But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and
said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid
her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha,
Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is
needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away
from her. – Luke 10.40-42
I love the few glimpses that we get of Jesus and His friendship
with Mary and Martha and Lazarus. It looks like He was a regular visitor in
their home and often saw them outside of that setting. Jesus loved these friends
as a man and as God loves.
One day Jesus was visiting them. The sisters had two
responses. Mary stopped what she was doing and sat and Jesus’ feet for
fellowship and teaching. Nothing was more important to her.
Martha had a servant’s heart. She was busy about
tidying up and preparing the tea. As the old KJV put it ‘she was cumbered about
with much serving.’ Like any of us, she got frustrated. ‘Lord, don’t You care
that Mary as left me to do all this work by myself?’
There was nothing wrong with Martha’s serving. Service
is good. But service is not enough. Mary had chosen to sit at Jesus’s feet and
Jesus said that ‘was the good part.’
We all need to be careful that we don’t confuse ‘busy-ness’
for service.
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