Mary Sits Listening to Jesus While Martha ServesBible World
10:41Luke 10:41
And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
In His home at Bethany Jesus gently corrected Martha for being anxious and distracted and troubled by many tasks of serving and preparing food when she asked Him to send Mary to help her. Her bustling care to honor Him kept her from sitting at His feet to listen to His instruction and gain the spiritual knowledge that makes wise unto salvation. The cares and business of temporal life must not crowd out seeking God's kingdom and eternal things, for earthly concerns pass away while heavenly things affect the soul's eternal welfare. Choosing the better part that will never be taken away means sitting at Jesus' feet as learners to hear and study His word, keep it in the heart, and practice it in daily life. Christian life joins both together, uniting Mary's quiet receptiveness with Martha's abounding service, so that work for God is guided and strengthened by grace rather than separated from Him.
Words and Setting
Jesus gently warns Martha not to let the many cares of serving disturb the peace of her soul. His attention to this small personal concern reveals His greatness and compassion, even more than miracles do. He spoke when Martha came to Him asking Him to tell her sister to help her with the serving.
The words were spoken in the home at Bethany, in the home of Lazarus, when Martha was busy preparing a meal and occupied with household serving. She asked Him to send Mary to help her, while Mary sat at His feet receiving His instruction. He told Martha she was careful and troubled about many things, warning her not to be anxious or overtroubled about preparation of table fare or about the common duties of household life. In the same setting He turned to Mary with the one needful good part, eternal life that will never be taken from her. Bethany was a quiet resting place where He found rest and freedom from the strife of tongues, free from strife, prejudice, enmity, criticism and stinging, bruising words. There Divinity veiled in humanity, bearing the clear credentials of heaven and pressed by the necessities and woes of the human race suffered in man's behalf, yet though as the Son of God He was not dependent on human sympathy He did not check or repulse it.
The doubled name is a gentle correction. It identifies distraction and worry over numerous tasks, with many concerns making her anxious and troubled, as the problem, rather than a lack of care or welcome.
The verse belongs to Christ's answer from Luke 10:25 to the close of the chapter showing what to do to inherit eternal life. That answer does not require wonderful higher education in sophistries and spiritualistic ideas but gives the solid foundation He Himself created by giving His own life for the life of the world. The tenth chapter of Luke shows that God's people have a serious work before them requiring the whole being, heart, mind, soul and strength in God's service. That work is not to be confined to believers but must seek unbelievers, placing truth before those living up to all the light they have and reaching precious souls. It loves with all the heart those for whom God gave His only begotten Son, and brings others through the open door He has set before His workers into fellowship with the saints to redeem them from sin.
Meaning of Rebuke
Martha was anxious, distracted and troubled by many tasks and earthly duties while preparing for her guests and serving, in contrast to Mary who sat and listened closely to Jesus' teaching to learn His doctrines. Her bustling efforts to honor Him through food and service kept her from precious opportunities to listen to His instruction and gain spiritual knowledge. The cares and duties of temporal life can crowd out spiritual interests, for listening to Jesus and attending to spiritual duties are more important than being absorbed in many concerns. Excessive concern with temporal duties can bring irritability and cost people knowledge of God's will, while simplicity and attention to Christ's words help them learn and obey.
Household duties and business worries can burden a person and distract from what is essential. The Lord looks with pity on those cumbered with much serving who neglect the one thing needful of seeking God's kingdom and the eternal things God values.
Being careful and troubled about many things means filling life with trifling, nerve-taxing work that might better be left undone. Such a course separates a large portion of life from God, robs Him of the capital of entrusted talents, and produces numerous difficulties in life and work that would be avoided by subjection to Jesus Christ. The cure is to do as Mary did, sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart, regulate all words and actions by the principles of the holy law of God, and restrain thoughts and bring them into captivity and obedience to Christ. Little things are to be brought to Jesus as well as larger things, since neglected little things shape character and leave the soul without the oil of grace when great trials come.
