LET’S TALK ABOUT MARTHA

I know a wonderful Christian lady that is the best of everything Martha and the best of everything Mary. She has lived her life being the perfect hostess to hundreds of people, ordinary and special. She treats them no differently. She has also lived her life being a Christian wife, mother, and grandmother and serving the Lord in whatever way possible.

When I read the story of Mary and Martha, I feel admiration for both women. I believe they were both God-fearing women who wanted to do what was right. They were both followers of Christ and women who loved our Lord and truly wanted to do what was right.

We encounter these women in Luke 10 as Jesus pays a visit to their home. In the five short verses where the introduction to them is recorded and in the verses that record the death of their brother, we see their strengths, their weaknesses, and their strong belief system.

We’ll look at Martha this week and then Mary next week. Our aim will be to find the best of both women and learn what we can about establishing spiritual balance in our lives as Christian women.

This was an ordinary household, in an ordinary town, and ordinary individuals that compose a family. Luke 10:38 tells us that the house in which they lived belonged to Martha. Her brother, Lazarus, lived with his two sisters. They lived in the town of Bethany, which was about two miles from Jerusalem (John 11:18).

The story is simple, and it is simply told. Jesus came to visit. Martha began to prepare a meal for her guests, and Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to His teaching. Martha asked Jesus to make Mary help her, and Jesus made the statement that is so famous for this story. He said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (verses 41-42).

This verse is often read as though Jesus is scolding Martha. From what we know of Jesus, we can assume that His tone was not harsh. Instead, it was kind and patient. He spoke this same way when He spoke to Peter in John 21 and to Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9. He doesn’t condemn her wanting to take care of their physical needs. He just wants to make sure she understands that the spiritual is a priority.

We need to understand that Martha was probably preparing for a large group, not just Jesus. There were always some of the twelve, if not all of them, and a number of other men and women that traveled with Him. She couldn’t call Uber or the local pizza delivery to order the meal. They couldn’t go to the local Cracker Barrel for chicken and dumplings. Preparation took time, and Martha needed some assistance.

The problem for Martha was that she put the meal first. She was probably upset, maybe showed some anger at her sister; and she sees serving as the most important part of the visit. She sees Mary’s reaction to Jesus’ visit as an interference to getting the meal ready, and she asks Jesus to take sides in their family argument.

Notice that Jesus doesn’t condemn her for wanting to take care of their physical needs. He didn’t tell her not to prepare a meal. He just wanted her to know that Mary’s choice to listen was more important than preparing a meal.

Later, John tells us that Jesus loved this family. On this occasion, Lazarus has died, and Jesus’ feelings are evident. Jesus made his way to Bethany, and Mary was the one that stayed at the house with mourners while Martha went out to meet the Lord. Martha’s knowledge of Scripture is apparent as she reveals to Jesus her belief in a resurrection of the dead and the judgment. She expresses her faith that Jesus can control what happens, and she affirms that Jesus is the Son of God.

There are certainly lessons to be learned from Martha. She opened her home to many guests. She prepared food for her guests. Yes, she put too much emphasis on preparing the food and not enough on being taught. She was critical and probably angry without justification. One of the greatest lessons we learn is that she judged her sister for not doing what she did. How often do we do that? We measure someone else and their abilities and works by what we do.

Whether Martha learned from Jesus, from Mary, or from some other source, she learned. She did find time to take care of the spiritual, and we can remember her for understanding that there would be life after death.

Hospitality seems to be a forgotten art in our world today. Unfortunately, so is “sitting at the feet of Jesus.” We don’t have time to invite people into our homes or show hospitality in many other ways. But there is also the ongoing problem of taking time to studying God’s Word, and even to attend worship services.

May God help us to be like my friend who is an advocate of both hospitality and the Word.

Sandra Oliver