Tom Barnard

“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said,

‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?’”

(Luke 10:40 NKJV)

One early English translation of this verse uses the word “cumbered” to describe Martha’s condition. The word “distracted” may not be a strong enough word. Here are the facts behind the story: Jesus had arrived at the home of Mary and Martha—his good friends who lived in the village of Bethany. Realizing that a meal needed to be prepared for their guest, Martha set about taking care of it. Her sister, meanwhile, was content to sit at the feet of Jesus rather than join in with the food preparation. Distraught, and certainly distracted by the work she felt needed to get done, Martha went to Jesus with the problem, hoping that he would join her in scolding Mary for failing to pitch in with the dinner preparation. Jesus replied, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (10:41, 42).

Commenting on this, Charles Spurgeon said, “Her fault was not that she served…It was no fault of hers that she was busy preparing a feast for the Master…Her fault was that she grew ‘cumbered with much serving,’ so that she forgot Him, and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override communion….”

It is easier to serve than to engage ourselves in spiritual exercise. And as Spurgeon observed, “The first thing for our soul’s health, the first thing for His glory, and the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep ourselves in perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to see that the vital spirituality of our religion is maintained over and above everything else in the world.”

Heavenly Father, it is so easy for me to forget what my “Job One” really is. I think that “doing” something for you is what really counts, but your Word teaches that “being” something comes first. Remind me of this story whenever I am tempted to take on some new and exciting assignment that requires more “doing” than “being.” Teach me to discipline my time so that I can be like Mary and spend more time with you. Draw me into your Word and away from the world’s words. Help me to keep distractions at a minimum. In the powerful Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Quotes from Spurgeon are from Evening by Evening, A Barbour Book, 1991.