A Clay Jar

Encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thess. 2:12 NIV)

Are You a Martha, or a Mary?

Luke 10:41-42

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“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:41-42 NIV

Jesus and his disciples had come to the home of Lazarus for a visit. While he was there, Lazarus’ sister Martha was busy cooking dinner and making other arrangements for entertaining her guests. And while she was hurriedly rushing about, her sister Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to what he had to say. Finally, Martha had enough and asked Jesus to send Mary to the kitchen to help with dinner.

Choose to Sit At Jesus’ Feet

Jesus’ gentle rebuke to Martha is very instructional. How often do I get so busy that I fail to spend time sitting at Jesus’ feet? It seems like there is always something that needs to be done. And after I do this one pressing thing, I will have the time to spend with Jesus. But that one more thing ends up being one more, and one more, and one more, endlessly. And all the time, Jesus is calling for me to come and spend time with him.

Clearly, there are some things I need to do in this life. I don’t believe that Jesus is telling us to drop everything and spend 24 hours a day sitting at his feet. But I do believe that Jesus is telling us that there is nothing more important in this life than spending time with him. We need to make it a priority to spend some time each day sitting at his feet. Martha’s service was good and important, but Mary chose the better way.

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Ed Jarrett

Just an old clay jar that God continues to see fit to use in his kingdom's work. I am retired, married with 2 children, and 4 grandchildren. I have followed Jesus for many years. And I love to share what He has given me from His word.

A Note to Readers

The views expressed here are solely mine and do not necessarily reflect those of any other person, group, or organization. While I believe they reflect the teachings of the Bible, I am a fallible human and subject to misunderstanding. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions about this post in the comments section below. I am always interested in your feedback.

2 thoughts on “Are You a Martha, or a Mary? – Luke 10:41-42”

  1. Excellent interpretation JESUS didn’t condemn Matter but he told may she should put God first in every area in our life

    Reply
    • Yes. There was nothing inherently wrong with what Martha was doing. It needed to be done. But it should not detract from spending time with Jesus.

      Reply

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