MARTHA AND MARY

Luke 10:38-42 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. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word. 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.

For informational purposes, the verses that precede the lesson text, record the parable of the good Samaritan and Jesus' teaching that led into it. This has been discussed in a special section dealing strictly with the parables of Jesus. Then following this parable we find Jesus entering into a certain village. Other texts tell us that this village was called Bethany (See John 11:1-5), which is located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives near to Jerusalem. In this village lived Lazarus and his sisters, Martha, and Mary. It is believed that Jesus lodged in their home on numerous occasions when visiting Jerusalem.

On this occasion, Jesus was welcomed by Martha into their home. It seems that after He had entered their home and sat down to rest, Martha's sister, Mary came and sat at Jesus' feet. According to Jewish history, this is the humble position often assumed by those that desire to learn from a teacher. This position is indicated when the scripture records that Paul was brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day (Acts 22:3b). It appears that Mary was already, or desired to become, a disciple of Jesus and was anxious to hear, learn, believe, and obey His teaching. Martha's first instinct was to be hospitable and care for the physical needs of Jesus, and more than likely, His apostles as well. Mary's most pressing desire was to fill her spiritual desire by learning the doctrine that Jesus had been teaching throughout the Jewish nation. Both desires of these two sisters were commendable and serve as good examples to the Christian world today.

Martha was displeased with Mary's inattention to the hospitality she thought was due their guest. Hence she came to Jesus and asked of Him, Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. One must not assume that Martha was filled only with a worldly disposition. The thing she sought to do was to serve others. In this instance, she thought it to be her duty to entertain Jesus, as their guest, with humble hospitality. This responsibility was good, was taught, and even required, by Jewish law. Liberal benevolence unselfishly given to others is always praiseworthy. Whether the task of efficiently serving their guests was too great to be done alone is not indicated in the lesson text. It is evident that Martha thought the actions of her sister, Mary, did not show the respect that she thought necessary for proper hospitality. Because of her attitude toward this, Martha desired Jesus to intervene, asking Mary to help serve the guests that had been invited into their home at this time.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha; thou art careful and troubled about many things. Using Martha's name two times gave Jesus' answer a much more important emphasis. It did not seem that the intent of Martha's hospitality was wrong. However when Jesus told her that she was careful and troubled about many things, He seemed to indicate that the anxiety she showed was possibly due to overly elaborate attention she was giving to the details of this event and were unnecessary. Hospitality is a wonderful human characteristic to possess. However, to let one's attention to it occupy one's mind to the detriment of other godly deeds, seems to be a distraction that should be under control at all times.

Jesus further instructed Martha that one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Here we have a teaching by Jesus that should never be overlooked in our service to God and our fellow human beings. Loving concern for the needs of others is necessary; loving concern for God and His message of eternal salvation through Christ Jesus is also necessary. The latter should never be neglected by too much attention being given to the former. First, serve God!