The rebuke was spoken gently at the home of Lazarus when Martha was busy preparing a meal and asked Him to send Mary to help her, while Mary sat at His feet receiving His instruction, and He told Martha she was careful and troubled about many things while Mary had chosen the one needful good part that would not be taken from her. Yet nothing is too small to be done carefully, as shown with the gathering of the fragments after feeding the five thousand and the care for His mother on the cross. God wants His children to be faithful in little things so they will give due attention to weightier matters.
Choosing What Endures
Martha was troubled by many concerns while preparing for her guests, and needed a calmer, more devotional spirit with greater concern for lasting spiritual knowledge than for passing duties. Her energy and service were not wrong, but she needed calm devotion and greater concern for knowing about immortal life and the graces that foster spiritual growth. The correction does not rule out energetic service, but teaches that service should be guided and strengthened by grace and shaped by learning at Jesus' feet. Concern for passing things must not displace attention to what endures.
Unnecessary cares and business must not crowd out opportunities to gain the knowledge that makes a person wise unto salvation, for Martha was anxious and troubled by many earthly duties. Present duties still matter, yet opportunities to gain knowledge that leads to salvation should not be lost amid cares for things that pass away. Care for practical duties must not crowd out a calm, devotional spirit and attention to spiritual growth and eternal life. Earthly concerns pass away, while heavenly things affect the soul's eternal welfare and advance growth in godliness and grace. In that same setting where anxiety and overtrouble about common duties of life and preparation of table fare and household duties is corrected, eternal life that will never be taken away is held out.
Learning at His Feet
Choosing the better part is sitting at Jesus' feet as the divine Teacher to learn from Him, in contrast to being occupied, anxious and troubled with many concerns. It means giving attention to His teaching by studying and meditating on God's word, listening to and treasuring His words, keeping their lessons in the heart and practicing them in daily life. Meditation on holy things and sacred lessons laid up and lived out elevates and refines the mind. Attentive learning from Him is the better part that few choose.
Treasuring His words and living by them strengthens character and the will, giving firm, decided will-power and strength to resist temptation. Studying the word and meditating on it directs the mind to what inspires pure, holy thought and diverts it from what is impure and untrue, helping turn the mind from temptation and impure thoughts. Neglect of that sacred instruction leaves youth and even those of mature years easily led into temptation and sin.
Sitting at His feet means learning from the Master His meekness and lowliness of heart, to which the Holy Spirit leads people to Jesus. It is the pattern of true education, learning from Him rather than pursuing human knowledge as the highest aim. It is the proper alternative to trying to be a teacher or taking the teacher's place. One who so learns His lessons of truth and honor will not prevaricate or falsify, will not bargain with falsehood for money, will not sacrifice conscience for advantage or seek to be thought greatest, but will keep honor separate from those who pervert principle and justice. Those who preach without themselves learning from Jesus in that place miss the refreshment and blessing they could receive.
Sitting to learn means listening interestedly to precious instruction, prizing the opportunity enough to make sacrifice to obtain light. It means hearing and searching His Word and mixing it with faith that appropriates its truths to the soul as bread and water of life, and becoming a doer so the Word gains entrance into life and character. Then the life of Christ becomes one's life and the spirit becomes one with His as the branch is one with the vine, and the way of life is learned more perfectly with far advancement. Those who stay busy about many things without taking this place do not profit from what they hear, fail to grasp precious blessings they might have received, and must answer to God for neglected opportunities. It means living with an eye single to the glory of God, learning daily lessons in Christ's school, seeking deeper piety and a stronger hold from above, devoting life as given and spared to His service, using probationary time not frivolously or for self-pleasing and self-absorption, not shunning responsibility in bearing burdens for the Lord, doing the work He has for all to do, looking to Jesus constantly, and being zealous to repent of every wrong.
Earth-born ambition must be subdued and self died to, so that life is hid with Christ in God through choosing the better part that shall never be taken away. This learning of meekness and lowliness of heart from Him is the only safety for men and women to whom God has given reason, keeping their own souls in the love of God instead of exchanging the heavenly Guide for a finite and fallible earthly guide, and receiving pure religion from Christ Jesus Himself rather than borrowed from another. One who wounds the feelings of others while exalting self with a harsh, repulsive, cold and unsympathizing bearing must turn the eyes inward, see how offensive that spirit is in the sight of God, and make determined efforts to sit at Jesus' feet like Mary to be converted and learn of the Master meekness and lowliness of mind. It means becoming a learner in the school of Christ rather than a teacher, searching heart and motives by the Word of God, receiving conversion and the transforming influence of the Spirit in words and actions, and never looking away from the Saviour for a moment but hanging helplessly on Jesus in living faith in the merits of Christ alone for safety from Satan.
