Mary and Martha

Luke 10:38-42

New International Version (NIV)

At the Home of Martha and Mary

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be 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!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I was reading about Mary and Martha the other day, and I realized something . . . Mary would royally tick me off. Nice huh?


Just call me Martha. I am not Mary. I specialize in running myself ragged. I don't relax well, and when others don't do the same, I get a bit peeved. I'd sure let Jesus know who was doing the work, and who wasn't. Because that's how Martha rolls.


So what do I think about His response to Martha? Well, I'll tell you what I don't think . . . I don't think Jesus was saying to be lazy. I don't think He was trying to discredit the work Martha was doing or even lecturing her. But in that moment in that time, when Martha had the chance to sit at the feet of the Savior of the world (which I'm sure she didn't realize), she was instead running around like a chicken with her head cut off. She was missing a valuable opportunity because she was "distracted by all the preparations that had to be made". He wasn't yelling at her that her choices were wrong (after all He had made Martha the way she was), but He was pointing out that Mary had chosen "what is better", and He wasn't taking that from her.


I'm trying to be more like Mary and less like Martha. I'm trying to seize the opportunities that come my way whether it be a chance to pray, or read my Bible, or play a board game with my family . . .


And as a Martha, type A personality, I'm really trying to understand my Mary counterparts, and I'm trying to be gracious. Because I know that both Mary and Martha are needed and necessary.


What about you? Would you say you're a Mary or a Martha?