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Martha's Discovery Of The One Necessary Thing
Luke 10:38-42
Jesus had three friends who lived in Bethany. He would occasionally stay in
their home when He was in Judea. Lazarus, Mary and Martha were brother and
sisters.
They lived together in the same house which probably was owned by Martha. At
least, Luke records that it was Martha who welcomed the Lord into her house
(LUKE 10:38). Bethany was located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives on
the road linking Jerusalem to Jericho. It was just over a mile and a half from
Jerusalem, or about a half hour's walk. It would have been a very convenient
place for Jesus and His fellow Galileans to stay when visiting Jerusalem for a
feast day or on some other occasion. Also, its proximity to the garden of
Gethsemane should be noted. Though we only have the record of the Lord's final
visit to Gethsemane for prayer and His subsequent arrest there, we know that it
was a favorite place of His while in the Jerusalem area. Luke records that it
was His custom to go to that particular place (LUKE 22:39,40).
There are three passages of Scripture which mention Martha. They are LUKE
10:38-42 when Jesus taught in her home while she busied herself preparing food
for her guests; JOHN 11:1-44 when Jesus raised her brother Lazarus from the dead
and JOHN 12:2 when Jesus visited her home just six days before His crucifixion.
We find her busy again preparing food while her sister Mary anoints Jesus' feet
with costly perfume.
LIFE'S DISTRACTIONS
"And she had a sister called Mary, who moreover was listening to the Lord's
word, seated at His feet. But Martha was distracted by all her preparations; and
she
came up to Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do
all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." (LUKE 10:39,40). Both Mary and
Martha are disciples of Jesus. These two women deal with Jesus' visit in two
different ways. It is certainly important to observe something just now: it was
not an either/or proposition for them or for us. We do not have to choose
between worshiping the Lord like Mary or serving the Lord like Martha. Neither
does there need to be such a conflict between our physical or secular needs and
our spiritual growth. Sadly, that is exactly what many believers end up with.
A careful reading of the context shows us that Mary had been in the kitchen with Martha until Jesus started teaching. Note Martha said that her sister had left her alone to do all the serving.
But Jesus knows that neither Mary nor Martha can live by bread alone (MATTHEW
4:4). It was now time to digest some spiritual bread and feed the soul. Martha
was being distracted from her soul's needs by other things. The other things in
this case are not bad things. Sometimes, even good things can fill up our lives
to the point where we neglect our souls. God has not blessed us with our
families, friends, jobs, abilities and other gifts to give us an excuse to
abandon a close walk with Him. Without Him we can do nothing (JOHN 15:5).
DO NOT LET SO MANY THINGS WORRY YOU
"But the Lord answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and
bothered about so many things." (LUKE 10:41). Anxiety is a killer. Many of the
physical and mental ills of our present day are stress related. And Martha is
certainly a stressed out lady at this point in time. Her exasperation can be
seen in the
way she forms her question, "Lord, do You not care...?" I can well imagine her
"stewing" for a time in the kitchen (where else would you stew?) before being
emboldened to charge into the room in such a way. And certainly the Lord does
care, but not nearly as much about the problem as Martha sees it as He does
about
the real problem of which Martha is unaware. The Lord is more concerned about
Martha's state of mind and priorities than He is about being served a feast
later on.
Where faith grows, anxiety lessens. This is one of the chief lessons Jesus
taught earlier in His ministry during what we call the sermon on the mount; "Do
not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we
drink?'... But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto
you." (MATTHEW 6:31-33). Having the correct set of priorities (putting His
kingdom first) will greatly reduce your chance of heart attack.
THE NECESSARY THING
"...but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen
the good part, which shall not be taken from her." (LUKE 10:42). The good part
which Mary had chosen was to listen to the Lord's teaching. In the final scheme
of things, the things Jesus said that day were of much more importance than what
He ate. Today, if we are too busy to commune with the Lord; to pray and study
His word; to meditate on life's purpose and to enjoy a peaceful, private time
with Him, then there is something horribly wrong with our practice. If our walk
of faith consists mainly of going to church and then on with life's busy day
then we are not receiving of the goodness that the Lord has planned for us. And
if we are so hassled by the routines of daily existence that we find
ourselves lashing out at those we love as Martha did on that occasion,
then isn't that a good indication that something needs fixed?
THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me
shall live even if He dies." (JOHN 11:25). After Lazarus had died, and as Jesus
approached Bethany, it was Martha who ran to meet Jesus while Mary remained at
the house. Her first words seem to mingle faith and complaint; "Lord, if You had
been here my brother would not have died. " (JOHN 11:21). While one does not
want to condone the complaint, it must be understood that many of the faithful
have complained about one thing or another. Abraham, Job, Moses, David and
Jeremiah to name a few. God seems to have more patience with this than He does
with faithless grumbling and foolish accusations such as those made by the
Israelites in the wilderness.
Martha's faith in Jesus never wavered. When Jesus asks her about her belief in Him, she sums up her faith this way; "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He that comes into the world." (JOHN 11:27).
Jesus had earlier said only one thing is really necessary. I believe He was referring to faith. Faith comes by hearing His word (ROMANS 10:17). Faith overcomes the world (I JOHN 5:4). Without faith it is impossible to please God (HEBREW 11:6). We must keep the faith to receive the crown of righteousness at life's end (II TIMOTHY 4:7,8). For that reason, the gospel is taught that men and women might be led to the obedience of faith (ROMANS 16:26).
Jesus approached the tomb where Martha's brother's body lay. Four days before he
had died. But the One with the keys to death and Hades was about to call Lazarus
back to this realm. Martha would soon be reunited with her brother.
A BALANCED APPROACH TO SERVING JESUS
"So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving but Lazarus was one of
those reclining at the table with Him." (JOHN 12:2). Here we find Martha serving
again. This time the purpose of the gathering is to have supper. The end of
Jesus' ministry is approaching, and it seems as if both Mary and Martha are far
more aware of the fact than even the apostles. Mary anoints Jesus' feet with
costly perfume and weeps openly. Martha does the thing she evidently knew the
best. She fixes our Lord a dinner for perhaps her last time. No complaint this
time. The Lord is about to go to the place from which He had called Lazarus. But
remember who we are talking about. It is Jesus, whom Martha had identified as
the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus had identified Himself as the resurrection and
the life. He had proven it by raising her brother from the dead. He would prove
it again on the third day following His own death. He would live again!
By Jon W. Quinn
From Expository Files 1.3; March, 1994