Blending Service and Devotion
Martha stands as a picture of members found in every church who are intensely busy in religious activities and do much good yet are anxious and distracted by many things. Even the most zealous workers need Mary's side of the character, the quiet, receptive side. They must learn at the feet of Jesus.
Mary and Martha together are the pattern for the Christian life. Like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus to learn of Him is choosing the better part which will never be taken away. Like Martha, being ever abounding in the work of the Lord is needed, watching for opportunities to serve others and do good in this life while learning humbly from Jesus. Christian workers should unite a willingness to serve with sincere love for the truth. The higher attainments are reached only by being much on the knees in sincere prayer, with hands and heart and whole being devoted to the work, with no fiber of the root of selfishness left to spring up, and with souls treated as their cases require, some with compassionate difference and others saved with fear.
All who work for God must have both attributes together, with self and selfishness put out of sight. The mind is to be taken from self and personal convenience and centered on Christ. This calls for earnest, prudent, warm-hearted, tender workers true to principle, who speak words of truth, pray with persons to whom access can be obtained, and labor for the conversion of souls. Doing that good work requires first learning meekness, bearing Christ's name with daily watchfulness unto prayer, walking even as Christ walked, possessing His Spirit, and daily purifying life from whatever causes spiritual weakness and brings dishonor to God. The Marthas and the Marys each have their own individual work given by the Lord, and a well-ordered life and godly conversation bring honor to the truth and reveal the power and grace of Christ through His people, while lukewarm, self-indulgent, self-centered, covetous souls become the chief stumbling blocks to the work found in every enterprise God has instituted.
Those ready for service are those who feed most on Christ by reading and studying His Word, drinking in the inspiration of His Spirit, and receiving His grace not to hoard but to give to others. Teachers must first be learners of Christ in order to instruct others.
In His home at Bethany Jesus gently corrected Martha for being anxious and distracted and troubled by many tasks of serving and preparing food when she asked Him to send Mary to help her. Her bustling care to honor Him kept her from sitting at His feet to listen to His instruction and gain the spiritual knowledge that makes wise unto salvation. The cares and business of temporal life must not crowd out seeking God's kingdom and eternal things, for earthly concerns pass away while heavenly things affect the soul's eternal welfare. Choosing the better part that will never be taken away means sitting at Jesus' feet as learners to hear and study His word, keep it in the heart, and practice it in daily life. Christian life joins both together, uniting Mary's quiet receptiveness with Martha's abounding service, so that work for God is guided and strengthened by grace rather than separated from Him.
Words and Setting
Jesus gently warns Martha not to let the many cares of serving disturb the peace of her soul. His attention to this small personal concern reveals His greatness and compassion, even more than miracles do. He spoke when Martha came to Him asking Him to tell her sister to help her with the serving.
The words were spoken in the home at Bethany, in the home of Lazarus, when Martha was busy preparing a meal and occupied with household serving. She asked Him to send Mary to help her, while Mary sat at His feet receiving His instruction. He told Martha she was careful and troubled about many things, warning her not to be anxious or overtroubled about preparation of table fare or about the common duties of household life. In the same setting He turned to Mary with the one needful good part, eternal life that will never be taken from her. Bethany was a quiet resting place where He found rest and freedom from the strife of tongues, free from strife, prejudice, enmity, criticism and stinging, bruising words. There Divinity veiled in humanity, bearing the clear credentials of heaven and pressed by the necessities and woes of the human race suffered in man's behalf, yet though as the Son of God He was not dependent on human sympathy He did not check or repulse it.
The doubled name is a gentle correction. It identifies distraction and worry over numerous tasks, with many concerns making her anxious and troubled, as the problem, rather than a lack of care or welcome.
