Luke 10:38-42
38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Meditation
Stephen Covey says there are “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” James Fowler says there are six “Stages of Faith,” there are 12 steps to lasting sobriety, six steps to scientific method and effective communication, and five stages of grief. Everything seems to have multiple levels, steps, habits or stages to achieve or practice to be effective or for successful transformation. How refreshing for Jesus to tell Martha, “there is need of only one thing.”
It seems Martha held an expectation about hers and her sister’s roles as the ones responsible for preparing meals. Notice she doesn’t mention that there are at least 12 other people present who could also be helping with the preparations—only Mary is out of line. Jesus calls these social expectations distractions and needless worries. He doesn’t tell her what the one thing is—we are left to surmise that it has something to do with focusing on him—which Mary is doing. Perhaps Mary’s choice is not the only right choice, though. After all, offering hospitality and preparing for the comfort of others in Jesus’ name also falls into the “one thing” category we are meant to focus on. As long as what we are doing is focused on serving Jesus, we are participating in the “one thing.”
As we begin preparations for an unusual Thanksgiving (thanks to COVID-19), with ZOOM calls rather than in-person gatherings, with smaller turkeys and less feasting, let’s remember all the many blessings we have in Jesus Christ. The “one thing” we can all be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving 2020!