Martha and Mary

Martha and Mary are first introduced to us in Luke 10:38-42

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

It is important to understand that the correction here is gentle. Jesus does not say to her "Martha, you're worried about the wrong things. How about noticing what matters here!" What he instead does is direct her attention to what is most important at that moment. We might say he is teaching her to prioritize.

The message for us would be that we also need to prioritize. We have busy lives. We have children to care for, parents to care for, spouses to care for, bills to attend to, work concerns, health concerns... The list goes on and on. But this message is carried forward in the next sighting of the sisters in John, chapter 11.

It is not until we get to John 12:1-8 that this message is then further clarified:12 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

Again Jesus is gently telling them that he will not always be there in person and Mary's actions are right, she has placed the priority where it should be. This may not seem relevant in our lives today, but consider where your life is going, and where you want to go. Keeping the priority Jesus Christ direction to your goals. This concept then relates back to the mustard seed. Not because it is small, but because it is detailed and it is a single point of focus. This is what is needed to as Paul tells us to die daily in Christ. Our sin nature dies with him and that is what allows us to move forward in our faith.