Scripture: Luke 10:38-41
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Thought for the Day: This story of Martha and Mary comes immediately after the parable of the Good Samaritan where we learned what defines a good neighbor—a good neighbor is one who does the hard work of unconditional love and compassion. So when you read of Martha working her tail off in service to Jesus and Mary resting at the feet of Jesus, you might have thought Jesus would remind Mary of the Samaritan who didn’t take a break from doing the good works of grace. But to our surprise, Jesus praised Mary who was reclining and challenged Martha who was working. These two passages side by side remind us that simple answers don’t often work even though many people will try to provide them. In the end, faith is learning and listening and trying and listening and learning all over again. We do it all under the grace of God believing that if we are a Mary when we should be a Good Samaritan or a Martha when we should be a Mary, God’s mercy will encourage us to try again. Thanks be to God!
Prayer: Kind and Gracious God, continue to work with me as I live in the challenging tension between faith and life. Amen.
