Martha’s Example

Martha’s Example

[Martha’s] sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” Luke 10:39-40

Do you groan as you make your daily to-do list? I do. But what if we stopped complaining about that long list and instead saw it as a signal to cut a few projects? Better yet, what if we saw it as an invitation to lighten up?

We’ve heard sermons from Luke 10 about Martha’s grumbling because the food preparation was left to her while her sister, Mary, calmly listened to Jesus’ stories. I can imagine Martha storming into the scene with shoulders twitching and head jerking as she demanded that the Lord send Mary to the kitchen to help. Instead, he answered, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!” (Luke 10:41).

As a Southern woman who grew up with the cooking philosophy of “Honey, I’d rather have a bushel too much as a teaspoon not enough,” I understand Martha’s fussing. Surely she was originally from southern Jerusalem and was preparing three meats, nine vegetables, and at least two breads, one of which had to be Middle Eastern cornbread. Was she, like many of us, trying to impress him with all of her hard work on his behalf? Yes, Jesus needed a meal, but it didn’t have to be as elaborate and nerve racking as the one Martha undoubtedly was preparing.

When it comes down to it, Martha’s problem was not in her serving the meal but in her attitude toward serving. We know this is true because we see her serving again in John 12:2, after her brother, Lazarus, was raised from the dead, and this time the Lord did not reprimand her. Apparently she had taken to heart his earlier words. Or perhaps losing her brother to death for even those four days put life into the proper perspective. Either way, she no longer was stomping around the kitchen, complaining about the work.

That’s a good reminder for all of us. —SANDRA

Lord, I happen to like Martha. In fact, I’m convinced no home, business, or church can function well without at least one such person. But her perfectionism and need to control caused her to be unpleasant, even overbearing. Help me to understand that listening to you is a wonderful privilege. And help me to complete necessary tasks to your realistic standards rather than to my own without being demanding and critical.

The higher and truer knowledge we have of the goodness and unselfishness of God, the less anxiety, and fuss, and wrestling, and agonizing, will there be in one’s worship. —HANNAH WHITALL SMITH (1832–1911), QUAKER LAY SPEAKER AND AUTHOR