“Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’
“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38-42).
This story is about the meeting between Jesus and two sisters named Martha and Mary. And while this may seem an “odd story” to include in the Bible, it provides a deep lesson, Fr. Jeffrey Kirby told Fox News Digital via email.
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Kirby is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, South Carolina, and host of the devotional “Daily Discipleship with Father Kirby.”
“Saint Luke is the only Gentile author in the New Testament. As such, his perspective and emphases are different from the other gospel writers,” he said.
The meeting between Jesus, Martha and Mary is only found in Luke’s Gospel, said Fr. Jeffrey Kirby of South Carolina. (iStock)
In Luke, there are several unique stories that are not found in the other gospels, Kirby said – including the meeting of Jesus, Martha and Mary.
“The Lord Jesus went to the home of these two sisters as a guest. The two were serving as hosts. Mary sat at his feet, while Martha was busy with the tasks of a hostess,” Kirby said.
“Martha eventually complained to the Lord that her sister should help her, but the Lord told Martha that she worried about too many things and that Mary had chosen the better part,” he said.
“God rejects the proud even when they’re right.”
At first reading, one could wonder why Martha did not tell Mary to help her or why Jesus did not side with Martha. But that’s not all, Kirby said.
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“The approach Martha took and her exact wording is very insightful,” he said.
“Martha does not call her sister into the kitchen and speak to her privately. Martha does not attempt a charitable reminder to Mary to help in the work.”
Martha, Kirby noted, “throws her sister under the bus” and tries to humiliate her and fuel resentment.
Martha “throws her sister under the bus” when she complains Mary is not being helpful, Kirby said. (iStock)
“In His own fatigue, and in His manifested dislike for hypocrisy and pride, we can only imagine Jesus thinking something akin to, ‘Give me a break. I come into your home to rest and you’re going to pick a fight with your sister and throw a pity-party for yourself?’” Kirby said.
“Martha missed the point,” he said. “She was right but completely wrong. As the Scriptures show us time and time again, God rejects the proud even when they’re right.”
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Martha claimed to be “burdened” by getting ready to host Jesus in her home, “while Mary wasn’t helping, either because she was in awe of Jesus’ presence or was perhaps just lazy (or both),” Kirby said.
“Either way, she should have assisted her sister in the necessary details of hospitality.”
Mary, Kirby said, should have helped her sister with the housework and preparations.
While Martha was right to be upset that Mary was not helpful, the way she went about the matter was why Jesus admonished her, Kirby said. (iStock)
“However, when and how this was done could have been negotiated and parceled out between the two sisters. Perhaps Martha’s timing was off and Mary was being more charitable by greeting and talking with a house guest before making arrangements,” he said.
Martha’s approach to the situation caused her “righteous argument” to fall flat, Kirby said. “She displayed rash judgment, vainglory and was disrespectful in the way she spoke of her sister.”
Martha’s pride, he said, was the reason why Jesus admonished her.
Mary chose to “seek first the kingdom of God.”
“Using contemporary jargon, the Lord was basically telling Martha to ‘chillax,’ to calm down and relax,” Kirby said.
“Why was she so upset and so frazzled? Did she not know that the Lord came as a gracious guest and would not judge her if the house wasn’t immaculately clean or the food perfectly sumptuous?”
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Mary, on the other hand, “understood the preciousness of the Lord’s visit” and “was willing to put other things on hold and let other things pause. She wanted to be with the Lord.”
The other things that needed to be done “would have been taken care of in good time,” Kirby said. Mary chose to “seek first the kingdom of God.”
Jesus’ message to Martha should be remembered when times are very busy, Kirby said. (iStock; Fr. Jeffrey Kirby)
Jesus’ response to Martha and Mary should be recalled in everyday life, especially as things get busy, he said.
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“As we find ourselves stretched with responsibilities and at times thinking, ‘Lord, do you not care?,’ we can be reminded of the valuable lesson of the Lord to Martha: Relax, refocus and sit with me,” Kirby said.
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“In our own way, we can heed this counsel, reevaluate our approach and internal judgments, seek to find the Lord wherever He is and show greater patience and charity to those around us.”
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