“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.”
Luke 10:41-42
Martha. I can’t help but feel bad for her. If you don’t know the story—Jesus had gone with His disciples to His friends Mary and Martha’s house who were also the sisters of Lazarus. While there, Martha was busy trying to make sure everything was ready for her guests: preparing a large meal for 13 men (not an easy feat in any day let alone in Bible times!) and generally running around keeping the house tidy and welcoming so that her guests would feel comfortable.
Mary, on the other hand, had plunked herself down right at the feet of Jesus and was hanging on His every word and not doing a thing to help Martha in the kitchen. If Martha was anything like me, I imagine her casting side long glances at Mary and grumbling to the servants saying, “We talked about this . . . Mary said she was going to be better at helping this time.” And then Mary wasn’t and Martha had had enough.
When there’s a break in the action, Martha goes to Jesus—she figures He would be sympathetic; Jesus has always been just and seems to favor the underdog. I can just imagine Martha saying, “Jesus, will you please ask Mary to help me? I have been so busy preparing a nice dinner for you, and Mary said she would help, but she hasn’t. She’ll listen to you if you tell her to help me. Please tell her!” But, much to Martha’s dismay, Jesus defends Mary! Oh the injustice of it! He does have a point though—the work will always be there. He would only be with them for a little bit. I imagine Martha sighing, putting the last few touches on the meal, and then coming to sit by Mary and having one of those visits where you totally relax and lose track of time, enjoying the company of friends and family.
I wonder how glad Martha was a few years later that she did that—when Jesus had been crucified and she knew their days of long chats were gone for good. She probably never obsessed over all the details when she had company over again, learning that time spent with company was what was important.
This story reminds me of an event in my life several years ago. It had been a crazy, busy season: work was crazy, there were extra events eating up my weekends, and I was frantically getting ready to leave on a mission trip in less than 2 weeks! It was Father’s Day weekend. I was so overwhelmed. I remember discussing with my parents the possibility of moving our Father’s Day get-together with them and my grandparents so that I could check a few more things off my to-do list. Ultimately I relaxed a little bit and we proceeded with our plans for the day. I spent several wonderful hours really relaxing with my parents and grandparents and we had a great visit. Then, less than 2 days later, my grandfather died. I was so grateful I had one last really good visit.
We never know when the last visit will be. We aren’t privy to how much time anyone gets on this earth. We look back and wonder how Martha could have ever chosen housework over sitting at the feet of Jesus, but Martha didn’t know the end of the story like we do. We can’t live our lives expecting the worst and in scarcity, grabbing at any opportunity to see loved ones out of fear that we may never see them again; but, we can live with eternity in mind—filtering our decisions for today through the lens of what will matter in eternity.