The verse belongs to Christ's answer from Luke 10:25 to the close of the chapter showing what to do to inherit eternal life. That answer does not require wonderful higher education in sophistries and spiritualistic ideas but gives the solid foundation He Himself created by giving His own life for the life of the world. The tenth chapter of Luke shows that God's people have a serious work before them requiring the whole being, heart, mind, soul and strength in God's service. That work is not to be confined to believers but must seek unbelievers, placing truth before those living up to all the light they have and reaching precious souls. It loves with all the heart those for whom God gave His only begotten Son, and brings others through the open door He has set before His workers into fellowship with the saints to redeem them from sin.
Meaning of Rebuke
Martha was anxious, distracted and troubled by many tasks and earthly duties while preparing for her guests and serving, in contrast to Mary who sat and listened closely to Jesus' teaching to learn His doctrines. Her bustling efforts to honor Him through food and service kept her from precious opportunities to listen to His instruction and gain spiritual knowledge. The cares and duties of temporal life can crowd out spiritual interests, for listening to Jesus and attending to spiritual duties are more important than being absorbed in many concerns. Excessive concern with temporal duties can bring irritability and cost people knowledge of God's will, while simplicity and attention to Christ's words help them learn and obey.
Household duties and business worries can burden a person and distract from what is essential. The Lord looks with pity on those cumbered with much serving who neglect the one thing needful of seeking God's kingdom and the eternal things God values.
Being careful and troubled about many things means filling life with trifling, nerve-taxing work that might better be left undone. Such a course separates a large portion of life from God, robs Him of the capital of entrusted talents, and produces numerous difficulties in life and work that would be avoided by subjection to Jesus Christ. The cure is to do as Mary did, sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart, regulate all words and actions by the principles of the holy law of God, and restrain thoughts and bring them into captivity and obedience to Christ. Little things are to be brought to Jesus as well as larger things, since neglected little things shape character and leave the soul without the oil of grace when great trials come.
The rebuke was spoken gently at the home of Lazarus when Martha was busy preparing a meal and asked Him to send Mary to help her, while Mary sat at His feet receiving His instruction, and He told Martha she was careful and troubled about many things while Mary had chosen the one needful good part that would not be taken from her. Yet nothing is too small to be done carefully, as shown with the gathering of the fragments after feeding the five thousand and the care for His mother on the cross. God wants His children to be faithful in little things so they will give due attention to weightier matters.
Choosing What Endures
Martha was troubled by many concerns while preparing for her guests, and needed a calmer, more devotional spirit with greater concern for lasting spiritual knowledge than for passing duties. Her energy and service were not wrong, but she needed calm devotion and greater concern for knowing about immortal life and the graces that foster spiritual growth. The correction does not rule out energetic service, but teaches that service should be guided and strengthened by grace and shaped by learning at Jesus' feet. Concern for passing things must not displace attention to what endures.
Unnecessary cares and business must not crowd out opportunities to gain the knowledge that makes a person wise unto salvation, for Martha was anxious and troubled by many earthly duties. Present duties still matter, yet opportunities to gain knowledge that leads to salvation should not be lost amid cares for things that pass away. Care for practical duties must not crowd out a calm, devotional spirit and attention to spiritual growth and eternal life. Earthly concerns pass away, while heavenly things affect the soul's eternal welfare and advance growth in godliness and grace. In that same setting where anxiety and overtrouble about common duties of life and preparation of table fare and household duties is corrected, eternal life that will never be taken away is held out.
Learning at His Feet
Choosing the better part is sitting at Jesus' feet as the divine Teacher to learn from Him, in contrast to being occupied, anxious and troubled with many concerns. It means giving attention to His teaching by studying and meditating on God's word, listening to and treasuring His words, keeping their lessons in the heart and practicing them in daily life. Meditation on holy things and sacred lessons laid up and lived out elevates and refines the mind. Attentive learning from Him is the better part that few choose.
Treasuring His words and living by them strengthens character and the will, giving firm, decided will-power and strength to resist temptation. Studying the word and meditating on it directs the mind to what inspires pure, holy thought and diverts it from what is impure and untrue, helping turn the mind from temptation and impure thoughts. Neglect of that sacred instruction leaves youth and even those of mature years easily led into temptation and sin.
