The dishes were rattling noisily in the kitchen. Martha was getting frustrated. At first she only talked to herself. It was a joy to cook for Jesus. He was complimentary of her meals. Although He did not say much His frequent visits indicated something was to His liking. Maybe she was a little too sensitive in thinking Mary was not doing her part of the work. “She will surely come to the kitchen shortly to do her usual chores,” Martha thought. But she did not come. More mealtime preparation noise did not seem to produce the desired effects. Finally, Martha blurted out, “Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Please tell her to help me.”
The Lord fixed His eyes on Martha. He studied her mood to determine the depth of her anger. He looked at Mary, who seemed a bit embarrassed by Martha’s outburst. He did not want to sound unappreciative, but the situation was obviously a teaching opportunity. He wanted to calm her frustration by giving her a lesson on priorities.
There must have been a bit of pain in His voice as He said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things. Your kitchen duties have possessed you. Your meal is more important to you than my fellowship. You have chosen to feed me. Mary has chosen to let me feed her. She has made the better choice because physical food is for the moment while spiritual food is forever.”
Like Martha, we sometimes get preoccupied with important things, but in the process neglect the most important thing. There is nothing more essential to our earthly existence than a healthy hunger for God. To crave conversation with the Master is the key to unlock our spiritual personality. Unless we have fellowship with Him we may never survive the busyness of life. The Christian life is a matter of priorities. The “less than best” is always sacrificed for the best. Somewhere along life’s journey we want to hear Him say that we have chosen the good thing that cannot be taken away from us. It is a matter of living close enough to Him to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
