Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV)
Read Luke 10:38-42 on biblegateway.com
Verse 38Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Verse 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. Verse 40But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." Verse 41But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; Verse 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
Devotion
I always feel for Martha. If we were all Marys, we’d be malnourished, have dirty clothes and messy lives, and never ask the practical questions. Today she seems whiny, but another time she was her blunt, all-too-human self: “If you had been here my brother would not have died.”
Have I invested my life in the better part as a pastor, or did my brother as a doctor? I have felt that disappointment by the deathbed that Martha blurted out. I wished I had more to give, would like to demand more of God.
Of course all of life is about choosing the better part in order that we may not be distracted by many and lesser things. The culmination of a life well lived is to have followed your calling. Jesus says it cannot be taken away. Neither will Martha’s. Hers is a good part, if not the very best.
Prayer
Lord, we both listen and ask questions. Whether a Mary or Martha, we trust you have a calling for each of us in Jesus' name. Amen.