A Better Choice
The guests are coming over in twenty minutes. The house is a disaster, the appetizers aren’t prepared, and you haven’t even had a moment to get yourself ready. All of a sudden, your invitation feels less like a gift and more like a regret. You aren’t joyful; you are frantic.
Most of us are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. We’ve even turned them into personality types, asking, “Are you a Mary or a Martha?” as a way to describe our productivity levels...or not so much. But as I sat with this story recently, something new popped out at me: If we only focus on the friction between the sisters, we miss the deeper heart of the story.
The story begins with a beautiful invitation: Martha opens her home to Jesus. She was being a welcoming hostess. But somewhere between opening the door and serving the meal, something shifted.
Verse 40 tells us that “Martha was distracted by all the preparations.” Maybe she wanted to impress Jesus with her cooking skills; certainly, she wanted nothing but the best for the Master. But this distraction took away her joy. Would the world have ended if the meal was simple instead of a five-course production? Absolutely not!
When Martha’s distractions overwhelmed her, she complained to Jesus about Mary’s “laziness.” Jesus responds with such tenderness: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things...”
I can’t help but wonder if something else was brewing under the surface of Martha’s life:
Was she seeking the approval of the crowd?
Was there an old wound with her sister that finally felt like it was time to deal with in front of Jesus?
Was she trying to prove her worth through her performance?
When we are “worried and upset about many things,” it’s rarely just about the dishes. It’s about our internal chaos and the need for order. Jesus replied that, “only a few things are needed—or indeed only one.” I don’t think Jesus was rejecting the charcuterie board Martha was working so hard on. I think He was reminding her of the principle we find in Matthew 6:33:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Jesus then says, “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
God is a God of order. When we do things in the proper order, such as putting Him first, everything else, all those “other things,” fall into place. When we seek the Guest of Honor before we seek the honor of the guests, our “doing” becomes an act of worship instead of a source of hurry, worry, and the need for approval.
We often live our lives in the distractions. We become exhausted and frustrated from trying to prove our worth and impress the crowd. Although the world tells us more is better, we don’t need to complicate life. We just need the One.
Mary chose the better part. She knew that the Messiah was in her living room, and the “many things” could wait. Every day we have a choice. We can choose distractions or make a better choice.
Consider the “many things” that are currently stealing your joy. How can you choose the One that is truly needed for this very moment?