Sitting at His feet means learning from the Master His meekness and lowliness of heart, to which the Holy Spirit leads people to Jesus. It is the pattern of true education, learning from Him rather than pursuing human knowledge as the highest aim. It is the proper alternative to trying to be a teacher or taking the teacher's place. One who so learns His lessons of truth and honor will not prevaricate or falsify, will not bargain with falsehood for money, will not sacrifice conscience for advantage or seek to be thought greatest, but will keep honor separate from those who pervert principle and justice. Those who preach without themselves learning from Jesus in that place miss the refreshment and blessing they could receive.
Sitting to learn means listening interestedly to precious instruction, prizing the opportunity enough to make sacrifice to obtain light. It means hearing and searching His Word and mixing it with faith that appropriates its truths to the soul as bread and water of life, and becoming a doer so the Word gains entrance into life and character. Then the life of Christ becomes one's life and the spirit becomes one with His as the branch is one with the vine, and the way of life is learned more perfectly with far advancement. Those who stay busy about many things without taking this place do not profit from what they hear, fail to grasp precious blessings they might have received, and must answer to God for neglected opportunities. It means living with an eye single to the glory of God, learning daily lessons in Christ's school, seeking deeper piety and a stronger hold from above, devoting life as given and spared to His service, using probationary time not frivolously or for self-pleasing and self-absorption, not shunning responsibility in bearing burdens for the Lord, doing the work He has for all to do, looking to Jesus constantly, and being zealous to repent of every wrong.
Earth-born ambition must be subdued and self died to, so that life is hid with Christ in God through choosing the better part that shall never be taken away. This learning of meekness and lowliness of heart from Him is the only safety for men and women to whom God has given reason, keeping their own souls in the love of God instead of exchanging the heavenly Guide for a finite and fallible earthly guide, and receiving pure religion from Christ Jesus Himself rather than borrowed from another. One who wounds the feelings of others while exalting self with a harsh, repulsive, cold and unsympathizing bearing must turn the eyes inward, see how offensive that spirit is in the sight of God, and make determined efforts to sit at Jesus' feet like Mary to be converted and learn of the Master meekness and lowliness of mind. It means becoming a learner in the school of Christ rather than a teacher, searching heart and motives by the Word of God, receiving conversion and the transforming influence of the Spirit in words and actions, and never looking away from the Saviour for a moment but hanging helplessly on Jesus in living faith in the merits of Christ alone for safety from Satan.
Blending Service and Devotion
Martha stands as a picture of members found in every church who are intensely busy in religious activities and do much good yet are anxious and distracted by many things. Even the most zealous workers need Mary's side of the character, the quiet, receptive side. They must learn at the feet of Jesus.
Mary and Martha together are the pattern for the Christian life. Like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus to learn of Him is choosing the better part which will never be taken away. Like Martha, being ever abounding in the work of the Lord is needed, watching for opportunities to serve others and do good in this life while learning humbly from Jesus. Christian workers should unite a willingness to serve with sincere love for the truth. The higher attainments are reached only by being much on the knees in sincere prayer, with hands and heart and whole being devoted to the work, with no fiber of the root of selfishness left to spring up, and with souls treated as their cases require, some with compassionate difference and others saved with fear.
All who work for God must have both attributes together, with self and selfishness put out of sight. The mind is to be taken from self and personal convenience and centered on Christ. This calls for earnest, prudent, warm-hearted, tender workers true to principle, who speak words of truth, pray with persons to whom access can be obtained, and labor for the conversion of souls. Doing that good work requires first learning meekness, bearing Christ's name with daily watchfulness unto prayer, walking even as Christ walked, possessing His Spirit, and daily purifying life from whatever causes spiritual weakness and brings dishonor to God. The Marthas and the Marys each have their own individual work given by the Lord, and a well-ordered life and godly conversation bring honor to the truth and reveal the power and grace of Christ through His people, while lukewarm, self-indulgent, self-centered, covetous souls become the chief stumbling blocks to the work found in every enterprise God has instituted.
Those ready for service are those who feed most on Christ by reading and studying His Word, drinking in the inspiration of His Spirit, and receiving His grace not to hoard but to give to others. Teachers must first be learners of Christ in order to instruct others.