Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

[Diplomat]

Luke is the only one of the gospel writers to record the exchange below between Jesus and Martha, yet there is so much to be gleaned from this story. What are you thoughts on Martha? What - if any - are the comparisons between her and some women of today? What can we learn from this fascinating incident recorded in Luke 10?

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.

[Guest]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

Martha didn't have her priorities straight. She was so concerned about preparing an elaborate meal for Jesus instead of spending time with Him.

She reminds me of some of the women in church that have to be involved in all areas, eg. children's ministry, women's ministry, cleaning the pews, cutting the grass, etc. and they miss out on the services. They occupy themselves with so many things instead of occuping themselves with God.

I read somewhere a while ago where Martha was referred to as the wife who is so concerned about the cleaning, the cooking, the laundry, etc. yet she ignores spending intimate time with her husband.

[Dailybread]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

Originally posted by Compry:
[qb] Martha didn't have her priorities straight. She was so concerned about preparing an elaborate meal for Jesus instead of spending time with Him.

She reminds me of some of the women in church that have to be involved in all areas, eg. children's ministry, women's ministry, cleaning the pews, cutting the grass, etc. and they miss out on the services. They occupy themselves with so many things instead of occuping themselves with God.

I read somewhere a while ago where Martha was referred to as the wife who is so concerned about the cleaning, the cooking, the laundry, etc. yet she ignores spending intimate time with her husband. [/qb]

Compry, I agree with you to an extent. However, I would not say that Martha was more concerned about doing house work etc. than sitting with Jesus.

The scripture says that Martha invited Jesus over which to me shows that she wanted to spend time with Him. However, she may not have been the type of woman who had a meal ready for a visitor to stop by at anytime. It was a spontaneous invitation that Jesus did not refuse.

Martha wanting Mary to help her is not at all unfair or unusual. IMO she wanted to get things done quicker so that she too can sit at Jesus feet.

I don't see it as Jesus being 'rude' to her (as I've heard before) but instead saying (in my own words) Martha you are serving me but you don't know what it is that I want, come sit and find out.

Maybe I responded too quickly but I'll keep quiet now until there are some more responses.

[Guest]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

Rose, I mean DB [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] , I believe this passage is telling us that our top priority must be fellowship with Christ. Jesus said in verse 41 & 42, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed".

There was nothing wrong with her being busy about preparing a meal for Christ. She just choose the wrong time.

[Diplomat]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

A perspective from Charles Spurgeon, shared in October 1871:

"But one thing is needful." — Luke 10:42.

"We HAVE no difficulty whatever in deciding what the one thing is. We are not allowed to say that it is the Saviour, for he is not a thing; and we are not permitted to say that it is attention to our own salvation, for although that would be true, it is not mentioned in the context. The one thing needful evidently is that which Mary chose—that good part which should not be taken away from her. Very clearly this was to sit at Jesus' feet and hear his word. This and nothing less, this and nothing more.

The mere posture of sitting down and listening to the Saviour's word was nothing in itself: it was that which it indicated. It indicated, in Mary's case, a readiness to believe what the Saviour taught, to accept and to obey—nay to delight in, the precepts which fell from his lips. And this is the one thing needful—absolutely needful; for no rebel can enter the kingdom of heaven with the weapons of rebellion in his hands. We cannot know Christ while we resist Christ: we must be reconciled to his gentle sway, and confess that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

To sit at Jesus' feet implies faith as well as submission. Mary believed in what Jesus said, and, therefore, sat there to be taught by him. It is absolutely necessary that we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in his power as God and man, in his death as being expiatory, in his crucifixion as being a sacrifice for our sins. We must trust him for time and eternity, in all his relationships as Prophet, Priest, and King. We must rely on him; he must be our hope, our salvation, our all in all. This one thing is absolutely necessary: without it we are undone. A believing submission, and a submissive faith in Jesus we must have, or perish."

[Diplomat]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

Originally posted by Compry:

There was nothing wrong with her being busy about preparing a meal for Christ. She just choose the wrong time.

