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 

 

Yesterday we read that a certain lawyer stood up and tested Jesus, saying, "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 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."  

 

  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."   Mary and Martha are the sisters of Lazarus, the one whom Jesus raised from the dead (see John 11:1-44).  My study Bible comments here that Martha is not rebuked for serving, but for complaining and for being distracted, worried, and troubled.  In following Christ, it says, we serve in order to facilitate the spread of the gospel (see Acts 6:1-4).  

 

Martha and Mary have much to offer us in their story.  First of all, there is the commentary of my study Bible, that the object of service is Christ and the spread of His gospel in following His command.  But no character study would be remiss for looking at these two sisters, and their different personas and the ways in which they address the world.  Consistent throughout the Gospels (especially within the story of the raising of Lazarus in John 11), Mary is the one inclined to more contemplative behavior, while Martha is a model of hospitality.  Although here Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen that good part,  we should not be dismissive of Martha's hospitality.  In the story of Lazarus and Christ's seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the same character traits are on display in Martha and Mary.  When Jesus comes to Bethany, their hometown, Martha goes out to meet Him on the road to their house, true to her character of hospitality, while Mary remains seated in the home with others who mourn, the proper attitude of mourning in her time and place.  Martha is the more outgoing, while Mary is the one who is observant, we could say.  Hospitality, in Christian tradition, is one of the most important virtues of what it means to practice our faith, for hospitality is one form of active love.  Of course, as my study Bible comments, this is done not to be ostentatious, to impress, or simply to follow custom; but ultimately we seek to serve Christ in all that we do.  Here, according to that commentary in my study Bible, Mary has chosen the better part because she sits at the feet of Christ, listening to His word, while Martha is worried and troubled about many things.  The passage in St. John's Gospel that tells us of the raising of Lazarus also teaches us how much Jesus loved both of these sisters and their brother (John 11:5).  In some sense, we could also look at Martha as the one fulfilling her social role, and doing what is expected of her, while Mary sits at Christ's feet -- perhaps with the other, male disciples.  But again, as our Lord indicates most clearly, it is she who has chosen that good part, and even those who choose "outside the box" in following Christ are the ones He praises in this context.  Perhaps one of the most important things we can take from this understanding of these two quite different sisters is the compatible and complementary way that these women fit into Christ's supporters, and those who surround Him in His ministry.  It tells us that there is room for all to fulfill their places as followers of Christ, for to serve Him and to serve the spread of His gospel does not require that we each all be "the same," for there is no such thing as a cookie-cutter saint, so to speak.  That is, saints are called to serve each in their own way, just as we each have our own unique cross to bear in terms of how we serve and the ways in which our lives are transfigured by faith in Christ.  Mary has chosen that good part, setting us an example, but Martha also serves, and supports, and is loved by Christ.  Today, let us note that it is her distracted, worried, and troubled countenance that Christ takes an issue with, but Mary has chosen to hear His word.  Let us follow what this teaches us, and choose to put the good part first in whatever we do.