many things, yet Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet. How often do you find yourself caught up in the "many things" of life, even when you know that spending time with Jesus is the most important thing? What might be keeping you from prioritizing time with Jesus in your daily routine?
2.Reflecting on the analogy in the devotional about "running errands without putting gas in the car," how would you describe your current spiritual "fuel" levels? Are you running on empty? Why or why not?
3.Jesus told Martha that only one thing was needed. What does "choosing what is better" look like in your life right now?
Think about the balance between your "doing" and "being" with God. How can you adjust your life to prioritize your relationship with Jesus before all other activities?
4. Jesus lovingly corrected Martha because she was distracted. What distractions in your life are pulling you away from spending meaningful time with Jesus? How can you gently correct your own focus?
2.Reflecting on the analogy in the devotional about "running errands without putting gas in the car," how would you describe your current spiritual "fuel" levels? Are you running on empty? Why or why not?
3.Jesus told Martha that only one thing was needed. What does "choosing what is better" look like in your life right now?
Think about the balance between your "doing" and "being" with God. How can you adjust your life to prioritize your relationship with Jesus before all other activities?
4. Jesus lovingly corrected Martha because she was distracted. What distractions in your life are pulling you away from spending meaningful time with Jesus? How can you gently correct your own focus?