"As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat [and remained sitting] at the Lord’s feet [she deliberately seated herself there], listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted [she became restless, worried, and agitated] by the big dinner she was preparing [the Greek implies she started off listening but then left the group to prepare the meal]. She came to Jesus and [expressing her resentment] said, 'Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work [surely it should]? [I instruct and command you to] tell her to come and help me.'"

"But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried [your mind is agitated] and upset over all these details! [You are so troubled and distraught – the Greek word refers to noisiness caused by discomposure; the clanging cymbal of activity that has lost touch with love.]  There is [really] only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it [and has chosen it – the good part], and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:38-42).

I woke up one morning a few days ago with the words of Jesus "only one thing is needed" ringing in my ears. What is the one thing? David can help us here.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, so why should I be afraid?  … The one thing I ask of the Lord – the thing I seek most – is to [spiritually] live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s [presence and] perfections … For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me … he will place me out of reach on a high rock … My heart has heard you say, 'Come and talk with me.'  And my heart responds, 'Lord, I am coming' [My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek]" (Ps 27:1-8).

Luke tells us what the one thing is: sitting at Jesus' feet; listening to his teaching; of deepening our relationship with him. It is about sharing his heart; about putting him first; seeing things as to how they touch his heart and sharing his joys and sorrows. It really saddened my friend Don to read about a series of the Kings of Israel doing what was evil in the sight of God. I remember reading on one occasion: "The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart" (Gn 6:5-6). I was filled with a genuine desire to comfort God. It is easy, in the clamouring busyness of life, to neglect the intimacy of our relationship with Him. I can be guilty of this.

A comparison is being made between what Mary had chosen to do and what Martha had chosen to do, relative to the situation that had arisen. All disciples of Jesus need to sit at his feet and listen to his voice; to understand his teaching and to become more like him. And all disciples need to work hard in the service of others. This story teaches us about priorities: when to sit, listen and worship and when to get stuck in with helpful and needed acts of service. It also shows us the results of getting it wrong. This is not about whether one is a Mary or a Martha, but the blessings of following Mary's example and the dangers of following Martha's.

Mary's act of devotion and worship nurtured at the feet of Jesus, listening to him, loving him, believing in him and in everything he said, caused her to receive more and more revelation and understanding. It led to her pouring 500 ml of extremely expensive perfume over the feet of her beloved Saviour (Jn 12:1-8). This was an act of love, but also of faith and trust beyond the comprehension of the disciples. Peter had rebuked Jesus for saying it was necessary for him to die. Mary seems to have known it was imperative and anointed his body for burial ahead of time. Was she the first to understand that Jesus had come to die for us? We will continue looking at the sisters tomorrow.