Choosing Busyness vs Good Portion

We all probably know of the story of Lazrarus’s sisters, Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38–42. When Mary was upset with her sister’s lack of contributing to the tasks of hosting Jesus and His disciples, thinking she was doing the right thing by serving the Messiah, Jesus gently corrected her. He said to Martha was “anxious and troubled by many things The Word of God said “But Martha was distracted with much serving”. When we initially look at this passage, we may conclude that this account teaches us to be cautious of letting the busyness of life, even with good things such as serving, distract us from sitting at the feet of Jesus; learning about Him and learning from Him (through His Word). That is absolutely true. But if we go even deeper into that truth, through the lens of The Gospel and God’s redemption story, we see that Jesus is truly talking about His Kingdom. Much like the parable of The Prodigal Son, where you have an example of two contrasting siblings who represent religiosity or “works” and contrition or repentance we get the sense that the first layer of truth is that story of Martha and Mary represents the contrast of a “works” based walk with Christ and a walk with Christ that prioritizes intimacy with Him. The deeper layer of truth is that Martha represents those concerned with temporal, earthly things — tasks, decoration, dishes that taste just right, etc. These are things even unbelievers busy themselves worrying about to the point of stress and burn out. In contrast, Mary represents those who have “chosen the good portion”; those who have received The Good News and submitted to Jesus’s Lordship and acknowledged Him as King. That brings the believer into the family of God, whereby at the end of this temporal life an inheritance of the eternal Kingdom is bestowed and we will experience the fullness of our Saviour’s glory forever. THAT is the good portion “which will not be taken away”. We know this to be true because God predestined believers to be inheritors of the Heavenly Kingdom (see Ephesians 1:4-6, Ephesians 11, Romans 8 & 9 & 11, Matthew 24:22-31, Mark 13:20-27, Colossians 3:12, 1 Thessalonians 1:4, 1 Timothy 5:21, 2 Timothy 2:10, Titus 1:1, 1 Peter 1:1-2, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Peter 1:10, and John 17, among other passages). We know that God cannot change His mind and He cannot lie (see Numbers 23:19, Psalm 110:4, Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, Romans 11:29, James 1:17 among other passages). What incredible assurance of faith we have!

“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)

 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

Questions to Ask Yourself:

  1. How else does the story of Martha and Mary remind you of Christ’s Kingdom?
  2. How will you remind yourself of God’s unchanging, trustworthy, gracious character so that you can rest in the assurance of your faith in Christ and your good portion?

Prayer Prompt:

Pray for God to help you navigate the distractions of this temporal life so that you can maintain a healthy balance of serving to honor of God and intimate relationship and growing in Him.