Amy C Walters

Martha and Mary | Luke 10:38-42

We live in a world that’s always trying to add on more. “More is better! We can do it all, have it all, be it all!” And yet in the story of Martha and Mary, Jesus says the opposite: all we need is one thing–Jesus. We can be satisfied in him because Jesus is enough.

We live in busy times. Our full lives and full schedules keep us running in many directions, doing all of the things. And we live in a culture that values doing more, having it all, doing it all, being it all. 

In this story, Jesus gives us an antidote to that busy culture, to needing to have it all. We see it in contrasting words: much/many versus one. Martha is distracted with much serving. She’s anxious and troubled about many things. But Jesus says, one thing is necessary.

But what is that one thing? From the context, the one thing seems to be what Mary is doing, what she has chosen. 

But the challenge is that Mary is doing more than one thing. Luke writes that Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to his teaching” (Luke 10:39). She’s sitting at Jesus’ feet. This is a posture of submission to a teacher. And she’s listening to his teaching. So she’s not just overhearing a lecture. She’s learning from him in a way that will transform her ideas and attitudes and actions. 

Some have called what Mary is doing “communing” with Jesus. Communing has this sense of intimacy, that there’s an enjoyment of someone’s presence, and there’s a focus on time together. There’s not a rush or a hurry to wrap it up and move on to the next thing.

Martha is doing the opposite–she’s running around being distracted. And the opposite of distraction is focus. So it’s time focused on Jesus, in devotion to Jesus. 

But Jesus also tells us a little bit more about what this one thing is. When he says that “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” 

The “good portion”? What is that about? 

What comes to mind when you think of “portion”? Maybe portion control, serving size. We often think of portion in relation to food. In this way, it seems that Jesus is doing a bit of wordplay. As Martha is busy serving physical food to the guests, Jesus talks about spiritual food. Mary is eating spiritually from what Jesus is providing. 

The word portion shows up multiple times in the Psalms. Psalm 16:5 says, “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” Mary has chosen the good portion. And the psalmist is saying, I have chosen the Lord as my portion. 

In the verse just before that, Psalm 16:4, the psalmist says, “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply. Their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.” Isn’t that interesting: “sorrows shall multiply”? Just like Martha’s anxieties and troubles are multiplied.

There’s a connection between chasing after other things and the increase of sorrow and anxiety. Martha here has chosen her own work over time with God and it leads to anxiety. When we put other things before Jesus, we make those things our gods instead of him. 

So the psalmist here is saying, I’m not going to be like those who chase after something other than God himself. I will choose God as my portion. He will be the supply for what I need. He is enough because he can satisfy. 

Jesus, in referencing Psalm 16, is again revealing himself to be God and saying that when Mary has chosen Jesus as her portion, she’s like the psalmist who chooses God as his portion. With her choice, Mary says, Jesus is enough. I will be satisfied in him. 

Jesus also says that what Mary has chosen will not be taken away from her. This could go in two different directions. One meaning could be that he’s not going to send her to do the work that Martha wants her to do. He’s not going to take away her opportunity to listen. 

But the second option could relate to this choice of making Jesus her portion. When you choose Jesus, you will always have him. No one can ever take him away from you. 

We live in a world that’s always trying to add more on. More is better. We can do it all. And yet Jesus says the opposite: all we need is one thing–Jesus. We can be satisfied in him because he is enough. 

When I’m hosting people in my home, I have a long list of all the things that I would like to get done; cleaning every corner, perfect and plentiful food, beautiful decorations, fun activities planned. But the reality is most of the things I add to the list are unnecessary. Maybe that’s what Martha is doing, adding more and more, and Jesus is trying to help her simplify. Is she going to see Jesus as enough?

Think about this too: this story comes right after the parable of the Good Samaritan. And one of the things that we talked about in the parable is that it’s not pointing to the fact that we need greater effort, but that we need a great Savior. These stories point in the same direction. Martha, you don’t need to do more things. You need to be with your Savior, who is everything.

That’s our key truth for today, that Jesus is enough. That’s the one thing, the choice that Mary has made, to make God her portion. 

Our human tendency is to add, especially to the gospel. We admit that we need Jesus. But we also try to do good things to earn his favor. Or we insist that everyone should act and look a certain way. 

Can we trust that Jesus is enough? Can we live like being with Jesus is the most important thing? 

Today, as you go, I want you to read Psalm 16. It’s a beautiful picture of the joy that God gives us, that he supplies what we need, that lines have fallen in pleasant places for us. Read that Psalm and think about how Jesus is enough.