Are you a Mary or a Martha?

Luke 10: 38-42
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
What chord does this passage of scripture strike with you. It’s a familiar story, but I think it’s one of those fantastic passages, that unfolds something new to us each time we revisit it. So I’m expecting that there will be a great variety of responses amongst us.

Possible responses:

• Martha’s feelings of indignation – fair enough. I know what it feels like to be left in the kitchen while everyone else is socializing. And it wasn’t just Jesus – all the disciples were with him as well
• Martha probably wanted to talk to Jesus just as much, but someone still had to prepare the food
• Martha was the one who had invited Jesus into the home, but she was the one missing out
• Martha felt responsible for providing adequate hospitality
• Martha expected Jesus to see the unfairness of the situation and side with her
• Jesus response was the least expected one
• How must Jesus have made Martha feel?
• Jesus is really talking about making right choices : “Mary has chosen what is better”
• Jesus placed a higher value on spiritual food over physical food “and it will not be taken away from her” emphasizes the lasting nature of this. Jesus is also stating that for a disciple there is only one essential pre-requisite: to be still and listen; to sit and learn.
• How difficult it can be to sort our correct priorities. (Of course some food is important, but not as important as receiving the teaching. People cannot live by bread alone but by every word of God that proceeds from his mouth.
• Does the story mean that a life dedicated to prayer and meditation (represented by sitting at the feet of Jesus) is better than a life dedicated to practical service? i.e. are monks, nuns and priests superior to farmers, teachers, labourers and homemakers?
• Who do we value most highly in our society – the Marys or the Marthas? (Today we extol and admire the busy people, the achievers, the movers and shakers. We are a generation of doers. Prayer is not high on the ambitions list. Meditation is regarded as something for those who can’t make it in the real world. Quietly reading and pondering the Scriptures is for those who have caught a religious bug.)
• Do we need both Marys and Marthas – or should we have a bit of both in each of us?
• In what ways are we often Marthas?

The Martha syndrome is when we let the pressures of life, take over and displace our relationship with Christ. We become distracted from what is most necessary. We let the urgent overtake the important. We let relationship succumb to service.
One of its symptoms is an awareness that at one time we cherished the love of God, his fellowship in worship, devotions and prayer much more than we do now. It seems much harder to pray like we used to.
We have the Martha syndrome when we find ourselves too busy to spend time with God personally, in the study of his word and growth in prayer. We have the Martha syndrome when we somehow feel that we can leave those things until later, right now we have work to do.
We have the Martha syndrome when we let the one thing that is needful slip because more pressing things are coming at us from all sides. And slowly, our relationship with the Lord, our knowledge of his word, our awareness of his presence ebbs away. Our relationship grows distant and weak.
The Martha syndrome can happen in other relationships too.
This happens in marriages. Often, first in a marriage there is vitality, love, romance, but as work comes into the picture - then children, school, business interests, it is very possible because of busyness that partners run past each other for all they have to do. And one day they look at each other and have to say "I don't know you any more!"
In fact, the Martha syndrome can happen to entire churches.
What can be done, if we have fallen victim to the Martha syndrome?
Once a person belongs to Christ, Christ will not lose us. But it is easy to become disconnected from our lifeblood in Christ. It is easy to burn out, get weary, tired, disenchanted and disgruntled like Martha! Jesus said "only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Freedom from the Martha Syndrome requires discipline and is based in a choice - a choice to choose the good portion. A choice to place our relationship with Christ, our learning of his kingdom, our fellowship in his presence as a highest priority.