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Apr 21, 2026 06:00am

Walking Through Luke: Mary and Martha

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What’s the busiest you’ve ever been?

We’re all busy, whether it’s with schoolwork, sports, college prep, work, or family. There are few people who could honestly say that their lives aren’t busy. Some people might be busier than others, but almost everyone has some level of busyness in their lives.

Growing up as a pastor’s kid, I know what it means to be busy. It seemed like we were always doing something. There were revivals and pastors’ conferences to attend all the time. I remember one particular summer that seemed busier than any other.

We had just gotten home from church camp, and our church was in the middle of a rebuilding project. Specifically, we were putting new shingles on the church roof. So after a week of camp, we were thrown right into the middle of the project. The very day we got home, we went straight to Home Depot. For the next month, I think we went to Home Depot at least three times each week.

Then it came time to actually put the shingles on the roof. Because my brothers and I were young men in a small church, we were expected to be there and help. Not that there was much we could do—we didn’t get on the roof and nail down shingles. But we handled the tasks on the ground that the men on the roof needed, like picking up old shingles as they threw them down, putting them in trash bags, or moving the ladder from one side of the building to another.

When you get busy, stress levels rise. Tension might increase, too, as you become frustrated with people who seem to get in the way of your efficiency or aren’t helping enough. One afternoon, while the roofing project was underway, my brother and I—both very skinny, underdeveloped teenagers—were asked to bring the ladder to the edge of the roof. It was a big, heavy ladder, and we struggled with its awkwardness. The two of us together could lift it fairly easily, but we couldn’t maneuver it into place. As we talked back and forth trying to figure it out, one of the visiting pastors—a former Marine—snapped, “Boys, shut your mouths a minute and listen,” and then directed us until we got the ladder in place.

The thing is, it’s not bad to be active. We shouldn’t be lazy; God calls us to serve. However, there are ways we can become fixated on the wrong details. Luke 10:38–42 reveals one of those situations.

This is a short and simple story. You can summarize it in about thirty seconds: Jesus visits Mary and Martha’s house. Mary sits at His feet and listens, while Martha stays busy with preparations and becomes upset that Mary isn’t helping. Jesus gently corrects Martha, saying Mary has chosen the better thing. But there is much more to learn from their responses and from what Jesus says.

Jesus and His disciples went to a village called Bethany. Elsewhere (John 11:1–16), we learn that Jesus was close friends with Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. Bethany was about two miles east of Jerusalem on the slope of the Mount of Olives. While we don’t know how their friendship began, they are mentioned several times in the Gospels, and Jesus visited them more than once.

On this visit, Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. This was common practice for Jesus; as we see when He sent out the twelve and the seventy-two, He instructed them to stay in homes where they were received. Jesus relied on hospitality, and Martha was clearly hospitable. But as she served Him—perhaps due to the stress of hosting many people or excitement over His presence—she became overwhelmed with busyness. She was “distracted by her many tasks.” In other words, she became frazzled, trying to manage every detail. Whether she was preparing an elaborate meal, organizing rooms, or cleaning the house, she became so focused on her tasks that she lost sight of Jesus Himself.

Mary, meanwhile, focused entirely on Jesus. She sat at His feet and listened intently. Mary paints a picture of wonder—completely absorbed in His words, fully present, and unconcerned with anything else.

Eventually, Martha noticed. Frustrated, she said to Jesus, “Don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me.” The boldness of telling Jesus what to do is striking, but He responded gently: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” Isn’t that true for many of us? We carry so many concerns. But He continued, “One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

It’s important to recognize that service still matters. Following Jesus is active, not passive. Jesus wasn’t saying Martha was wrong to serve. In fact, the word Luke uses for her service (Greek: diakonia) is the same word used throughout the New Testament for ministry. It refers to meaningful, Christ-centered work—used for the apostles’ mission (Acts 1:17), Paul and Barnabas (Acts 12:25), and Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). Clearly, Martha’s work was valuable. The issue wasn’t her activity—it was her mindset.

Martha became anxious and distracted. The language Luke uses describes someone pulled in different directions and overwhelmed. She was serving Jesus physically, but mentally she was elsewhere. She became so focused on details that she forgot who she was serving.

We do the same thing.

We become consumed with getting everything just right—the sound levels, the cleanliness of the building, the formatting of handouts, the arrangement of chairs. How often do we turn worship into a checklist instead of a genuine encounter with Christ?

We need to slow down. We need to seek His presence and enjoy it. This can happen in simple ways: a quiet moment in the car with worship music, reading Scripture before school, listening attentively during a sermon, or praying before bed. These are the kinds of moments Mary chose.

But we must also learn to experience His presence while we serve—especially when serving others. We cannot allow busyness to drown out our awareness of Him.

Jesus knew His time on earth was limited. His ministry would last only three years. His arrest was approaching. Mary didn’t fully understand this, but she chose to treasure the moment. Jesus honored that.

He wasn’t dismissing Martha’s service. He was inviting her into something deeper—a relationship. He wanted connection with her.

And He wants that with us.

Our service matters. But as we serve, we must keep our hearts aligned with the One who loves us most.