Have you ever confronted the Lord in prayer about something that was seemingly unfair?
Have you ever put serving and doing over your quality time with Jesus?
Have you ever stressed out about too much to do instead of focusing on WHO you are doing it for?
Have you ever been more practical and sensible rather than emotional n passionate?
Have you ever believed who Jesus was, but not believed in what He can do?
Have you been spiritually or emotionally dead and need to be brought back to life?

Our character of the day, Martha, can personally relate to each one of these questions.

We meet this woman named Martha in Luke and again in John. In all three different instances, Martha personally interacts with Jesus in different settings and situations. What we do know of Martha is she had a sister named Mary, and a brother named Lazarus. There is no mention of a husband or children. She owned a home in Bethany, a small village about 2 miles east of Jerusalem. It is likely that her siblings lived in her house as well, but at least we do know they lived in the same village.

In Luke 10:38-42, the author Luke retells of a day when this Martha invited Jesus (and perhaps his crew) into her home as they had been traveling in the area. As she was the hostess for this group, she focused on the busyness of much prepping and serving, as would most good women in her day. Martha was a practical caretaker who had a servant’s heart, but she could be demanding and expect others to do and think as she did.

On this day, her sister Mary had decided to be with Jesus rather than help her serve, which irritated Martha as this didn’t seem fair or appropriate. So, she boldly approached and confronted Jesus about Mary’s actions, or inactions, by asking him, “Lord, do you not care that my sister had left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” At this point it is all about ‘Martha’. Her serving plate was very full, and she wanted Mary to help ease the burden. But Martha had put that pressure on herself as society had expected this of the women.

But instead, 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.”

OK this brings up a few questions:
What did Jesus mean by ‘good portion’? It is apparently the one thing that is necessary….
Psalm 16:5 “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup…”

What does ‘anxious’ mean?…means ‘to worry, to be concerned’.
Luke 12:22 – “…therefore, do not be anxious about your life…or tomorrow…how you are to speak…anything”

What does ‘troubled’ mean?…means ‘to be stirred up, unsettled, conflict or turmoil, the opposite of peace’.
(Jesus was deeply moved and greatly troubled 2x – just before he raised Lazarus, and in prayer before the Passover.)

After Martha’s demand of Jesus, He treated Martha with love. He had been teaching others in her home, including Mary, but now it was Martha’s turn. He said, “Martha, Martha,…” Saying her name twice gave greater emphasis to what He was about to say to her and about her state of mind in not only her thoughts but also her actions and the purposes behind them. He told Martha the truth about her being troubled about too many things, about her being anxious, and about what was most important: one thing vs many. Jesus pointed out that an intimate relationship with Him exceeds what we do. It takes us making time to sit and listen, and learn, and love Him without distraction. There is no blame in doing this! It is the most important and necessary action of our heart, soul and mind for our faith.

In John 11:1-44, John the apostle shares of the time this Lazarus, brother of Martha, became very ill. Since they all had a personal relationship with Jesus, as it states, “He loved them each”, the sisters sent a messenger to Jesus believing that He would quickly respond and come to them to heal their brother. Martha’s faith in Jesus was strong. She believed that He was the Son of God, the Christ, and that whatever He asked of God, God would do. But when Jesus arrived 4 days after Lazarus had died and was buried, Martha met him away from the village and said she had hoped he would have come sooner to save her brother! Her faith in who He was remained intact, but she didn’t realize the extent of Jesus’ reach and purposes. She hadn’t thought that just maybe this miracle man could bring her brother back from the dead in this life.

But hadn’t Jesus just stated to her as they walked that He was the resurrection and the life?

As they all approached the burial place, Martha stated the obvious about Lazarus, “by this time there will be an odor…”

But this determined, practical woman who served well, who was strong in her faith, who was loved by Jesus and her siblings, became a witness firsthand to the power that Jesus had: life and breath over death. She heard Jesus call to her beloved brother, she saw him walk out of that tomb as a dead man walking into the world of the living. Jesus gave him back to her, ALIVE!! Never before had she nor anyone else present witnessed such a miraculous thing.

Little did they know that in just a short time, Jesus would do the very same thing himself.

The last time we read of Martha, in John 12:1-11, was shortly after Lazarus’ resurrection, and six days before the Passover. A man named Simon the Leper, who had been healed by Jesus, also lived in the village of Bethany. ‘They’ gave a dinner for Jesus, where Lazarus reclined with him and Martha was again serving. This time there is NO account of her complaining, being troubled, nor of her anxieties as it appears that she learned from Jesus, as her sister Mary had: by listening to (and applying) His teachings.

We have followed the accounts of Martha, a woman loved by Jesus. Her personal experiences with Jesus no doubt had a profound effect on her life; of serving, of her own relationship with Him, and of her faith in Jesus being the Son of God. She went from being troubled, anxious, busy, sad and grieving, to becoming overjoyed, thankful, at peace, and all the while having a servant’s heart. She learned to take time for her relationship with Jesus to grow, and to take the balance of time to serve others without complaint.

So I ask you again:
Have you ever confronted the Lord in prayer about something that was seemingly unfair?
Have you ever put serving and doing over your quality time with Jesus?
Have you ever stressed out about too much to do instead of focusing on WHO you are doing it for?
Have you ever been more practical and sensible rather than emotional n passionate?
Have you ever believed who Jesus was, but not believed in what He can do?
Have you been spiritually or emotionally dead and need to be brought back to life?

I have been Martha and focused more on what I need from Jesus rather than just being with Jesus.

Likely you can relate to one or maybe all of these questions. The final thought is: what will you do about it?
If Jesus pointed these things out to you, and He just did, how will you apply what He has taught you or is teaching you?

Ultimately, I feel the main point in Martha’s life for us to learn from can be:
THERE IS A TIME TO SERVE JESUS, AND THERE IS A TIME TO SIT AT HIS FEET.

Food for thought: The act of serving others can be done in many ways, including: cooking, volunteering, donating time, sharing material things, be a listening ear, cleaning someone’s house, babysitting, or visiting with/feeding/singing with an elderly person.

Fun facts: The name “Martha” originated in Aramaic, and means “Lady”, or “Mistress of the house”. How apropos!

Photo by: Kari Wiseman – The Woman