Mary and Martha, who are sisters, open their home to Jesus as he travels with his disciples. As Martha hurries to ensure the preparations, Mary simply sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to the wisdom of Christ. Martha then says to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Jesus replies, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
This could be interpreted as a metaphor for how we can react to the teachings and presence of Jesus and God in our own lives. While Martha becomes preoccupied worrying about the preparations of their home, she misses the opportunity to listen and learn from the direct wisdom of Jesus.
When she pleads to Jesus that Mary should help her, He responds with, “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
MARY represents those who have a true Christian faith. Those who give their full attention to Christ Jesus and are not distracted by worldly things. This group of people, represented by Mary, study God’s Word every day and listen to His Word. But they are not hearers of the Word only, they are doers also. This group of Christians represented by Mary are spiritually sat at Jesus’ feet, worshipping God in spirit and truth. They come to their knees everyday to pray to their God and Saviour. They give more of their time to Jesus than anything else in their lives, and they long to be with their Lord and Saviour. Now do these Christians represented by Mary do works? Yes, because a true and right relationship with Christ Jesus will automatically PRODUCE good works in that person. As James said, “you show me your faith without your works, and I’ll show you my faith BY my works.” This group of Christians represented by Mary knows the true meaning of putting God first in their lives, and they love the Lord with ALL their heart, ALL their mind, ALL their soul and ALL their strength. They have truly taken hold of the Kingdom of Heaven.
MARTHA represents those professing Christians who “believe” in Jesus, but are too caught up in worldly things to give their time in building a personal relationship with Him. Sure, they serve in their church, but don’t realize that their serving will get them nowhere without a proper relationship with their Lord. The group of professing Christians represented by Martha are those who are busy with the world. They are too caught up in their jobs/careers. They are too concerned with their houses and cars and money. They are focused on building up treasure on earth, rather than treasure in heaven. They spend more time watching TV than they do with Jesus. They read more novels than they do the life giving Word of God. They spend little time in prayer, and they put their family and friends before Jesus. These professing Christians maybe think that their “belief” alone will save them. Well, the devils also believe (James 2:19). Are they saved?
Take a look at Martha and Mary and be honest with yourself and with God. Examine your faith. Examine your walk with Jesus and find out which group of people you belong to right now. Do you belong to Mary or Martha’s group? Are you at the feet of Jesus everyday, or too busy to make personal time for your Lord? Y