Choose wisely

Posted by Jeffrey Smith November 12th, 2015 2,450 Views 0 Comments

Luke 10:38-41: 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 Lords 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, dont 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 only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.

There are many levels to this story. Why is this important? I believe that Jesus was illustrating much more than an interaction between bickering sisters. This is a picture of the convergence of the Jews, and the Gentiles. We see from this scripture that while Martha, opened her house to Jesus, it was Mary who sat intently listening to all Jesus had to say.
Martha in Hebrew translations means bitterness, while Mary has meaning as rebellious.
While the Jews have had prophecy after prophecy of the coming of Christ, and it was through them, that He came. But they never truly accepted Him as their Christ. They are fixed on the law of Moses which focuses on works. Mary however is focused on listening to Jesus and fully accepting Him as she sat at His feet to listen.
Jesus points out that this will not be taken away from her. What will not be taken away from her though? The choice is what is not taken away from her. She chose wisely, and despite the fact that preparations had to be made, Jesus always provides wherever He is. There is never a scenario where Jesus leaves someone in lack. All needs are met through Jesus, and we must learn from this scripture. If we are given a choice we must find ourselves at the feet of Jesus listening to what He has to say. We must not be worried about many things, and fill that time with works upon works. Jesus sacrificed Himself for us to have peace through His grace, and not our works. The choice of rest and listening is better than works. He tells us the right decision here in this story. Focus on what Jesus says to you, and all the other preparations will be fulfilled through Him.