Commentary - Luke 10:38-42

Bird's-eye view

In this brief and memorable domestic scene, we are given a profound lesson on the nature of true discipleship. Jesus and His followers are welcomed into the home of Martha, and we are immediately presented with a contrast between two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha is consumed with the labor of hospitality, while Mary is consumed with the Lord Himself, sitting at His feet to hear His word. The conflict arises when Martha, overwhelmed by her work, complains to Jesus and demands that Mary be reprimanded. Jesus' gentle rebuke of Martha and His commendation of Mary establish a foundational principle of the Christian life: communion with Christ through His word is the one thing that is truly necessary. All other duties, however good and important, must flow from this center. This passage is not a condemnation of service, but rather a condemnation of anxious, distracted service that has lost its anchor in Christ. It teaches us that our activity for God must never supplant our attention to God.

The Lord's response cuts to the heart of the matter. Martha's problem was not her service, but her soul. She was "worried and bothered about so many things." Her work had become a source of anxiety and agitation, leading her to a demanding and resentful spirit. Mary, on the other hand, had chosen "the good part," the one necessary thing, which was to receive from Jesus. This choice, Jesus says, would not be taken from her. The story serves as a timeless reminder that our relationship with God is not built on the frenzy of our activity for Him, but on our quiet reception of His grace and truth. Before we can work for Christ, we must sit with Christ.

Outline

Context In Luke

This episode is strategically placed by Luke. It follows immediately after the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), where Jesus answered the question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" with the command to love God and neighbor. The story of the Good Samaritan illustrates love for neighbor in a powerful way. Now, this story of Mary and Martha illustrates what it means to love God. The lawyer was told to "do." Mary shows us that the foundation of all doing is first being with and hearing from the Lord. It also follows the return of the seventy-two disciples, who were rejoicing in their successful ministry (Luke 10:17-20). Jesus redirected their joy from their works to the fact that their names were written in heaven. This story provides a concrete example of that principle. The basis of our standing is not our service, but our salvation, which is received by faith, and faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.

Key Issues

The Good Part

It is a common temptation to read this story and conclude that Jesus is pitting action against contemplation, service against devotion, a "Martha" personality against a "Mary" personality. But that is a shallow reading. The Lord is not condemning work, hospitality, or service. These are all good things, commanded elsewhere in Scripture. Martha's hospitality was a fine thing. The problem was not in what she was doing, but in the state of her heart while doing it. Her service was divorced from its source.

Jesus identifies the root of her problem as being "worried and bothered about so many things." The Greek word for "distracted" in verse 40 means to be pulled or dragged in different directions. Martha's attention was fragmented. She was not serving out of a full heart of love for Jesus, but out of a sense of anxious duty, and this anxiety curdled into resentment toward her sister and a demanding spirit toward the Lord Himself. Mary chose the one thing that could center and ground all her other activities. "The good part" is sitting at the feet of the Teacher, the posture of a disciple, and drinking in His word. This is the wellspring of all fruitful and peaceful service. Without this, our work for God becomes a frantic, joyless, and ultimately self-centered performance.

Verse by Verse Commentary

38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

The scene is set with simple hospitality. Jesus and His disciples are on the move, and Martha opens her home to them. This is a commendable act. She is the one named as the head of the household, the one who takes the initiative to welcome the Lord. There is nothing wrong, and everything right, with this initial action. She is practicing the Christian virtue of hospitality. She is receiving the Lord Himself into her house, which is no small thing.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.

Here is the contrast. While Martha is busy with the logistics of hosting, Mary takes up the position of a disciple. In that culture, sitting at a rabbi's feet was the posture of a student, a follower. It is significant that Jesus welcomes a woman to take this position. Mary is not in the kitchen because that's "where women belong." She is at the Lord's feet, because that is where disciples belong. Her focus is not on the preparations for the Teacher, but on the person of the Teacher. She is not just hearing sounds; she is listening to His word. She is receiving, absorbing, and believing what He says. This is the foundation of everything.

40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the preparations alone? Then tell her to help me.”

Here Martha's heart is revealed. The text says she was "distracted." Her mind was pulled apart by the "many preparations." Good work, when it becomes an idol, breeds anxiety. And anxiety quickly gives way to sin. Notice the progression. First, she feels the pressure of the work. Second, this pressure makes her feel alone and resentful. Third, she accuses Jesus of not caring about her plight: "Lord, do You not care?" This is a serious charge to level against the Son of God. Fourth, she presumes to command the Lord what to do: "Then tell her to help me." Her anxious service has led her to self-pity, bitterness, a false accusation against Jesus, and a demanding spirit. This is what happens when our work for God gets detached from the worship of God.

41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things,

Jesus' response is tender, not harsh. The repetition of her name, "Martha, Martha," is a sign of gentle affection, not sharp rebuke. He is not angry with her; He is diagnosing her spiritual condition. He puts His finger right on the problem. It is not the preparations, but her internal state. She is worried and bothered. The Greek words suggest anxiety and inner turmoil. She is in a state of agitation. Her focus is on the "many things," the endless checklist of tasks that she feels must be accomplished for her hospitality to be a success. Her peace has been stolen by the tyranny of the urgent.

42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

This is the central lesson of the passage. In the midst of the "many things" that clamor for our attention, Jesus says only one thing is necessary. What is this one thing? It is what Mary has chosen: to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His word. This is the "good part." It is not just one good option among many; it is the necessary foundation for everything else. All other things in the Christian life, all our service, our work, our hospitality, our charity, are secondary to and dependent upon this. If we neglect this one thing, all the other things become sources of anxiety and distraction. Mary made a choice, and Jesus honors it. He declares that this "good part," this communion with Him through His word, is an eternal possession. The meal Martha was preparing would be gone in an hour. The word Mary was receiving would nourish her into eternity. It "shall not be taken away from her."

Application

This passage is a direct challenge to the frenetic, results-driven, activist brand of Christianity that is so common in our day. We are a people who are easily distracted by many things. We measure our spiritual health by our busyness. Our church calendars are full, our programs are running, and our service is constant. But Jesus calls us back to the one thing that is necessary. Are we sitting at His feet?

This is not a call to monastic inactivity. It is a call to right priorities. The Christian life is a rhythm of devotion and duty, of worship and work. But the worship must always come first. Our work for the Lord must be the overflow of our time with the Lord. Before you can give a cup of cold water in His name, you must first drink deeply from the living water yourself. This means a non-negotiable commitment to being in the Word of God daily, personally, and sitting under the faithful preaching of that Word weekly, corporately. It means prayer that is not just a list of demands, but a quiet listening for the Shepherd's voice.

If you find yourself anxious, bothered, resentful in your service, and tempted to look at others and say, "Lord, don't you care that they aren't helping me?" then it is a sure sign that you have neglected the one necessary thing. You have become a Martha. The solution is not to stop serving. The solution is to stop, to repent of your anxious, self-reliant spirit, and to go and sit with Mary at the feet of Jesus. Let Him speak to you through His word. Let Him restore your soul. Only then can your service become what it was meant to be: the joyful, peaceful overflow of a heart that has chosen the good part.