Have you read certain scriptures, and felt it was revelatory like never before? How it surprisingly makes sense and relevant to your current state? I had one of those ‘Aha!’ moments in the last few weeks. The passage that spoke to me was the story of the famous sister duo–Mary and Martha.

Luke 10:38-42 says,

³⁸ As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

⁴¹ But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! ⁴² There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

This is the New Living Translation. The highlight in the first set of lines is the word “welcomed”. We read that Martha ‘welcomed’ Jesus into her home. She was aware of His presence and she chose to welcome Him. The next word that I would like to highlight is ‘distracted’. Although she was aware of Jesus’ presence, she was also distracted–all in the name of hospitality. The last two words that I would like to focus on are, ‘worried’ and ‘upset’–this is the portion where Jesus gently calls out Martha’s concerns. Most times, the story of Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet is preached, whereas Martha is usually tagged unimportant. I would like to focus on the latter this week, and how, through her life, the Lord reminded me of an important lesson in the Christian journey.

Did you know that the four highlight words from this passage are actually interlinked? Let me break it down for you. Like Martha, we ‘welcome’ Jesus into our lives; into our homes. However, oftentimes, we get distracted by the big and small details of our worldly lives. It can be a setback, failure, disease, or disappointment. These distractions tend to act as a deterrent, impeding us from sitting at the feet of Jesus. And, ultimately that makes us ‘worried’ and ‘upset’. Let me add another highlight word here: “bitter”. Although it isn’t mentioned in the passage, I believe Martha was bitter about the fact that her sister was not helping her; this is what led to her angry complaint to Jesus.

Many times, when we are worried or upset, we fail to see the fullness of living in Christ. Despite knowing His promises, we feel like our problems are bigger than His Word. We put our issues on a pedestal, and look at them as if there is nothing greater than that; we make ourselves feel like we are doing a lot more than others and often, drowning in self-pity. This is exactly what Martha felt.

I can only imagine the conversation in her head:
“Can’t Jesus see that I am working so hard in the kitchen?”
“Why isn’t He asking Mary to help me?”
“Do I deserve to slave around while my sister just sits there carefree?”
“I have so much to finish preparing, and so little help!”
“This happens all the time– I do all the work around here, while Mary just lazes around!”
“That’s it! I am going to ask Jesus to chastise her!”

Even while Martha complained, Mary did not care a bit. She just let Jesus handle it. She did not bother to justify or prove her point, hence there is no record of her dialogues in this passage. What can we understand from this? –if our focus is on Christ, then the things of the world will not bother us. Neither complaints nor negativity. This is also a question of faith.
Time and again, we use a quote in most of our stories: “The opposite of faith is not doubt, it is control!” When we try to get things in our control, we work against our faith. However, when we let God take control, we work against our doubt. Martha wanted to be in control, hence she went on to do things with her own strength, which eventually brought in a lot of distress. But Mary, let Jesus take control, which kept her calm even when her sister complained about her. Hence, there was no worry or disappointment even though some harsh comments were put across.

When we try to get things in our control, we work against our faith. However, when we let God take control, we work against our doubt.

Martha wanted to be in control. But mary didn’t.

Depression, sadness, anger, and sorrow are real emotions that are present in our lives; these are real issues. However, we are given the choice, and I want to encourage you to choose Jesus. Sit at His feet and be unbothered by the cares of this world.

Jesus says something important to Martha: “Do not worry about these things!” He knows that you want to do a lot in life, and maybe you get immense satisfaction when you work day and night or achieve a lot in this world. But…  what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? -Matthew 16:26

Those trophies and medals of this world do not mean anything in the Kingdom of God. He values your transformation, your decisions pertaining to your faith journey, and your choice to sit at His feet. And trust me, He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. I urge you to soak in His presence. Through this passage, I encourage you to divert your focus, away from the distractions, and to Jesus. There is power in His presence and it brings about a glorious transformation from the inside out.

Like, Mary, let us get caught up in His presence, and not just welcome Him into our home. Just sit at His feet, and never leave.

Remember: The closer we draw to Jesus, the more we become like Him.

Consider this: