April 12, 2023: But Martha Was Distracted

"But Martha was distracted with much serving..." (Luke 10:40, ESV)

The word 'distracted' means to draw away from. So the immediate question is, “What is drawing you away from Jesus?  In Martha's case, she was pulled away from the more important thing by much serving. Serving is a good thing! After all, Jesus did say that he who would be great must be a servant of all. Martha was serving but had lost her joy amid all her serving.  

How does this happen? Her mercy gift (desire to help others) caused her to take on more than she could carry. She went beyond the grace given to her and started to do things out of her own strength. Luke's assessment is quite clear: Martha was drawn away from the source of her strength by serving too much.  

In the next verse, Jesus 'reads her mail' and adds His prophetic insight: "... "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things" (Luke 10:41, ESV). He is saying to her, "Martha, you are worried and distressed." So often, the busyness of life becomes distracting because we start thinking about the 'what ifs' more than the task at hand. Mentally we make the job twice as hard when we do that.  

Jesus clearly answers Martha's troubles: "Martha, come sit at My feet, like Mary. She has chosen the greater thing and will not be pulled away from it." Yes, life is busy. But to survive a busy life, we must find time to sit with Jesus at His feet.