Choose the Good Portion
by Heather Perrin
In Luke 10, we hear a story about two sisters:
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 1-:38-42)
I’m sure I’m not alone in hearing one or two sermons on this passage, or even just reading it myself and thinking, “Yep. I feel you, Martha.” Distracted with much serving. Anxious and troubled about many things. Asking Jesus to send help.
It’s a familiar application point, yet I find that I need to hear it again.
I listened to a Tim Keller sermon on this passage recently, and while I had made this very application to my own heart probably a dozen times before, I found that I needed to hear the Holy Spirit tell me again.
Heather, Heather, choose the good portion.
Busy Sisters
I love Mary and Martha, two characters in the gospels that feel so familiar and real to me. We read about them in John 11, when their beloved brother is sick and they call to Jesus, then witness him raise Lazarus from the dead. Then in John 12, Mary disregards cultural norms to extravagantly honor Jesus by annointing his feet with expensive oil and wiping them with her hair.
But we meet them in this story, apparently early in their relationship with Jesus. And boy are they relatable.
In the first century, and in many places today, women would have been expected to host guests by preparing and serving food, while men sat and listened to the teaching rabbi. One of the many shocking things about Jesus’ ministry is that he invited women to learn from and follow him, a point that Luke makes many times in his gospel (and one that is a sweet gift to my heart). But Martha is fulfilling her assumed role by bustling about and is genuinely seeking to serve Jesus as she does so. Let’s not be too hard on Martha - she wants to honor the Messiah with her life and her work, and that is good.
But the trouble comes when she gets overwhelmed by her work, becomes anxious and troubled, and she goes to Jesus and asks Him to make her sister help her. What does Jesus say? He won’t take this good thing away from Mary.
Serving and Relating
In his sermon, Keller makes the point that the difference between the sisters is that Mary seeks relationship with Jesus, while Martha seeks action. I have always related to Martha here, and I think many of us do, but I appreciated the insight into why I might keep myself busy rather than sit at His feet.
I might be afraid.
I believe (at least on an intellectual level) that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection have brought me into an intimate relationship with God, and that I am secure in Christ. His perfect life replaces my record of sin and brokenness, His death paid the penalty I owed for a lifetime of disobedience, and His resurrection brings me assurance that I will have life with Him forever. There is nothing I can do to earn a relationship with Him, it is a free gift received by faith. Praise the Lord!
But in my heart, I often struggle to believe that this relationship is one of love. I can let myself think that Jesus has saved me and brought me back to the Father, but He’s holding His nose as He does so. That His posture toward me is grudging. That I better keep busy serving Him.
I feel afraid to be with Him, because I think I still have to earn His love, affection, or favor.
Friends, this is a lie. His posture toward me - and to all of His children - is love. The doctrine of salvation that I believe on paper means that I am in Christ. United to Him. So does God the Father love and delight in Christ? Yes! And I’m in there! United to Him! There is nowhere I can run to escape His affection.
Serving From Relationship
I am naturally a doer, I like to stay busy, and I feel most like myself when I have a full task list. This is not inherently wrong. Martha was not wrong for her doing.
Martha was wrong in the order of operations. Mary saw that before she could serve the Lord with gladness, she needed to sit at His feet.
Before I fill up my day with things to do for God, I want to sit with Him. To talk to Him and listen to Him, to seek His face.
As I bustle about, meeting needs and serving the people around me, I want to pour from a cup that is full of the love of God for me in Christ.
Choosing the good portion doesn’t mean I stop working hard at the things God has called me to do, but it does mean that my heart looks for Him first. That I come to Him not just to ask for things, but to sit at His feet. And my doing will be all the more fruitful, glad, and productive.
There are many things that call for our attention and our doing. Good things. Things Jesus has instructed us to do. But let us not get “distracted with much serving” and miss Jesus. He wants to meet us. He wants to give us Himself.
Choose the good portion.