Luke 10:38-42 (Voice) “Jesus continued from there toward Jerusalem and came to another village. Martha, a resident of that village, welcomed Jesus into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, went and sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him teach. 40 Meanwhile Martha was anxious about all the hospitality arrangements. Martha (interrupting Jesus): Lord, why don’t You care that my sister is leaving me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to get over here and help me. 41 Jesus: Oh Martha, Martha, you are so anxious and concerned about a million details, 42 but really, only one thing matters. Mary has chosen that one thing, and I won’t take it away from her.”
Martha was “distracted with all her arrangements.” She was “anxious and bothered about so many things.” There were all of the urgent demands of getting the meal prepared: setting the table, baking the bread, roasting the meat, fixing the vegetables, and coordinating everything so that it all got done at the same time.
Martha’s anxiety about the “million details” distracted her from the person she was preparing for in the first place. Instead of focusing on spending quality time with Jesus, she was consumed with getting all the hospitality arrangements right.
Mary chose to focus on the one thing that mattered – her relationship with Jesus.
It can become so easy for us to get wrapped up in all the things we need to do and the things that need to be accomplished that we lose sight of what the most important thing is. Isn’t it possible that we can get too wrapped up in the cares of life? In one brief sentence, Jesus diagnosed Martha’s heart. His choice of words is striking. “You are anxious and bothered . . .” Anxious meaning worried, troubled with cares, promoting your own interests. Bothered means troubled, disquieted in your mind.
Luke 10: 42 “but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
At this point Jesus gave Martha a choice as He offered her His one necessary thing in exchange for her many self-promoting interests. He pointed her back to Mary and she realised what was necessary, spending time with Him and hearing His word.
1 Samuel 16:7b “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
2 Peter 1:3 (NLT) “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence.”
Today, chose the one thing, that will not be taken away for us, a relationship with God.
