Guest Author - Michelle Pendergrass
Martha was ticked that her sister wasn’t doing anything. Martha welcomed Jesus into her home, the Messiah, God incarnate into her home and she had to get it right, didn’t she? Had to prepare the correct way, serve the right things, have the right wine, the right dishes, the food had to be nothing less than spectacular, right? I mean, this is the Son of God, sitting right there in Martha’s living room and she had to impress Him.
Martha really thought she knew what she had to do to impress the Lord. And isn’t it just like a sister to tattle? How very immature. “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” I’ll give the woman credit, she certainly has guts. Can you imagine Jesus sitting in your living room, drinking a cup of your best coffee, relaxing and talking with friends. You’re running around preparing whatever it is you prepare the day the Creator of the Universe stops in unexpectedly and there’s your lazy sister just sitting there sharing in the festivities. Why does she get to relax? Why is she special? Who does she think she is? You start slamming things around the kitchen. You’re chopping vegetables for the wonderful soup wishing they were your sister’s fingers, that lazy troll of a sister. How dare she leave you alone to do everything? You throw the vegetables in the boiling water and it splashes on your hand a bit on your face and it burns. Ouch! If that sister of yours was helping, you wouldn’t have to rush around and throw things in the pot, it is so her fault that this is so stressful. That’s it. You stomp into the living room, stand directly in front of the One who hung the moon and named the stars with your hands on your hips and scowl, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.”
You want to impress the Big Guy who Was and Is and Ever Will Be by telling Him what to do.
I think you just blew it, sweetie.
Martha. Martha.
I can see Jesus shaking his head at Martha with disappointment. After all, she had just finished telling Jesus what to do. What a lesson. Sure, maybe we’ve heard the story a gazillion times before. Busy Martha and Mary at the feet of Jesus. Mary chose what is good, obviously Martha did not. But have we applied that to what we do?
How am I trying to impress Jesus? With my choice to wear dresses only on Sunday? By raising my hand during that song in service? By my commitment to teaching Sunday school to the little ones and don’t you know I’ve never missed a week? Look at all these things I do for God. And look at my sister over there just reading her Bible. My sister in Christ who doesn’t do anything. She doesn’t volunteer for the nursing home ministry and she doesn’t sing every Sunday and she never, ever even thinks of stepping forward to volunteer…for anything. Look at her. Hmpf.
“Lord, don’t you care that I’m over here doing everything for you? Tell her to help me!”
I believe that Jesus would say the same thing to you today. “Dear One, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Your sister has made the right choice, she has chosen the good part and it will not be taken away from her.”
I’m not saying one shouldn’t serve, don’t even go there.
Distracted is to be drawn away. When we’re so distracted with things that we don’t hear what Jesus is saying, we’re wrong. There’s no way out of it. When we worry, we’re assuming responsibility for things that are beyond our control, things that are God’s responsibility because He’s in control. So when we’re worried about things, we’re wrong.
Get back to choosing the right thing, the good thing. Did Jesus ask Martha to run around and get stressed out? I think not. Martha took it upon herself to do all that, then got angry with her sister to the point that she stood before the Lord and told him to make Mary help. Did Jesus ask you to do all the stuff you’re doing? If, even for a moment, you hesitated and thought, “I don’t know,” then you absolutely need to spend some Mary time with Jesus. Right now, before you even read another sentence, close your eyes and ask Him to free you from those things He never asked you to be a part of and then spend time listening to His answer. Choose the good thing and it will not be taken from you.