Care to expand on this?

[Guest]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

Yeah well I am definitely a Mary... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Later folks........ [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Queen]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

Nice discussion so far. I have been reading and finally decided to make a contribution; well, it's not my writings, I just agree with a lot written within the article. This is from Charles H. Spurgeon "Morning and Evening" Devotional. Enjoy!

Morning and Evening


Luke 10:40
Martha was cumbered about much serving.


Her fault was not that she served: the condition of a servant well becomes every Christian. "I serve," should be the motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was it her fault that she had "much serving." We cannot do too much. Let us do all that we possibly can; let head, and heart, and hands, be engaged in the Master's service. It was no fault of hers that she was busy preparing a feast for the Master. Happy Martha, to have an opportunity of entertaining so blessed a guest; and happy, too, to have the spirit to throw her whole soul so heartily into the engagement. Her fault was that she grew "cumbered with much serving," so that she forgot Him, and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override communion, and so presented one duty stained with the blood of another.

We ought to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do much service, and have much communion at the same time. For this we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune. Joshua never grew weary in fighting with the Amalekites; but Moses, on the top of the mountain in prayer, needed two helpers to sustain his hands. The more spiritual the exercise, the sooner we tire in it. The choicest fruits are the hardest to rear: the most heavenly graces are the most difficult to cultivate. Beloved, while we do not neglect external things, which are good enough in themselves, we ought also to see to it that we enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it that sitting at the Saviour's feet is not neglected, even though it be under the specious pretext of doing Him service. The first thing for our soul's health, the first thing for His glory, and the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep ourselves in perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to see that the vital spirituality of our religion is maintained over and above everything else in the world.

[Guest]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

Originally posted by CEW:
[qb]

Originally posted by Compry:

There was nothing wrong with her being busy about preparing a meal for Christ. She just choose the wrong time.

Care to expand on this? [/qb]

Martha needed to hear the Word at that moment. Jesus was speaking so she needed to stop what she was doing, sat with Mary and listened.

This text just came to mind..."man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God".

[Dailybread]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

Another take on this:

St.John 11:20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died

This time Mary was so caught up in the mourning of her brother that she didn't even know that Jesus was coming. Irnoic isn't it how Martha had enough faith to believe that had Jesus been there Lazarus would not have died?


Furthur in the same book:
28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.

It appears that Martha was as caught up in what Jesus had to say as Mary was but like Compry stated her timing was off...

Lesson that I grasp from the scripture CEW posted: I can't serve Him if I don't know what He wants me to serve. The only way to know what to serve is to hear from Him.

[Diplomat]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

I have been following the various responses, and the thing that sticks out in my mind is the fact that the presence of Jesus in our space does not necessarily mean we are hearing Him. It provokes me to wonder just how many of us speak about having Jesus in our lives, yet we are so far removed for walking in His ways having not taken the time to find out what He has to say.

In the natural, Martha could have bragged for weeks about having Jesus at her home. That was some divine honor, huh? Yet, as some have pointed out, she missed the most important thing. Jesus reinforced that point when He said to her: "But one thing is needful...". In other words, in the big scheme of things, only one thing is really absolutely important.

There is no doubt in my mind that Martha would have put on the most sumptious of feasts. Afterall, she had invited Jesus over to her house and she got to play host to Him. It was obvious that it was important to her, having become somewhat annoyed that Mary was not helping out. However amidst her best intentions, and those we embrace, there is absolutely nothing more important than hearing what He had to say. Isn't that so much like us though? Busy with everything else in life, even in the service of the Lord, that we neglect the devotional/intimate times where we get to know Him better through the intimate conversations.

This is why I am fascinated by those 5 verses from Luke 10. It does not mean very much to have Jesus at "home" - in our lives - if we are not going to give the most earnest heed to the things He has to say.

[Guest]

Re: Women Of The Bible (WOTB) - Martha

It does not mean very much to have Jesus at "home" - in our lives - if we are not going to give the most earnest heed to the things He has to say.

So true.