Luke 9 verses 38-40 (NIV)
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
Hebrews Chapter 12 verses 1-2 (NIV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Poor Martha! There have been many sermons preached comparing her actions with those of her sister. But I was struck by a sentence that pulled me up short and made me look at this story afresh. We are told that Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. In her busyness, she’s forgotten the most important thing. Jesus had come to her home. We read that it was she who had opened up the house to him. She wanted Him to be there, but she got distracted. I think she was so distracted that she even addressed Jesus in a manner that was unlike her, when she asked Him to tell Mary to help her. Jesus’ subsequent words to her about priorities were intended to get her to take a deep breath and refocus. When Peter walked on the water, the situation was very similar, when he took His eyes off Jesus and focussed on the waves, he began to sink. Martha had shifted her focus from the very reason she had opened her home to Jesus. She had wanted to spend time with Him, but the preparations got in the way.
We too can be easily distracted by the busyness of life. The things we are doing may indeed need to be done, but have they become the focus of our attention so that we have taken our eyes away from the things of God. Sometimes we too need to be reminded to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith and then everything else will fall into its rightful place.
Dear Lord,
Jesus loved Martha and wanted what was best for her. He didn’t want her to be stressed or harassed . Thank you for the lesson that we can learn from this story, no matter how many times we have read it. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and not on the things that try to get in the way. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.