Text: Luke 10:41-42: “Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘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.’’ (NIV)
In every home, in every church, and in every military barracks, you will find two kinds of Christians. Both love Jesus. Both are sincere. Both are working for God. But their priorities are completely different.
Luke chapter 10 introduces us to them. Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, in Bethany. Jesus, the Son of God, entered their home. It was a great honour. The Master Himself was sitting in their living room.
What did they do?
Martha immediately ran to the kitchen. She wanted to cook, sweep, arrange chairs, make everything perfect for Jesus. She was busy, busy, busy. She loved Jesus through service.
Mary, on the other hand, did something that looked irresponsible in that culture. She sat down at the feet of Jesus and started listening to His Word. She loved Jesus through intimacy.
Both loved Him. But only one understood what Jesus wanted most at that moment.
Martha, feeling frustrated that her sister was not helping, complained to Jesus: "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
We would expect Jesus to say, "Mary, get up and help your sister. Don't be lazy." But Jesus did the opposite. He gently corrected Martha, not Mary's sitting.
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "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."
That statement is the heart of Christianity. In our generation that celebrates hustle, Jesus is calling us back to the one thing needful.
Let us be honest. Most of us are Marthas.
Martha's problem was not that she was serving. Serving is good. The Bible says we should serve. Her problem was that her serving replaced her sitting. Her working for Jesus replaced her being with Jesus.
The text says Martha was "distracted by all the preparations that had to be made" (Luke 10:40). The original Greek word for distracted is perispao, which means to be dragged in different directions, to be pulled apart. That is exactly what busyness does to us. It pulls us apart.
There are signs you are suffering from the Martha Syndrome:
TWO SISTERS, TWO PRIORITIES, ONE SAVIOUR
In every home, in every church, and in every military barracks, you will find two kinds of Christians. Both love Jesus. Both are sincere. Both are working for God. But their priorities are completely different.
Luke chapter 10 introduces us to them. Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, in Bethany. Jesus, the Son of God, entered their home. It was a great honour. The Master Himself was sitting in their living room.
What did they do?
Martha immediately ran to the kitchen. She wanted to cook, sweep, arrange chairs, make everything perfect for Jesus. She was busy, busy, busy. She loved Jesus through service.
Mary, on the other hand, did something that looked irresponsible in that culture. She sat down at the feet of Jesus and started listening to His Word. She loved Jesus through intimacy.
Both loved Him. But only one understood what Jesus wanted most at that moment.
Martha, feeling frustrated that her sister was not helping, complained to Jesus: "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
We would expect Jesus to say, "Mary, get up and help your sister. Don't be lazy." But Jesus did the opposite. He gently corrected Martha, not Mary's sitting.
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "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."
That statement is the heart of Christianity. In our generation that celebrates hustle, Jesus is calling us back to the one thing needful.
THE MARTHA SYNDROME: WHEN SERVICE REPLACES INTIMACY
Let us be honest. Most of us are Marthas.
Martha's problem was not that she was serving. Serving is good. The Bible says we should serve. Her problem was that her serving replaced her sitting. Her working for Jesus replaced her being with Jesus.
The text says Martha was "distracted by all the preparations that had to be made" (Luke 10:40). The original Greek word for distracted is perispao, which means to be dragged in different directions, to be pulled apart. That is exactly what busyness does to us. It pulls us apart.
There are signs you are suffering from the Martha Syndrome:
1. You are Worried and Upset About Many Things: Jesus diagnosed Martha perfectly. "You are worried and upset about many things." Busy people are often anxious people. You are physically in church but mentally in the market, in the office, in the kitchen. Your body is present but your mind is absent.
2. You Compare Your Service With Others: Martha said, "Tell her to help me." When we are distracted, we start to judge others who seem to be doing less. We think our cooking, our ushering, our mopping is more spiritual than someone else's quiet prayer.
3. You Serve Out of Duty, Not Delight: Service that does not flow from devotion becomes drudgery. You complain, you murmur, you get easily offended. Why? Because you are working on an empty tank.
This is very common in the church today, especially among dedicated workers. While the Word of God is being taught in the main auditorium, some workers are outside cooking, arranging chairs, counting offering, or gisting, thinking they are doing the needful. They are doing something for God but missing God Himself.
