I’ve written a lot about my church home over the years here at PJ Media, especially since I’ve started doing these Sunday Thoughts columns. There’s a big reason for that: church has been a big part of my entire life. I can’t remember a time in my life when my family wasn’t plugged into a local congregation.
My family was one of the founding families of our church, so I’ve spent two-thirds of my life as a member of one congregation. Four generations of my family have served and worshiped there. I spent 13 years on staff at my home church, and I continue to serve there almost every Sunday, leading worship at least once a month and serving a couple of times a month helping first-time guests.
That’s a lot of setup to get to this point: because I serve so often, it’s rare for me to just sit down in a service and not have some responsibility. Don’t get me wrong; I make sure I engage in worship and hear the Word of God preached, but I’m not often just a participant.
All of this brings me to one of the accounts from the Gospels that resonate with me the most — the story of Martha and Mary. To refresh your memory:
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Several years ago, I wrote about how much I identify with Martha:
Here’s the thing for me: I tend to be more like Martha. I’m the one trying to get things done, trying to serve others, trying to make sure all the details are taken care of before I worship. I tend to think, “Well, if Mary had helped her out, things would’ve been taken care of more quickly, and they both could spend time with Jesus.” (I think Martha must have been firstborn…) I know the moral of the story; I get the point Jesus makes, that time with Him is more important than the work we think has to be done. Yet I can’t help but identify with Martha. And if I’m really not careful, I can turn into the complainer that Martha is in this story.
I do think Martha gets a bad rap. All you have to do is search “Martha and Mary,” and you’ll find plenty of people who are willing to throw Martha under the bus for doing the work while her sister sat at the feet of Jesus. And to an extent, there’s a valid point to that argument — she may have been doing too much.
Related: Sunday Thoughts: Seeking the World's Approval
“We tend to value the volume of things accomplished and call that ‘productivity’" points out Jon Bloom at Desiring God. “God values the importance of things accomplished, and calls it "fruitfulness" (John 15:5). And here’s what’s important to God: that we listen to and believe Jesus. ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent’ (John 6:29).”
But it’s not quite as simple as a binary choice between serving and learning. Marshall Segal writes in another blog post at Desiring God:
The serving itself was not the problem — or at least not the main problem — especially given the social expectations for hospitality in her day. What, then, was the problem? Anxiety was consuming Martha. When she complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping her, he responded, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41). Her grumbling had opened wide a window into her heart. Love was not inspiring her to serve; anxiety was. Her turmoil was driven by misplaced fear. How often is this true of us?
And not just a fear, but many fears. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” This wasn’t just about hospitality. Martha was distracted from Jesus because her mind was drowning in the cares of this world. And because she would not stop and listen to Jesus, she was forfeiting the calm she so desperately needed.
From the perspective of somebody who serves — a lot — in ministry, it’s easy to understand how anxiety can creep in. Maybe the day isn’t going as well as you’d hoped. Maybe the people you serve with can be frustrating. Or maybe the enemy is just getting to you. But we can find ourselves combatting anxiety that distracts us from hearing from God at church.
Related: Sunday Thoughts: Past, Present, and Future in the Sermon on the Mount
Another thing about Martha that I love to point out is that the things Jesus taught weren’t lost on her. When Jesus came to see her and Mary after their brother Lazarus died, Martha was the one who exhibited deep faith in her Lord:
Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Sure, Jesus gently admonished Martha when she was in a tizzy over the work she thought she had to do for Him, but I can’t help but wonder if her attitude of service helped develop her faith in the Friend in Whom she trusted.
I know that I need to find the right balance between Martha and Mary. I love to serve too much to give it up, but I know that I have to take the time to listen and learn, even as I'm serving. Who knows? Maybe I'll figure it out before the Lord calls me home to be with Him.
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