Luke 10:38-42
This conversation took place in the home of a woman named Martha, who had invited Jesus and His disciples into her home for a meal. It is clear that she wanted to lay on an elaborate feast for them and that she expected her sister Mary to help her prepare it. That was how things worked in their society; while the men sat and talked about important matters, their womenfolk took care of the domestic chores. However, on this day, Mary had a different priority; she wanted to spend time with Jesus. So she sat at His feet while He talked, listening with great attention.
The conversation began when an irritated Martha burst into the room to demand that Jesus send her sister back to the kitchen to help her. So frazzled and cross was she that she even dared to reproach Jesus for His unconcern that she was having to manage everything by herself. It does not seem to have crossed her mind that Jesus would disagree with her view of the situation. We can only imagine her surprise when Jesus gently rebuked her and took Mary’s part.
Have you ever visited a home where your hosts were so busy putting on a good show for you that they didn’t actually have time to sit down and talk with you properly? I have and it can be very frustrating. Martha’s wish to be a good hostess was not wrong. Preparing a meal for Jesus and His friends was a way of serving Him and demonstrating her love and respect for Him. But, as v.40 tells us, she had become “distracted with much serving”. The Greek word there is perispaó, which means “to be pulled away, or over-occupied”. She was so busy doing what she thought was best that she missed what Jesus actually wanted, which was to build relationship with her. As Jesus pointed out, she had become worried and troubled about many things; things that were actually not that important. Mary had chosen to spend time with Him and Jesus said she had made the better choice.
It can be easy as Christian believers to fall into the same trap as Martha. Many missionaries have come back from the mission field with burnout because their “doing” took precedence over their “being”. We can get so caught up with the things we do for the Lord (serving in church, sharing the gospel, going to meetings etc) that we forget to spend time just sharing fellowship with Him. Even our times of reading the word, prayer and worship can become a hurried routine on the list of jobs we must do. When was the last time you sat with the Lord with no time limit and no agenda?
It is important to remember that being busy is not the same as being fruitful. Jesus lived a more productive and useful life on earth than anyone else ever did, yet He always made sure to spend time with His Father. Then He went and did the things that the Father had shown Him.
John 5:19 “Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”
I encourage you today to take a few minutes to evaluate your life before God. Why do you do the things you do? Do you know that God wants you to do them or are you trying to win approval, from Him or from other people? Is spending time with the Lord your first priority? Is there anything He is asking you to put down so that you have more time to spend with Him?
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Please forgive me for rushing around when I need to stop and spend time with You. I know that it is not Your desire for me to be anxious, stressed and over-busy. I ask that You will reveal to me anything I do that is unnecessary and can be cut out of my life. Help me to spend unhurried time with You, so that I can serve You according to Your desire rather than my own.
Amen.
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