You are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed.

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, we read the parable of the Good Samaritan. We understand it to be Jesus' answer to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" The Good Samaritan is nominally an enemy of the Jews - who stops to help a Jewish man attacked by robbers. (This was after a priest and a Levite had already passed the man by.) Not only did he care for the victim, but he also took him to an inn, and paid the innkeeper to provide whatever else was necessary for his healing. This Samaritan then, is the neighbor - the one who acts as a neighbor. There is much to read into this parable for our understanding. See Go and do likewise.

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. My study bible notes that "Martha and Mary are the sisters of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead (John 11:1)." Martha, Mary and Lazarus are important figures in the Gospels and in Jesus' life. They are His friends. Indeed, it is in John's Gospel that we read the shortest and one of the most profound sentences in the Gospels: "Jesus wept." This is at the death of Lazarus and the sorrow of Lazarus' sisters. The stories concerning Martha, Mary and Lazarus are quite special in that they give us a glimpse of the personal life of Jesus among beloved friends, and His emotional ties to them. We are also given to understand from the stories in other Gospels about Martha's role concerning hospitality, and Mary's more spiritual emphasis - noticeably in the story from John's Gospel about the raising of Lazarus (see the readings here, here and here).

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." My study bible notes, "Martha was distracted (v. 40) and troubled about many things (v. 41) in providing hospitality for Jesus. But the one thing (v. 42) needed was for her to listen to Christ, to hear His words -- a priority which certain does not exclude serving Him." I find a particular kind of parallel and counterpart in the context of the Gospel and the fact that preceding this story is the parable of the Good Samaritan. In that parable, Jesus gives the example of a person (the Samaritan) who is going about his business, along this treacherous road where people were prey to robbers. The Samaritan takes time from his schedule and whatever his business was to tend to the need of the hurt man, to help him to heal, to take him to an inn, and to leave him there with money for the innkeeper to complete the man's care, and a promise of more to come if necessary on his way back. It's like a picture of a businessman traveling for his work who comes upon an unfortunate victim, and does what he needs to do to show compassion. My study bible had a great note on this parable in which it expressed the idea that we show our love for God when we care for one another. Coming immediately after that parable, we find Mary doing the "one thing needed," "the good part." Her sister Martha is busy with the usual women's business - the duties of hospitality. But it is Mary who is taking time out to sit at the feet of Jesus, and to listen. So, like the Good Samaritan, she's taking the time out from her usual work, her business, to do the thing that is needed. She is showing, in effect, her love for God. It's not that serving and hospitality are bad or wrong things - but the emphasis is there again. We need to take the time out from our worldly lives and do what is needful.

The story in yesterday's reading of the Good Samaritan teaches us about taking time out to do what is needful - to act as neighbor, to help, and to heal. Today's story also teaches us about taking time out from our busy lives for what is truly needed, and that is giving time to listen to our Lord. We express love for neighbor by helping, healing. But the normal rule of hospitality - at least as written here - is something different, business as usual in some sense. We need to take the time out from the things we think are necessary (and of course, work is necessary for our lives) for what is needed. And what is needed is our compassion for those who need our mercy for healing, and also our time for our own healing as we listen to God, perhaps in worship, or in prayer, in study of Scripture, etc. So we take time out for what is needed. And that is marked by a kingdom of relationships of love.

What do you need to make room and time for in your life? Is there something needed from you? Today's story tells us about time for listening to the Lord, for that primary spiritual relationship. There's a great contrast to my mind between the things that are needed and the things that constitute obligation here in this story and in the story of the Good Samaritan. What is needed is the opportunity that God has somehow presented us with: someone who needs our help, an act of mercy - or the Lord's presence to us in whatever form that may take. Both cases are a kind of "breaking in" upon us of the kingdom coming near. Both cases are construed of relationships of compassion and love. Both cases take us out of business as usual, the things we usually think are necessary for our lives, the obligations we bear. Consider then the difference between what is necessary, and what is needed. What is needed from you today? What is needed by you today? The key here is mercy and love, and the reality of that kingdom and our relatedness to it and in it. What will you do for that relatedness today? How may it call you out of your own daily life? This is a priority that takes precedence before all else, it is "that good part" and it "will not be taken away" from you.