I doubt many stories in the Bible are more relatable than the account of Mary and Martha. However, the character with whom I relate has changed over time. As a kid, I heard the story, convinced that I would never struggle like Martha. Of course Mary did the right thing! Who would want to work and fret when they could just sit and listen to Jesus? It was a total no-brainer! Admittedly, though, as a youngster, I didn’t have much trouble not cooking or cleaning. It came pretty naturally to me. However, as an adult wife and mother, I now completely identify with Martha. Though I’ve never had the Messiah over for lunch, I have certainly found myself irritated at other people who seem content to sit and do nothing while I make sure we have something to eat—often when no guests are in the house.
Because Martha’s predicament hits so close to home, it’s easy to take her side (even though she’s rebuked by Jesus). After all, I’m pretty sure that everyone wanted to have lunch to eat and clean plates to eat it on.
But what if Martha’s problem had nothing to do with hospitality and her domestic chores? And what if you and I struggle like Martha far more often than when we’re cooking or cleaning?
It didn’t. And we do.
All About the Adjectives
Though this is a familiar story, it’s helpful to read it as Luke records it in chapter 10 of his Gospel:
While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, “but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)
On its surface, this appears as a petty sisterly squabble over the division of labor. But such a reading shortchanges what Jesus teaches Martha. To see the lesson, we need to pay attention to some grammar. So, allow me to be your English teacher for just a moment and invite you to look at the adjectives.
Distracted
Luke first describes Martha as “distracted”—a problem that, surprisingly, predates smartphones. Martha’s to-do list distracted her from what was really important (more on what that is later). It wasn’t that she had a to-do list. After all, someone did need to make dinner. The problem was what she allowed her list to do in her mind.
We see something similar happen to Peter when he walks on water. In the midst of the choppy waves, the disciples see Jesus walking on the sea. True to form, Peter wants to know if it’s really Jesus and asks Him to prove it by inviting Peter to walk on water too. Jesus obliges, and Peter participates in the miracle, walking on the waves himself—until distraction kicks in:
But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me! ” (Mat 14:30)
Martha’s problem wasn’t tethered to domestic chores; rather, it was a state of mind that plagues all of us equally: this crisis overseas…that post from a friend…this text from our spouse…that job that has to get done today. All of these things may demand our attention, and it’s not wrong to give it. However, when we allow distraction to set in, we’re bound for trouble.
And that leads us to the next adjective.
Worried
Distractions are inevitable, but when we allow them to reign in our mental space, we continue to spiral downward. For Martha, we see that distraction led her to worry. Instead of taking her thoughts captive and recalibrating her thinking, she went into panic-mode. I don’t know exactly what her concerns were, but they took over in her mind.
As usual, I can relate.
For me, it happens most often at night. I lie awake thinking about a problem over which I have no control. I turn solution after solution over in my head, trying to find the right one.
Sometimes, though, it strikes in the middle of the day. I get a text or an email that demands my attention, and worry constantly over how to respond with just the right words to communicate just the right thing.
Martha was clearly worried about the presentation of her home and table to the Messiah. But, what worries you? How have your distractions taken hold in your mind and turned your thoughts away from what is good and praiseworthy, true, and honorable (Phil. 4:8)?
We’re not done yet. Martha’s spiral takes yet another spin downward. We have another adjective to examine.
Upset
The Lord doesn’t stop with calling out Martha’s worry. She’s struggling with something else as well: she’s upset. Other translations use the adjectives “bothered,” “troubled,” or “disquieted” to translate this Greek word that appears nowhere else in Scripture.
Martha’s mind has become like a boiling bot, bubbling over with her concern, irritation, anxiety, and troubles. She has lost focus on who Jesus is and is worried only about her own things. The forest (and most of the trees) have disappeared. She can see only a few leaves in front of her.
Martha’s problem had less to do with her to-do list and more to do with how she handled her thoughts. Luke didn’t include this account to warn women off of vacuuming, doing dishes, or cooking a nice meal for company. He included it as a warning against unguarded thoughts.
Thankfully, he also includes a solution. And guess where it is. That’s right—another adjective.
Necessary
In His gentle rebuke of Martha’s muddled mindset, Jesus says that Mary has chosen what is “necessary.” At this point, we Type-A’s want to argue and say that Martha chose what was necessary, and Mary was a lazy bum who should have helped her sister! But before we allow our own thoughts to spiral, let’s remember Martha’s problem wasn’t her list. It was her mindset.
The “necessary” thing clearly is a focus on Jesus. The question, then is, could Martha have had that mindset and gotten lunch on the table? If you do the cooking in your house, you (like me) hope the answer is “yes.” It must be. After all, the people are going to get hungry. Yes, Martha could have done all the things and still done what was “necessary.”
The author of Hebrews tells us to lay aside sin and “weights” (or, distractions, if you will) and run the race set before us with endurance (Heb. 12:1-2). For some of us, the race set before us involves doing the household jobs. For others, it involves going to work each day, changing oil, mowing grass, or fixing leaky faucets. We all have to run our race with endurance—but the author gives us the necessary part next. We don’t just run. We run with our eyes fixed on Jesus: the great Example, High Priest, and perfect Lamb of God.
The apostle Paul tackles this topic as well in 2 Corinthians 10:
Since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2Co 10:4b-5)
We wrestle against the army of the world, the devil, and our flesh. And often the battlefield lies right between our ears. Whether we’re folding clothes, stirring soup, responding to email, or sitting in the waiting room, we must wrestle our “distracted” thoughts to the ground, taking them captive as we set our eyes on Who (not what) is really necessary.
Bible Study Nerd 