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- Balancing Work
TL;DR
The small story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10 confirms that work for the Lord is good, but we must balance it with time with the Lord. Being distracted away from the Lord, despite our intentions, is the greatest danger.
Well-meaning Martha
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
In this passage, I see a number of unmentioned details. First, I see Martha voluntarily putting herself to work almost begrudgingly. Martha "welcomed him into her house"; she anticipated spending time with Jesus. It is not a far leap to suggest Martha had hoped to be spending the same amount of time with Jesus as was Mary. Whether it was due to the mass of people following Jesus or Martha's own conviction towards her treatment of divine royalty in her household, Martha saw something that needed to be done ("much serving") and rose to the occasion.
Second, Jesus does not reproach Martha until she first complains to Him about Mary. Therefore, His reproach is not a condemnation of the work she was doing; it was towards the inclination of her heart. It was Martha's jealousy of Mary that needed rebuking. It is fine for Martha to be disappointed in her obligations and missed time with Jesus, but inappropriate for her to suggest Jesus push Mary from His presence to help Martha complete a task she voluntarily accepted. None of us should begrudge the time others earnestly spend with the Savior, despite the inconvenience on ourselves.
Mary's work was good. It was her heart's disposition about the work and her jealousy that needed correcting.
There are differences between appropriate work and inappropriate work. For instance, let's consider Jesus' warning against claiming His name for personal glory, a la workers of iniquity. We can also become distracted with work that has nothing to do with the kingdom. Fine in its place, but poisonous when it's the priority.
Apply It.
Ministry work is not time with Jesus
I believe Martha began to feel this pressure. She had hoped to welcome Jesus, make Him comfortable, and spend time in His presence, but things got busy. Whether in church, charity, or household responsibilities, our good work can separate us from Christ just like Mary's did. She became unbalanced and angst built in her soul. That is the common story for Americans today, so we must...
Limit our distractions.
It's one thing to do something for Jesus, it's another entirely to be doing instead of Jesus. Jesus should be our greatest delight, thus our greatest priority. Yes, it sounds impossible in the 21st-century culture, but that only makes it more necessary. Jesus warns us through the parable of the seed
And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Put first things, first. Shouldn't Jesus be THE first thing? Lastly...
Work (and give) with a cheerful heart.
Yes, Paul instructs all of us to contribute:
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.
But let's not begrudge those in our groups and congregations that seem to volunteer less often. He also encourages us
As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
Farewell
In a commonly known story, Martha is often cast in a poor light. I see a lot of myself in Martha and I hope this quick reminder reminds us of all of the priorities we seek, the judgments we hold, and ultimately the Son of Man worthy of supplanting all of them.
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