Day 10 of 24

Today's passage: Luke 10 Today's focus: vs 38-42 Author: Linh Castro

In Luke 10: 38-42, Jesus visits Mary and Martha’s house. He is a visitor. Many of us have experienced all too well the flurry of activity that happens before a guest comes to visit. If I listen closely, I can almost hear my mom’s voice telling me to sweep the floor, clear the tables, and stuff the mail into our miscellaneous-things drawer. Martha probably had a very similar checklist of things to do upon hearing about Jesus’s arrival. After all, not only was he a guest, but an honored guest, the MESSIAH. By this time, most towns and provinces had heard of Jesus and his teachings and miracles.

It is also important to note the role that hospitality played in the culture and time where this meeting took place. How well a guest was treated represented how honorable a household was within a community, so the pressure to impress was fierce! With all this in mind, it’s easy to understand why Martha spoke the following words, tinted with frustration, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me” (v. 40). Mary, meanwhile, was at Jesus’s feet and heeding his words.

Full of love, grace, and sharpness, Jesus responded, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (v. 41-42).  Did you catch that? Jesus said only one thing is necessary. This one thing is worship of and desire for the Lord. This one thing that he calls necessary, he also calls “the good portion, which will not be taken away from her”. Not only is it good, but also everlasting. 

This is the very thing Christ came for, to die on the cross for our sins so that we may be reconciled to God and have a direct relationship with Him, one day communing with Him in heaven. Remember, in this moment with Mary and Martha, Jesus’s death on the cross and all the preceding events have not yet been made known. Therefore, this moment between Christ and Mary is a small glimpse and hint of his reason for coming, both to their household and to the World: To reconcile wretched sinners to a holy and righteous God. Praise the Lord that nothing else but faith is required for this reconciliation. 

Do you sometimes find yourself “distracted with much serving” (v.40)? If so, I challenge you to pause for a moment to “sit at the Lord’s feet” (v. 39). What does that look like for you?