There are not many believing women I know who would not almost immediately identify with either Martha or Mary in the account of them at Luke 10:38-42. It may be that each time you read this account you find yourself always identifying with the same sister in the faith of our Lord – this was no less true for me this morning. The account says this:
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
We see in the account Yeshua the Messiah at the home of Martha and Mary. The former was busy with serving, the Lord specifically as well as those others present, with her gift of hospitality; the latter we see sat at the feet of Yeshua, feeding upon His word.
As I pondered over these sisters I was enabled to see more clearly that both served the Lord in different ways and at different times, according to the Scripture records. Martha served the Lord Yeshua with this gift of hospitality an unknown number of times, including the two accounts of this recorded for us. In addition to this account here in Luke’s Gospel, we can note the account of the dinner following the resurrection of her brother Lazarus from the dead (John 12:2). We see also that Mary, having ‘chosen that good part’ at the feet of Yeshua at this particular time, served the Lord in a practical work at a specific time later. Although she was criticised by her sister here in this passage and by the Lord’s disciples later on (note Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:1-9, John 12:1-8), she was used and enabled to do ‘’a good work’ for Yeshua prior to and in connection with His death when He was crucified for our sins. Both these women of faith (note Martha’s powerful confession of faith at John 11:24-27 for example), both dearly loved by the Lord (John 11:5) worshiped and served the Lord with their gifts in different ways. The priority of the work may have differed but both were equal before Almighty God their heavenly Father because they both loved, believed and trusted in Yeshua, His Son.
You may be “a Martha” or you may be “a Mary” – whichever you are, may you be encouraged to be all of it for the Lord as you serve Yeshua and feed on the word of God. You may even be blessed to be both! I know I tend to see myself as leaning towards one of these sisters but often wish I could be more like the other. Nevertheless, as I pondered these things in my morning’s quiet time, the word which came to mind was from I Corinthians 10:31: ‘….whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’ The word at Colossians 3:17 further counselled and instructed my heart, saying this: ‘And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.’
Amen.
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