Luke introduces us to two interesting sisters: Mary and Martha. This passage offers us a glimpse into the heart of ministry and the sometimes challenging balance between service and discipleship. Both are important. They support each other.
We see another example of this balance in the early church written by Luke in the Book of Acts. Maybe he was thinking of this encounter today when he wrote about it.
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Greek Jews complained against the Hebrew Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve disciples gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. So they chose seven men known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom and turned this responsibility over to them so they could give their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Both were important ministries and supported each other. Martha’s desire to serve the guests who had come to listen to Jesus is commendable. It is a true ministry in the church – hospitality – some call it “koinonia”. In the culture of her time, hospitality was more than an act of kindness; it was a vital duty. So Martha took it upon herself the responsibility to welcome Jesus into her home, preparing a meal and ensuring everything was perfect for her honoured guest. Sometimes the weight of responsibilities for hospitality—whether in our homes or churches to have everything right is a heavy burden but to others it looks so simple. And the problem that can cause, and we see it in Martha, is she can’t understand why Mary can’t do what she is doing. And she then begins to resent the gift that she has and the gift that Mary has.
However, we must ask ourselves: Are we sometimes so busy with the tasks at hand that we forget to focus on the One who brings purpose to our work? Do we begin to resent the gift WE have and as a result resent the gifts others have. Martha’s gift shows a beautiful desire to serve, yet her gift also leads her to frustration as she does not see how her hospitality is part of the patchwork of Ministry. She looks at what her sister is doing and fails to recognise her ministry strengths and compares what she is doing to what appears to her that her sister is being lazy. “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” In stark contrast, we find Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, fully engaged in His teaching. Mary recognizes the importance of being present with Jesus, soaking in His words of life and love. That was her gift.
Mary shows us the value of stillness and attentiveness in our spiritual lives. Jesus’ response to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42), Martha had her gift. It wasn’t a lesser gift but she made it feel like one when she compared it to Mary’s gift. Jesus’ response to Martha speaks to the heart of the matter as it focuses on different strengths when it comes to Christian ministry. Jesus gently rebukes Martha, not because she wasn’t sitting at his feet to listen to him, but for her distraction.
Just as he does not tell Mary to get up and help Martha, neither does he tell Martha to stop and come and sit down and listen. Both service and devotion have their place in the life of a believer. We are all called to different paths of showing our faith and service to our Lord. Some have great gifts of physically serving our Lord while others are equally called to sit at the feet of Christ, to read His Word, to pray, and to cultivate a relationship that sustains our faith. St Paul talks about the different types of gifts:
He says: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
The challenge lies in finding the balance. Service to God without seeing what we are doing as a gift of God for the common good can lead to burnout and resentment. As we reflect on this story today, let us consider where we find ourselves on this spectrum. Are we more like Martha who had a remarkable gift that is essential but she has fallen into the trap of comparing herself with others? Or are we more like Mary who perhaps failed to value what Martha was doing and perhaps could have encouraged her.
Churches can also fall into the Mary and Martha envy. Sometimes we can compare ourselves with other churches who seem to be more active in a certain area that we long for and fail to recognise the gifts that we have of serving God. A classic example is one where a church feels that they are lacking because they look at their demographic and it’s all ageing. They feel they are failing and don’t have much future. But look at the value that our older demographic feels when they know that the church of God values them when much of society feels they are a burden.
We too can fall into the trap of Martha – Lord, do you not care. Of course the Lord cares and that’s why he calls some churches to have a ministry to the ageing – to the homebound – to those that society might say don’t really contribute.
As we move forward this week, you are encouraged to look at where God has placed you and what gift he has given to you.
Read your bibles, pray, and listen to what the Lord is placing on your heart. Don’t look at others and compare. Look to God and the abundance of gifts that he gives to you and our church, Look for ways to serve—engage in acts of kindness, help a neighbor, volunteer in our church or community. We can all learn from Mary and Martha, embracing the heart of both devotion and service, for in these two aspects, we find true discipleship and Ministry.
Let us commit ourselves to being followers of Christ who balance our worship with our work, our listening with our doing, and in all things, may we seek to glorify the One who invites us to sit at His feet.
