Distraction and Choice

Nancy Leigh De Moss:

 

We first meet Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38–42, where we are told that “Martha opened her home to [Jesus]” (v. 38). What a wonderful thing to be said of a woman! Martha was the “hostess with the mostest”—the sister with an extraordinary flair for hospitality. How we need women today who are willing to open their hearts and homes to others. In a day when the majority of women are devoting their best hours to jobs outside their homes, there are so few who have a heart for hospitality—for serving and ministering to others, whether in their home, at church, in a restaurant, or in a park. 

As the passage unfolds, we see a dramatic scene that I recognize all too well. A band of hungry men descends on Martha’s home....… We are told, “Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made” (v. 40). The King James Version puts it this way: “Martha was cumbered about much serving.” That word cumbered literally means “to be pulled apart.”  Do you know that feeling? I certainly do. We start out with the best intentions to serve those around us. But one circumstance piles on top of another until we become so consumed with the mechanics and details of our work that we begin to feel pulled apart and lose sight of why we were serving in the first place.....

Perhaps it was when she forgot to set the timer and the rolls burned that Martha’s simmering frustration finally began to boil as she looked around and realized that her younger sister was nowhere to be seen..... That did it. Martha had had it! When the explosion came, it was directed not at Mary but at Jesus. “Lord,” she remonstrated, “don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?” (v. 40). 

When we become preoccupied with earthly things rather than eternal matters, we become resentful, self-centered, and angry. Our party turns into a pity party, and we start to believe that no one—not even Jesus—knows or cares about all the sacrifices we’ve made. “Tell her to help me!” she demanded. (Have you ever found yourself telling God what to do?) The reason most of us relate to the story thus far is because we know what it is to have our inner spirit in turmoil; to become irritated, angry, and demanding; to feel as if our circumstances and our emotions have spun out of control....

Jesus’ words to Martha speak to the Martha in all of us. Patiently He addressed her: “Martha, Martha, … you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42, emphasis added). What is it that Mary had chosen? What was Mary doing all this time? She was simply sitting at the feet of Jesus “listening to what he said” (v. 39). It is as if Jesus were saying, “Martha, there are so many things on your mind, so many items on your ‘to do’ list. There’s nothing wrong with your wanting to serve us dinner. The problem is that you have allowed your ‘to do’ list to pull you apart and to distract you from the only thing in this world that really matters-knowing Me, listening to Me, having a relationship with Me. That is the only thing that is absolutely essential. If you don’t get anything else done on your list, don’t miss that one thing!”

 Jesus reminded Martha that Mary had made a choice to cultivate her relationship with the Master. Developing intimacy with the Lord Jesus requires a conscious, deliberate choice. It is a choice to spend time sitting at His feet and listening to His Word, even when there are other good things that are demanding our attention. It is a choice to put Him first, above all our other responsibilities and tasks. I can almost hear Jesus saying to Martha, “....What matters is My relationship with you. That’s why I came to your house. That’s why I came to this world. Your company means more to Me than your cooking. You are more important to Me than anything you can do for Me.”