Our Scripture meditation is based on Luke 10:38-42, the Gospel reading for next week.
[38] Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. [39] And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. [40] But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” [41] But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, [42] but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
I confess that I at times fall for the temptation of trying to find unique or novel teachings in Scripture passages. There is nothing wrong with this desire in and of itself. However, when driven by pride or a desire to impress people, it is sinful.
I share his because I tried to find a cool or quirky insight from this account of Jesus, Mary, and Martha. I found no such understanding from the text. I ended up with the traditional interpretation of the passage: We truly need only one thing: Jesus.
Please don’t be too harsh on Martha. The Apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear that work is godly vocation (Colossians 3:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:10. He encourages us to use our spiritual gift in service to our fellow Christians (Romans chapter 12, I Corinthians chapter 12).
However, the lesson Jesus teaches in this account still stands: Spending time with God is our priority. This is done with fellow believers in worship services. This is experienced when gathered in a group Bible study. This is done in personal devotions from the Bible.
Until next week, the Lord bless and guide.
Kevin Wilson 360 