The Better Thing

Luke 10:38–42

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’

‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’”

In the account above, Martha and Mary are sisters, but they are not focused on the same things. Martha is distracted by all the preparations that need to go into hosting the most important house guest she will ever have. Mary, on the other hand, has chosen to sit at the feet of this special Visitor and hang on to His every word. In the end, Jesus makes it clear that Mary has chosen the better thing.

It is interesting that Martha was not necessarily doing anything wrong. In fact, she was occupied with serving and making preparations. These were things that needed to be done, and her desire to be hospitable was not a bad thing. However, somewhere along the way, the preparations became a distraction. 

How often do we find ourselves in a similar position? We can become so consumed with the things that need to be done that we neglect the One who should be at the center of everything. Our responsibilities, commitments, plans and even good intentions can occupy so much of our time and attention that spending time with God becomes an afterthought.

Sometimes, we convince ourselves that once everything is settled, once the work is finished, or once we have taken care of everyone and everything around us, then we will have time for God. But the reality is that there will always be something else demanding our attention. There will always be another responsibility, another task or another reason to put aside the time we should be spending in His presence.

The lesson in this passage is not that serving is unimportant or that our responsibilities should be neglected. Rather, it is a reminder that nothing should take precedence over our relationship with God. We must be careful not to become so occupied with doing things for Him that we forget to spend time with Him.

We can appear to be doing so much, accomplishing so much and even serving so much, while inwardly becoming overwhelmed, anxious and spiritually disconnected. This is why we must regularly pause and examine our priorities. Are we making room for God, or are we allowing the demands of life to crowd Him out?

Jesus said that Mary had chosen what was better, and that it would not be taken away from her. The things that often consume our attention are temporary. Tasks will be completed, responsibilities will change, and circumstances will come and go. But the time we invest in knowing God, hearing His Word and growing in our relationship with Him has eternal value.

Let us not become so distracted by the many things that demand our attention that we miss the one thing that matters most. Let us choose, like Mary, to sit at the feet of Jesus, listen to His Word and make His presence our priority.

Choose the better thing. Choose time with Jesus.