One Thing is Necessary

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.” Luke 10:38-40

This passage is not a contrast between good and bad. It’s a contrast between good and better. Martha was a good woman. Jesus loved her very much, apron and all (see John 11:5).  It was Martha who opened her home to Jesus.  Martha’s hospitality gave Mary an opportunity to sit at the feet of Jesus.  

Martha, however, was distracted with much serving. Martha wasn’t refusing to listen, she was anxious about serving her guests. Have you ever had a group of friends over for bible study and a meal? Were you distracted during the study, because you were worrying about the meal?   The preparations Martha made were not frivolous.  They were important! By doing them, Martha served Christ appropriately and enhanced the atmosphere in which He taught. The problem was that the preparations were not completed prior to Jesus’ teaching. Right priorities are always a choice we have to make.

In addition to missing out on what Jesus had to say, Martha’s distraction also caused her to miss how much Jesus cares about her. For example, at the end of the day, Mary would probably have said without hesitation that Christ cared for her, but during the visit Martha asked, “Don’t you care?”  Distractions in our life will cause us to miss out on how much Jesus cares for us.

Christ’s love for us never stops.  Our sense of His loving care can change dramatically from time to time. The determining factor in whether or not we sense His love is our willingness to abide in Him and His word.   

Many things are important, but one thing is necessary: JESUS!

Dear Jesus, thank you for desiring to spend time with me. Thanks for your loving care. Forgive me of all those times I let distractions come between us. You blessed me with a Bible.  I don’t want to leave it sitting on the table untouched! I want to remember these words: “one thing is necessary”.  I love you, Jesus. Amen.  

Terry Diane Smith
Stephenville, TX.