A soldier who is busy polishing his boots while his commander is giving the battle orders will fail in battle. What matters most is hearing the commander's instruction first.
God does not need your service if He does not have your heart. He wants you more than He wants your work.
THE MARY CHOICE: WHY ONE THING IS BETTER
Jesus said, "Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better."
What did Mary choose?
She chose presence over pressure. She chose the feet of Jesus over the business of the kitchen. She understood that worship must come before work, and devotion must come before duty.
There are three reasons why Mary's choice is better and will never be taken away:
- What We Do For God is Temporary, But What We Get From God is Eternal: The food Martha cooked that day is long finished. The swept floor is dusty again. But the Word Mary received that day remained in her heart forever. Jesus said, "it will not be taken away from her." Your service ends, but the intimacy you build with Christ in His Word is eternal. On judgment day, God will not ask, "How busy were you?" He will ask, "Did you know Me?"
- Intimacy Fuels True Service: Mary is not remembered as a lazy woman. In John 12, it was this same Mary who poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet. Her devotion led to extravagant service. But her service flowed from love, not from obligation.
When you sit at Jesus' feet first, your service will have power. You will serve with joy, not complaint. Many are tired and want to resign from church work because they have been serving without sitting. Jesus never said, "Come and work." He said, "Come to me... and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Rest comes before service.
- Your Presence is More Valuable Than Your Performance: Imagine you visit your friend's house, and he leaves you in the parlour and goes to the kitchen to cook for three hours without talking to you. Will you feel honoured? No. You will feel neglected. You wanted him, not his food.
That is how Jesus feels when we are so busy doing things for Him that we have no time to be with Him. He wants fellowship, not just labour.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE ONE THING NEEDFUL IN A DISTRACTED WORLD
We live in a world of Martha. The world measures success by how busy you are. Social media notifications, WhatsApp messages, army duties, family pressures, church programmes - everything is screaming for your attention.
How do you practice doing the needful today?
1. Redefine What is Truly Needful: Stop thinking that everything is important. Few things are needed, indeed only one. Ask yourself every morning: "What is the one thing that if I do today, my walk with God will be strong?" It is your quiet time. It is your prayer. Put it first, not last.
2. Learn to Sit Before You Serve: Before you start the day's work, before you pick your phone, sit at Jesus' feet. Read Luke 10 yourself. Let God speak to you before you speak to others. A day that starts without God will be full of worry and upset.
3. Turn Your Busy Place into a Worship Place: You may not be able to stop cooking or working, but you can turn your kitchen or duty post into a Bethel. Listen to audio Bible while cooking. Pray in your heart while working. But never use that as an excuse to miss corporate hearing of the Word when you have the chance to sit.
4. Stop Comparing Your Calling: God did not condemn Martha's gift of hospitality; He corrected her priority. Your calling might be different from Mary's, but your priority must be the same - Christ first. Don't compete. Complete your assignment from a place of rest.
GOD WANTS YOU, NOT JUST YOUR WORK
At the end of your life, the many things that worry you today will not matter. The promotion, the house, the titles, the busy church activities - all will fade.
Only one thing will remain - did you know Jesus? Did you choose what is better?
Martha was worried about many things, but Jesus said only one thing is needful. Today, Jesus is looking into your busy, anxious heart and calling your name twice, just as He did Martha: "Martha, Martha..." He knows your name. He sees your labour. But He is inviting you to leave the pots and come to His feet.
True service for Christ flows from time spent with Christ. If you try to serve without sitting, you will burn out. If you sit before you serve, you will never burn out.
Let us learn from Mary. Let us choose what cannot be taken away.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- Am I more like Martha or Mary in my daily walk? Does my busyness make me anxious and irritable?
- What "many things" are distracting me from the "one thing" that is needful right now?
- What practical step will I take this week to sit at Jesus' feet before I start serving?
PRAYER:
Loving Lord, forgive me for allowing busyness to replace intimacy with You. I confess that I am often worried and upset about many things. Today, I choose what is better. Help me to choose Your presence over pressure, and Your Word over worry. Teach me to find rest at Your feet, so that my service may flow from love and not from obligation. In Jesus' name, Amen.
INSIGHT:
You can do many things for God and still miss God. True service flows from time spent at Jesus’ feet. Worship must come before work.
OPERATION COVER TO COVER: Ezekiel 25 – 28
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