Mary and Martha

Woman, at the Feet of Jesus

April 17, 2010

 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so, she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42).

Do you have a younger sister? I do. There have been so many perspectives written about this I’d like to share mine.

I have a birth sister, a half-sister, a stepsister and sisters in the Lord. I am the oldest. And I can tell you if I was doing all the cooking, and cleaning and my sister was sitting listening to this wonderful teacher and in my heart, I knew he was the Messiah, I would want to be sitting right there too. But knowing, if I didn’t get dinner done, we wouldn’t have anything to eat that night, I’d say the same thing Martha said. “Jesus, tell Mary to help me!”

But in reading this story and the story of Lazarus’s death I think Jesus was preparing the two sisters for what was going to happen to their brother. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” In other words, “No Martha, I am not going to tell her to help you. You should be listening too!”

Jesus knew that Lazarus was going to die he waited four days to go to him. He knew that he would raise him from the dead. He also knew what their reactions would be. But these were his friends and as the story unfolds, they come to realize just who Jesus, really is.

In John 11:2 Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair.

(Emotional tears contain more beta-endorphins, some of our bodies’ natural pain relievers, and protein.) Taken from the article HAVE A GOOD CRY By Victor M. Parachin

She remembered what he said to her in Martha’s kitchen, and she knows what will be coming to her friend. So, with all the love and care she has for him, she gives to him freely an act of respect and kindness for the Messiah, he is her savior and so she anoints him.

Do you ever put yourself in these stories? Do you ever wonder what your response would be? I’m sure I can see me, as Martha but then after doing a bit of soul searching, I have a change of heart sigh and say, “OK, Lord, I hear you. I’ll take a little while and sit at your feet.” Oh, what a refreshing, what peace fills my soul there really is nothing that can compare to being in his presence.

Why do we let the cares and distractions of this world prevent us from sitting at Jesus’ feet?

Stop what you are doing right now…sit at his feet…look into his face by faith … and praise Him.

Put your name in this space “______________, __________ choose the better part.” Jesus is speaking are you listening?

©Written by: Marla O’Neill