The Martha Problem
In chapter ten of Luke’s gospel a short but poignant episode takes place at Martha and Mary’s home. Martha and Mary along with their brother Lazarus are close friends of Jesus. They live in a little town called Bethany about six miles from Jerusalem.
In his travels Jesus would stay at Martha and Mary’s home. On this particular occasion Jesus is doing some teaching in their house. We don’t know how many people were in the house but Jesus had some of his disciples with him and most likely there were friends of Martha and Mary hoping to meet Jesus and hear some of his teachings. Let’s pick up the story in Luke 10:38-42 (NIV). 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 been 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.”
What are we to make of this story? Obviously the gospel writers thought it was important enough to record it. If we were a fly on the wall what might we think about what happened? In the biggest room in the house sits Jesus with a group of people crowded around him hanging on his every word. In the kitchen Martha is preparing the food so everyone can enjoy a meal together. However at some point Martha begins stewing about the fact that her sister is not in the kitchen with her preparing the food. People begin to hear pots and pans banging around but Mary is not picking up on her sister's passive aggressive behavior. On the surface this would appear to be a reasonable request but Jesus doesn’t see it that way. When Martha can no longer take it she bursts into the room where Jesus is teaching and triangulates Jesus into a delicate situation.
I have two younger sisters which I think gives me insight into the whole sisters thing. I’m sure the air was thick with tension. Everyone was wondering, how is Jesus going to handle this awkward situation? I’m guessing that a majority of people in the room were thinking that Jesus would take Martha’s side. However that is not what happens. Jesus turns an awkward situation into a teachable moment. He points out three things to Mary.
Jesus says to Martha, “you are worried.”
Jesus points out that Martha is upset.
Jesus points out that Mary has chosen what is better.
So what is Jesus trying to teach us? Jesus does not want us to worry. He makes this abundantly clear in the sermon on the mount. When worry is not addressed it turns into anxiety which leads us to being upset. When Martha said, ‘Don’t you care”, she expressed a sense of abandonment. When we feel like we are on our own with no support we can quickly lose hope. Jesus on several occasions taught us that God is always with us and in fact will never abandon us. Finally Jesus told Martha and for that matter everyone in the room, Mary had made the better choice. Jesus was not going to allow Martha to rob her sister of the blessing she was receiving as she sat at his feet.
I think the biggest struggle for most of us and I include myself in this, is taking the time to sit at the feet of Jesus. This means we must still ourselves enough to focus on our Lord and Savior. We live in a world filled with distractions and of course our smart phones aren’t helping. Most of us are busy. When I wake up in the morning it’s hard for me to not think about my list of things to do. My impulse is to drink a cup of coffee and rush into my day. However I have discovered that if I don't take the time to sit with Jesus, even if it’s for a few minutes, my day is less productive and I experience more stress and anxiety. When we sit at the feet of Jesus, be it on our couch, in our backyard, or whatever your favorite space is, we soak in the presence of Jesus and his presence translates into empowerment for our life.
Think of it this way. Before I go to bed I plug my iPhone into the charger so that it’s charged up and ready to go in the morning. Once in a while I forget to charge my iPhone which means that at some point in the day, probably when I really need it the most, my iPhone is going to shut down. Sitting at the feet of Jesus powers us up so we can take on the demands of life. Martha had good intentions but she missed out on what was best. Are you taking the time to sit at the feet of Jesus? If not I want to encourage you to set aside some Jesus time everyday. This requires intentionality but it’s worth it. Sitting at the feet of Jesus doesn’t make all our problems go away but it empowers us and equips us to face the challenges of life. And that my friend makes for a happier, healthier life.
Stay close to Jesus.
Steve