Is there always something new in your life to worry about? Do you ever wonder how you are supposed to perform your Gospel duties when other priorities take so much of your time? If so, then Martha’s story—or stories—could be really helpful for you to take a look at.
Many people are familiar with Luke’s story of Martha and Mary hosting Jesus at their home. While Martha took care of the household duties, Mary simply sat and listened to Jesus. Martha, who was probably overwhelmed, eventually asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her. But He wouldn’t. What Jesus did say, in modern terms, was, “Martha, you worry about a lot of things. But Mary has chosen the most important thing, and it must not be taken away from her.”
Many readers resent this reply. “But someone had to serve,” they may say. “Someone in life needs to make sure the cooking, cleaning, working, and other important things get done. Why should Jesus have gotten after Martha for doing what needed to be done?” What they forget was that Jesus never chastened Martha for handling temporal duties. He simply taught that some things were more important.
We don’t know exactly how Martha reacted to Jesus’ words. But we do know from the book of John that it didn’t take long for her priorities to change. And maybe that change began after Jesus’ gentle rebuke.
We next see Martha under much sadder circumstances: the death of her brother, Lazarus. The Book of John tells us that “many of the Jews” came to the home of Martha and Mary to comfort them. Despite being in mourning, Martha certainly had hostess duties to attend to again. But when she heard that Jesus was on his way, she left her guests and went straight to Jesus. That was quite a different response from the one recorded in the Book of Luke!
And that’s not all. While she did express her grief that Jesus had not been present sooner to prevent Lazarus’ death, Martha followed with three confident statements that may have meant more than meets the eye.
“But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” You and God are in control, and I don’t need to worry.
“I know that [my brother] shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” My brother hasn’t been permanently taken away from me.
“I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” I know that you are the most important thing.
It sounds as though Martha had finally learned what was most important. Instead of becoming angry at Jesus over Lazarus’ death or stewing over what would happen next, Martha chose to lay aside her worry and focus on the crucial truths that she knew. She chose to spend time with Jesus.
In the beautiful opposite of her actions in Luke 10, Martha went to Mary to ask her to come to Jesus, too. That resolution feels perfect enough to warrant a fist pump . . . as does John’s approving note in John 12 that “they made him a supper, and Martha served.”
Sometimes we can get caught up in finishing our “to do” lists, earning the extra two points on a science fair project, or other troubling things. Maybe some of those things are good to think about or work toward. But are any of them a bigger deal than Jesus? When Jesus rebuked Martha, He was also teaching her something that we should remember: when we choose to put the most important things first, He will make sure that nothing truly precious to us can ever be permanently taken away.
So the next time you have to choose between washing the dishes and studying the Bible, feel free to leave the dishes in the sink. And take a moment to be grateful to Jesus and Martha for reminding us that all of our necessary duties are good and needed, but that focusing first on Christ and bringing others to Him is our insurance for present and eternal joy. We have Jesus’ word on that.
| What Martha Did | What We Can Do |
| Left her guests to go to Jesus (John 11:20) | Make following Jesus our first priority |
| Knew God would provide after tragedy (11:22) | Choose not to worry about tough circumstances |
| Believed in the resurrection (11:24) | Trust in God’s promises |
| Testified that Jesus was the Son of God (11:27) | Share testimony of Jesus’ role |
| Asked Mary to come to Jesus (11:28) | Invite others to come closer to Jesus |
| Continued to serve in the future (12:2) | Work hard at necessary things when appropriate |