Drawing Near to Our Personal God
The account of Mary and her sister Martha is one that may be familiar if you’ve been around Christianity for long. It is a common passage in preaching and devotionals, perhaps because its application is so clear and so universal to our lives in Christ.
But as I read recently through the account recorded in Luke 10, I was struck afresh by the contrast between Martha’s bustle and Mary’s placid rest in the presence of her Lord. Here is the passage I read:
“Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to Him, and said, Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”(vv.38-42)
From the details given us, I would guess that Martha was the elder of the two, for it is called her house, and she received Jesus and his disciples into it. The hospitality was her responsibility and her reputation would have been at stake. And yet, Mary had a share in both responsibility and the reputation, for she too lived in the house, and the quality of their hospitality would have reflected on both sisters.
We are not told how old either sister is, or how many years were between them, or whether they usually got along with each other. All we see is this one glimpse of family drama, and a rather unexpected answer to Martha’s complaint.
I, being Martha-like by nature, can imagine the pressure she felt (after all, how would you be feeling if Jesus Himself were sitting in your living room, waiting to take part in the meal you were preparing?)
But as Martha bustled through her preparations, becoming more and more agitated, stressed, flustered, and resentful of her sister, it is clear that she was not thinking of the Person for whom she prepared, but of His position: He was a guest—a Divine guest, but she was focused more on the forms and formalities of hospitality than she was on the fact that this precious Person had actually come to her house to spend time with her and her siblings!
Don’t you and I do the same thing in our own way? It is easy to get so caught up in the forms and formalities of doing things for God that we forget that He delights to spend time with us, and is there, ready to speak through His Word and listen to us whenever we come to Him! But the freedom to come to God at any time sometimes makes us quick to push off our time with Him, because it could be done at any time. We bustle off to do our busy things for God, when all we really need is simply to sit at His feet.
Dear Reader, have you taken time to sit at your Savior’s feet today? Or are you flustered and busy like Martha? No matter how busy life is, work to protect that time with God, for that is the one thing you truly need.
“Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you..."James 4:8