Are You Martha? A Christian Perspective On Luke 10

Are you Martha? In a culture obsessed with busy, adding more to your plate than God asked can steal your peace in this reflection on Mary and Martha in Luke 10.

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the culture of busy

Busy – THE WORD for this generation. 

“How are you?”

“How was your day?

“Busy”…..

Did you know that “How are you?” is asking for an emotion – yet we often respond with an action? 

Busy does not tell me if you’re happy, sad, tired or mad. In fact, you can be happy busy, sad busy, tired busy or mad busy. Busy doesn’t describe how you are – or even who you are. Busy only tells me what you’re doing. 

Recently I was reading Luke 10, you know the popular Mary vs Martha passage that everyone is always saying “Oh poor bad Martha, if she was only more like good Mary.” Well…I’m poor bad Martha and I have a feeling you are too. 

Let’s break it down. 

Disclaimer – I am not a theologian, these are my own opinions and thoughts on scripture. 

 ”Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 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.” But the Lord answered her, “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.” Luke 10:38-42 ESV

A New Perspective On Luke 10

This new perspective I’ve been wrestling with has challenged my previous thoughts on Mary and Martha. 

I don’t think Martha is wrong for serving – that’s not the issue here. 

The issue: She was asked to serve, but then decided to add way more to the service than she could possibly manage and it left her stressed and overwhelmed. Martha was busy. 

• Martha was not at peace.
• She was not content.
• It was not well with her soul. 

Martha knew who Jesus was. She believed He could save Lazarus from death. She said it herself in John 11:21 Furthermore, I think Martha knew that The Son of God was eating in her home and she wanted to serve him well. And there is nothing wrong with that! But Jesus did not ask for a feast at the cost of her peace. I’m sure he wanted dinner-but maybe He wanted her eating with him, not making a four course meal. 

How Can We Embody The Spirit Of Martha?

How often do we do this to ourselves? Often, we feel called by the Holy Spirit to serve someone but then we add more to the calling than was asked. 

For Example,

We sign up for a meal train but decide to make our most complicated recipe, instead of something simple or even stopping to grab a meal to go. 

We say “yes” to helping someone when the day is already full. 

We stack our plate completely full, so that there’s no margin for the things God places before us. 

Maybe we really were called to do the meal train – but not at the level of performance we created. Maybe the Holy Spirit really did call us to help a friend–but we added more than He asked. 

busyness and Peace

We do this. We create busyness. Yes, the Holy Spirit called us to serve. But if you’re serving from your cup by splashing onto everyone else, two things happen: 

1. You’ve made a mess–either on them (by rushing and not being thoughtful), or 
2. Your cup ends up empty. 

In Psalm 23 He says our cup overflows. He is the one who fills our cup so we can bless others. As a result, you are blessed to be a blessing. It is not in our own strength.

But we often bless others by creating chaos and curses within our own home. 

My kids know first hand that when mom is stressed she makes poor decisions. Even if the stress is making a meal for someone else. 

God may have called me to serve them, but he didn’t call me to serve them at the emotional cost of my family. 

Martha Chose Busy

That is what Martha was doing. She had piled so much onto her plate that she was stressed–and wanting to drag others into her stress. (Mary and Jesus) 

When Jesus gently tells her “You are anxious and hurried about many things”

To paraphrase…

• “You’ve chosen to be anxious about all the appetizers being finished on time but before the main meal.”
• “You’ve chosen to worry about how many dishes you’ll be washing.”
• “You’ve chosen to be anxious about how others will perceive your hospitality.”

Mary chose peace

“Mary has chosen the good portion”

What is Mary doing? Sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to His teaching. Therefore, what should Martha be doing? Listening to Jesus.

So, it’s not that Martha should not be serving, it’s that she didn’t listen to what the Holy Spirit placed upon her heart. He may have called her to serve, but He didn’t call her to serve past her capacity. He didn’t call her to serve past the point of having peace. For His Peace surpasses all understanding.

overflow, not overwhelm

I’ve been asking myself this question frequently as of late.

“Am I being the best me that I can be?”

The answer? No, frequently I am not.

So, is stress making me the best me? Is being short with my kids the best me? Is worrying the best me? At the end of the day, I don’t need to improve my circumstances. I need to reflect Christ in all that I do, that’s the best me I can be. And I’m not doing that.

So how do I reflect Christ in all that I do? I Abide In Him. I rest in His presence. His presence is not hurried. His presence is not anxious. His presence is not worried.

'So they gave a dinner for Him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. '

John 12:2 ESV

Martha served. Again, I don’t think the issue was ever Martha serving and Mary not. Instead, it was the heart and emotion at which Martha served.

This second mentioning of Martha serving is after the first where Jesus addresses her worry. I don’t think we should look at this as “Oh Martha, you didn’t learn and here you are still serving.” No, I think we need to notice the emotional state Martha is serving in. She is not overwhelmed. She is content. Martha is serving the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.