Rev. Dr. Lakeya Stewart
The story of Mary and Martha has always intrigued me. The story is about Jesus coming to the home of Martha and Mary, Martha’s sister, sitting at the feet of Jesus listening and learning from the master Himself. Martha gets distracted by the tasks of cleaning up her house. She is more concerned with impressing Jesus by showcasing a clean home, rather than greeting him. Martha misses her once in a lifetime opportunity to literally sit at the feet of Jesus and ask him anything she wished.
Imagine you are home relaxing when the doorbell rings, and you see Jesus himself standing there. What would your reaction be?
1. Would you be running around trying to clean up the living room?
2. Would you be star-struck at the sight of Jesus and leave him standing at the door as you gaze through the peep-hole?
3. Would you eagerly welcome him into your home and offer him a glass of water before talking to him?
Well, Martha was too busy for Jesus. In fact, Martha complains to Jesus that Mary has left Martha to do all of the chores; but, Jesus shocks her by saying, according to Luke 10: 41-42 in the Holman Christian Standard Bible, “Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Can you imagine being Martha? She was doing what most people I know would be doing and that is ensuring her home was clean for her special guest. There was nothing wrong with the fact that she was busy cleaning her home; the problem was that she was so focused on cleaning her home, that she could not heed the voice of the Lord, literally. We often joke about needing signs from the Lord or to hear his voice directly before making major decisions in our lives, but Martha is demonstrating to us the fact that God can be speaking directly to us and we miss what he is saying to us.
Today, I think Jesus is teaching us a thing or two about our priorities. As I reflect on the pandemic that we are living through, I am wondering if Jesus is looking at us thinking, “they were still too busy for me.” The world literally shuts down with the exception of “Essential workers” and many of us find ourselves sleeping our days away rather than praying, enjoying the company of those living in the same home as us, and even picking up the phone to call others. I, like many others, find myself on social media more than I care to admit.
Our God is full of grace and I am so thankful for the reminders to slow down long enough to hear from Him. Friends, let us never get too busy living or making a living that we fail to have a talk with Jesus. Be Blessed.