In Luke 10: 38-42 we read of Jesus' visit to the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Martha was the dutiful host, working hard, most likely preparing a meal for their guest that day, their beloved friend Jesus. Martha was put out with her sister Mary for not helping her. Mary, instead was sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him. Martha rebuked Mary in front of Jesus and then went on to accuse Jesus of "not caring". Not a very hospitable reaction to the circumstances.
Find the Better Portion
Jesus scolded Martha, not for being a bad hostess but for being "worried and distracted". He informed Martha that Mary had chosen the better part. The Old Testament has this to say about the better part or portion:
"You are my portion, O Lord; I have said that I would keep Your words." Psalm 119: 57
"My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73: 26
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” Lamentations 3: 24
What do these scriptures have in common? If God is our portion we will have hope, we will have strength when we feel like giving up and we will be obedient to Him. When someone is worried and distracted, they have trouble finding hope, they often don't feel like they can face their life and may even have problems being obedient to God. When we are worried and distracted, we often feel the unfairness of life. Like Martha, we see what is happening to "us" and are concerned less with others.
Worrying Changes Nothing
Jesus has much to say about worry. In Luke 12: 25 He tells us that worrying won't make us grow taller. In other words, worrying won't change anything. It's an unproductive behavior. God will provide for our needs without it. In Matthew 6: 25-34 Jesus repeats the admonishment to not worry and says that we should seek Him and His righteousness first and then our needs will be met. Mary knew what the better portion was. She was seeking Him first and not worrying.
Excuses For Worrying
When Martha accused Jesus of "not caring" isn't that what we tend to do in our own lives. When things aren't going right, when troubles abound don't we forget sometimes that God truly loves us. Deep inside don't we think , "Well maybe He just doesn't really care about me." Don't we excuse our worrying as, "Well I just care so much about this situation that I can't stop thinking about it."
How Do We Approach Jesus?
Another noticeable difference between Mary and Martha was how they approached Jesus. In John 11: 32 we are told that Mary fell on her knees before Him. In Luke 10: 39 we find Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus and in John 12: 1-8 Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with costly oil and wipes His feet with her hair. Time after time in the gospels people approach Jesus with great humility, falling on their knees. In James 4: 6 James says that God gives grace to the humble. Nowhere do we see Martha doing this. Was she too distracted, too worried about "having to do it all" to understand how she should approach her Savior? Are we?
Sit At His Feet
The Bible tells us to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). Matthew 11: 28-30 says that we will find rest for our souls in Him. In I Kings 19 God speaks to His depressed and worried prophet Elijah in a still, small voice. Like Mary, we need to find the better portion. To hear God we need to still our minds, pray for God's peace, read His word, and find a quiet place to be alone with God minus all the distractions of our modern world. Find rest in Him, humble yourself before Him, listen to His words, sit at His feet and never forget,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13: 6 (b)
Comments