The Better Portion
“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with 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 preparations alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”
Luke 10:38-42 LSB
In pursuit of providing the best “entertainment” for Jesus and His disciples, Martha became consumed in her service. Meanwhile, Mary sat quietly at Jesus’ feet and attended to His teachings. Like a bitter employee going to HR, Martha asked Jesus to rebuke Mary for not giving a helping hand. In a shocking turn of events, Jesus ends up gently and lovingly rebuking Martha, vindicating Mary for choosing “the better portion.”
We learn from this brief passage that Jesus does not desire to be waited upon in a delicate manner, as Martha intended, but rather to be heard diligently in His teachings. Of course, when rightly applied, this leads to faithful obedience: “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). However, not to be overlooked is how Jesus embraces the opportunity to impart knowledge of divine matters to those who are willing to seek and receive it from Him. Mary knew this well, and was rewarded.
Like Martha, we often get caught up in what we’re trying to do for the Lord that we sometimes forget to just stop and spend time with Him. Jesus pointed Martha to care for her soul, which was the better portion to her many tasks of service. Matthew Henry comments that “Worldly business is a snare to us when it hinders us from serving God and getting good to our souls.”
What is currently hindering you from serving God and “getting good” to your soul?
