One Thing is Necessary

When I was a younger disciple, the men and women I found to be the most spiritual were the hardest workers. They slept very little, always had their plate full, and were always into some new venture. These dedicated saints never took a day off, though it was commanded by the Father. In my mind, if you were not giving the Lord every waking second, then you better ask yourself if you really loved Him with all your heart. But in His loving rebuke, the Father has shown me that those who love Him have not learned how to do more for Him but have learned how to be with Him more. We see this play out in the story of Martha and Mary. A story that begins with a genuine invitation as we see in Luke Chapter 10:

     Luke 10:38 New King James Version

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

There is nothing in this story that lends us to believe Martha in any way invited Jesus with false motives; many before her had. It was a costly event to feed not just Jesus but also His disciples. And it was a dangerous one too. With Jesus’ reputation increasing, so did the persecution from those who sought his life. One could almost say she was at risk of harboring a fugitive. Why would she go through all this trouble if she really didn’t care? Martha was clearly a homemaker and was determined to give the best feast she could. But her sister Mary seemed to take a different approach. So different in fact she didn’t do anything at all but sit as Jesus’s feet. Not once did Mary offer to help or lend a hand. How could she love Jesus so much if she wouldn’t even lift a finger for Him? But notice what verses 39 and 40 say about the two sisters:

                Luke 10:39-40 New King James Version

                39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word

40 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.

Mary was found intently listening to the Gospel from the Savior Himself while Martha was distracted by the things she was doing for Him. Why would Martha invite Jesus, make a great feast for Him, and then ignore Him? It is understandable she would want to do the best she could and give the best she could. But if she neglected the very person she was doing it for, what was the purpose? Before we begin to judge Martha, we better look at our own lives. How many of us go to church weekly, do ministry, even Bible study; to only neglect spending time and speaking with the One we say we do it for. We do so much work for the Father that we don’t have time or energy to spend with Him. Is that what He wants or is that what we want? Often our zealousness for Christ is really our insecurities, our need to be recognized, our need to find fulfilment in what we do instead of who we are. Often people who do ministry in the flesh can be some of the most bitter and aggravated people. It is such an oxymoron to be doing ministry but have a terrible attitude. But this is what happens when we take on the burden of Jesus but forget to lay it back at his feet. Martha thought she would get sympathy from Jesus, but instead she found a loving rebuke in verses 41 and 42:

                Luke 10:41-42 New King James Version

                41 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 take away from her.”

I stated Jesus gave her a loving rebuke because that is what it was. Jesus could have easily sided with Martha and said “Martha I know just how you feel. I do things for everyone but hardly anyone listens to me or does what I say.” But Jesus wasn’t as concerned at that moment about what she was doing as much as who she was ignoring. I am not telling you to be slothful in your faith, or give up your ministry, or not to strive to do the best you can for Christ. Again, I will say that Martha did all these things with a genuine heart and real zealousness. What the Father is asking of us is to choose relationship over religion. He is asking us to not neglect the one work that is so important: laying at His feet and abiding in Him. Never forget the importance of being with the Father and talking to Him, listening to Him. Jesus told the church of Ephesus to return to their first love and their first works. We must always remember and keep in our hearts the reason we told the Lord “Hear I am, use me.” It was for the love of our life, our precious and beloved savior, Yeshua Hamashiach.

Shalom.