Do you ever stop at the end of your day and think about all the things you accomplished since you got out of bed? I think we tend to think more about the things we still have to do. We have the tendency to be disappointed that certain things didn’t get done or that maybe we wasted a lot of our day dealing with the unexpected.

It doesn’t take much to throw us off our schedule. A phone call, a ringing of the doorbell, or a clogged drain can change everything we planned to do that day. I especially hate it when the washer or the drying doesn’t work, and I am left with piles of clothes on laundry day.

Such may have been the case for Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus in Luke 10. Jesus had been traveling, teaching the people, and probably sought a quiet place to rest. His choice was the village of Bethany and the home of His friends.

Martha received Jesus into her home and began to prepare a meal. Mary, on the other hand, sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him. The scripture doesn’t say what Jesus talked about; but whatever it was, Mary sat in the position of a student and listened to Him.

So there was Martha, slaving away in the kitchen; and Mary was sitting comfortably doing nothing to help with the preparations. Doesn’t that sound familiar to us as women? We are slaving away at a task while everyone else is watching television, playing a game, or taking a nap.

Luke obviously included this short account (only 5 verses) for some reason. Of course, there are lessons to be learned. So, what can we learn from this story?

First, Martha had a desire to welcome her guest and take care of His physical needs. Welcoming people into our homes is important. In Paul’s instructions to Titus concerning the appointment of elders, he said that elders are to be hospitable (Titus 1:8). Jesus mentions that hospitality must be present in the lives of those that will inherit the kingdom of God and will be absent in the lives of those who will go away into every lasting punishment. (Matthew 25:31-46).

We, too, need to show hospitality both to those we know and to strangers. It is essential in our Christian service.

Second, Martha let entertaining become more important that the guest. Luke says, “But Martha was distracted with much serving.” We sometimes let the choice of food, the preparation of the food, and the proper serving take precedence over the guest.

I have known women that stayed home from Bible study to prepare food for a visiting preacher or a fellowship meal. They allowed the preparation to distract them from the being where they needed to be—in worship.

Third, Martha exhibited an outburst of jealousy. She even said to Jesus, “Tell her to help me.” You can almost feel her frustration and the sentiment of, “She won’t listen to me so you tell her.”

How sad. Martha could have just faded into the background and completed her tasks, then joined Mary and Jesus. Maybe she didn’t want Mary to have that special time with Jesus. We can’t say, but Jesus certainly knew her heart and responded to Martha’s demand.

Fourth, Jesus’ response to Martha gives us our final lesson. 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.”

We need to choose the good part. We need to choose spending time in reading and studying God’s Word. We need to spend time in service to the Father, putting Him above all things.

Sandra Oliver