One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her

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."

- Luke 10:38-42

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus was tested by a lawyer, who stood up and asked, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' "  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."   But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  See The Parable of the Good Samaritan.

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.   Martha and Mary are the sisters of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead.   This is Bethany, and this family are very close to Jesus; John's gospel speaks of their great love.

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."   Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, form some of the most interesting characters in the Gospels.  As sisters, we're given (especially in this story) their differences in personality.  This story also gives highlights to the events, for example, in the raising of Lazarus, where the sisters fulfill different duties -- Martha the one responsible for hospitality and greeting Jesus when He comes to them, while Mary is formally mourning in the house with those who've come to mourn with them.  Here, Martha's persona is exemplified for us in her complaint to Jesus; she's the one who's welcomed Him and is now "distracted" with much serving.  Mary is sitting with the other disciples, listening to Jesus talk. 

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."  Martha's life is made up of many household concerns; she's preoccupied and anxious.  In choosing the "good part" Mary has chosen a "portion" for herself, like taking a particular serving of a dish at a meal, and Jesus declares it will not be taken away from her.  Mary has made a good choice for herself.

I think there are several ways we can look at this story.  First of all it's about women, and the concerns of women.  Luke's focus gives us an idea of the women who also make up the support of this ministry, and Jesus' inner circle of loving friends.  But, of course, it's not just women who are preoccupied with affairs of the home, the household, hospitality, etc.  It's not just women who are anxious about what there is to do and to keep up and to prepare.  Jesus' words give us the impression that Martha's mind is filled and distracted with these things:  she's troubled and also anxious.  Now there's a picture of modern life, in my opinion.  We're no strangers to anxiety, distraction, and panic (which is what Jesus' words express about Martha in the Greek).  Yes, the text seems to say, we will always be anxious about many things we're concerned with in our lives.  But there is another portion available to us.  There's something which our anxiety and concerns shouldn't obscure  -- and for those who choose this good portion in life, it shouldn't be taken away from them.  Mary sits listening to every word from Christ.  It's a kind of example or parallel to the great commandments we read in yesterday's reading:  "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind," and "your neighbor as yourself."  It's an illustration of the "good part" that Mary has put first.  I think it's important that we see that Jesus isn't necessarily putting down Martha, nor her concerns -- but He is defending Mary, and He won't allow her sister to take that good portion away from her.  Despite all the social demands of hospitality, the pressures of serving with which Martha is distracted and anxious, Mary's good part still won't be taken away from her.  This particular value trumps all else.  It's an act of love and devotion to what comes first, the good portion.  Mary's act, we can see, may seem selfish and self-centered in a certain context.  But in another context, it's a great act of love for what is truly good.  It is, in fact, the one thing necessary, the great need under these circumstances.  Let us be wise enough to practice the discernment of the love of what is truly good, to embrace the grace that may sit before us and value it as our true necessity. Let us not be so lost in our good works that we neglect the one thing needed, the good portion.