Choosing What Is Better

Introduction

We live with constant pressure to decide what is important and to pursue what is better. Day in and day out, little things make a difference. It is hard for us to stay focused on what is truly important. We all suffer from the tyranny of the urgent. It is the very thing which attracts our attention that gets our effort, and there are times when that item is not important but it is immediate. Thus we lose our focus on the important and allow the urgent to take precedence.

Luke inserts this text for a reason. It is very easy to take today’s text and to make us feel guilty or to make us question every decision. That isn’t the point, nor should we try to force it to do that. But the text is here for a reason, and the point of the text surrounds three words—“opened,” “listening,” and “distracted.” We will look at these three words and see what Luke wants us to understand from this text.

Three Words

Luke uses three words which are keys to unlocking the intent of this passage. The first word is “opened,” found in verse 38. While the NIV has captured the sense of the word, this is not the first time this word has appeared in this chapter. In 9:53 the disciples go into a Samaritan village and they are not “welcomed.” The same word appears in 10:38 and is translated “opened.” In 10:1-24, Jesus sends out 72 disciples to preach, teach, and heal. They go from village to village telling the good news of Jesus. Notice in verse 8 that Jesus says “when you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you.” The word “welcomed” is the same word as “opened” in verse 38. Literally, the word means “receive.” Notice in verse 10 that those who do not “welcome” or “receive” these disciples are to pronounce judgment against the village. There is a contrast set up between those who will receive Jesus and his message and those who will not.

Martha receives Jesus and his disciples into her house. Like those villages who gladly received Jesus’s disciples, so Martha gladly receives Jesus and his disciples. Luke inserts this text to demonstrate that Martha and her sister Mary are eager disciples. These are ladies who have already pledged their lives to the cause of Christ. Luke demonstrates with the 72 the importance of receiving the message. With the parable of the Samaritan he demonstrates that any can receive the message. But with Martha and Mary he demonstrates that receiving is not only important but so is maintaining our focus.

The second word is “listening,” found in verse 39. Literally, this word means “hear,” and it is used in several texts prior to this to signify those who accept the message of Jesus. In 8:8, those hearing Jesus’s teaching are told to listen carefully and to do what is said. This same thought is reiterated in 8:15 and in 8:21. The clearest source for the connection is found in 9:35. At the time that Jesus is transfigured, God speaks from the cloud saying: “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to hear.” The word again is “hear.”

Then in 10:16, Jesus plainly says that those who listen or hear his disciples are listening or hearing him. There is a direct connection between hearing and accepting Jesus and his message. What Luke is doing is demonstrating that both ladies, Martha and Mary, are disciples. Martha receives just like other disciples, and Mary listens just as other disciples. Both are equally committed to the kingdom and to following the one sent from God.

The third word is “distracted,” found in verse 40. This is a new word for Luke in the sense that he hasn’t used this word before. Martha is described as distracted. This is the key to the passage. She is a disciple. She has received Jesus and his disciples. But she is distracted. The word means to be pulled away or diverted from a task. She has lost her focus. She has all these people in her house and she is busy preparing a meal. She is distracted.

Martha in her distraction asks Jesus to settle her dispute. “Jesus, don’t you care that my sister, Mary, is neglecting her duties as hostess? She has left me to do all the work. Make her help me.” Jesus will not be pulled into the dispute. His answer is both clear and direct. “Martha, so many things have you preoccupied. So many things are getting your attention. You need to slow down and listen to me because what I have to say cannot be taken from you.”

What Does Jesus Mean?

Here is the problem I have with this text. Didn’t Jesus and the disciples need to eat? Wouldn’t exemplifying hospitality be important? If Martha had sat at Jesus’s side like her sister Mary, wouldn’t everyone have been hungry? Is Jesus saying that his followers don’t have to eat? Is he saying that we are to set aside everything else and listen to him?

The key is found in the word “distracted.” What Martha was doing was necessary and commendable. Hospitality is important. The problem is found in the word “distracted.” Her work is taking her away from Jesus. And on top of that, she is having a good old-fashioned pity party in the process. “My sister should be in here helping me.” There is no joy or gladness in her hospitality. There is mental anguish. There is a feeling of isolation. There is a feeling of being mistreated. There is a desire to be given some sympathy. She is worried and upset about many things. She is distracted.

Jesus commends Mary’s attitude because she has chosen what is better. Receiving Jesus and listening to Jesus are both important. But Martha let the mundane take her away from Jesus. The problem is found in losing her focus. Martha is focusing on preparing rather than being with Jesus. Whenever we go to visit family, the same thing happens. After the meal the dishes are stacked but no cleaning takes place. Why? Because we are only going to be there for a few hours and then we will leave. As many say, “I can wash dishes after you are gone. For right now, I want to be with you.”

Does that mean Martha needed to neglect the physical? No. But she focused more on providing for the physical than she did on taking advantage of the short time that Jesus was to be with her. It is legitimate for us to think in terms of what is necessary. It is important that we consider the long-term benefits of being with Jesus. Sometimes we become so caught up in doing that we don’t take the time to be with Jesus. For all of our good deeds, if we do not spend time with Jesus, then we have chosen the less important. Doing good is right. But Jesus makes it clear that doing good pales in comparison to spending time with him.

Luke inserts this story so that the readers will recognize the importance of maintaining their focus on the one who came to demonstrate the heart and mind of God. Let’s not lose our focus. Sometimes we get distracted from what matters most. We become so preoccupied with tasks and responsibilities that we lose sight of our relationship with Jesus. Let’s stay close to Jesus.

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