Luke 10:38-42 comments: that good part

    10:38 ¶  Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39  And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40  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. 41  And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42  But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Much has been made about this passage regarding being so busy working for the Lord, or the church, that you don’t take time to be with the Lord. Usually these sermons are made by people who insist that you be busy for the Lord, as busy as possible. So, there is always this tension, especially in fundamentalism where issues of control play such a big part.

Martha was doing the needful things, which we all must do, whether it be taking care of our families, working a job, or taking care of our dwelling place so it does not fall down around our ears, and, of course, serving our church family and organization. But, we must find that balance, that time to devote to God. We need to learn to pray at times devoted solely to prayer and to pray when we are doing needful things. We need to read God’s word at set times, quote verses from memory when engaged in other activities, and at all times meditate on it.

There is a strong cultural undercurrent to serve guests, not to dishonor them, which would have been part of what drove Martha. Our motives are never a hundred-per-cent pure. She probably had Jesus and His entourage on her mind and wanted to be a good hostess. We can get so wrapped up in what we think we must do to spread the gospel or support the church that it becomes less an act of devotion than an obligation driven by cultural demands and a sense of guilt if we don’t meet a certain standard. And it is amazing how much work Christians will do without Christ being a part of it.

The emphasis here and the lesson to be learned, and I am sure there are many, is to make sure that, in spite of all of the things you feel you have to do, that seeking to spend time with God, to include Him in your daily, even hourly, life, to spend time speaking to and listening to Him is one of the main things, that good part.