At Jesus' Feet, Part 2

by Brooke Bergan
Published July 20, 2005

http://writersheart.blogspot.com/2005/07/at-jesus-feet-part-1.html
Why is this world so obsessed with constant busyness? I've asked myself that question countless times over the past several years, and still haven't found a good answer. Consider the following verses, which relate to us Martha's reaction to Mary's "laziness":

"She (Martha) 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!' "
-Luke 10:39-40 (NIV, emphasis and parentheses mine)

I can definitely relate to Mary's situation. Often all I want is to spend time with the Lord, let Him ease my weariness, and allow Him to speak peace and true joy into my heart, but then someone comes along and accuses me of being lazy. Those who know me will testify that I've been a hard worker ever since I was a child. In fact, people have commented that it seems I'm always on the move, always about whatever business needs to be taken care of that day. Yet whenever I do take time to relax and rest in the Lord, it seems someone always comes along to disturb and interrupt that time. That said, let's look at Jesus' response:

" 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.' " -Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)

This scene reminds me of an ill-tempered child who complains to a parent that her sister is not doing her share of the work, only to find out the parents have told that sister to do something else. However, hearing that from the parents does not always mean the first sibling will be less upset. Chances are her response will be to stomp around shouting about the perceived lack of fairness. What that child must learn is that her parents have the best interests of both their children in mind. In picturing the above scene involving Mary, I can imagine Jesus' voice as He gently lectures Martha about the importance of relaxing at His feet. Another option for the translation of verses 41-42 goes as follows: "You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or only one."

As I wrote in Part 1 of this article, many times we view things as necessities when in reality they are simply desires. By the time Jesus got to Martha's house, He had already fed the 5,000 men and their families. Surely Martha had heard about this. Surely she knew Jesus would be more than satisfied with a simple meal eaten in the beauty of God's creation. He may even have been willing to provide the food. Did Martha really need to worry about preparing food or setting the table? Couldn't she, too, have chosen to sit at Jesus' feet? I think so. I believe what Jesus wanted her to understand is that we have a choice. That choice is not between responsibility or lack thereof, or even about busyness vs. laziness. The choice we have to make is much simpler. Do we choose to spend time at rest in our Lord's presence? Or do we choose instead to busy ourselves with the unnecessary burden of providing for needs that only Jesus can meet? After all, every ability we have, no matter how minor, comes from Him. Let us trust that He will never punish us for spending time at His feet, or for doing His will even when others believe there's a better option. Let us keep our eyes on Him, and if others want to interfere with what God has told us to do, let us remember Jesus' words and place our own names where Mary's stood.

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