The Two Sisters
“It happened that as they went on their way, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha received Him in her house. She had a sister called Mary, who, sitting at Jesus’ feet, heard His word. But Martha was worried with many chores, and coming to Him, said: Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her, then, to help me. Jesus answered and said to her: Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled with many things. But only one thing is needed; and Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her” -Luke 10:38-42
Martha and Mary are the two best-known sisters of the New Testament, not only because they were part of the group of women who served the Lord, but because their lives have given us more than one teaching. This incident is one of the best known; however, on this occasion I am not going to speak to you about Martha’s attitude or Mary’s spirituality, but about service to God.
The biblical text speaks to us of service, but not the kind that refers to ministry (diakonia); rather, it refers to household chores (diakoneo), which is any service that meets a need, such as eating, cleaning, and so on. It is good for us to establish this difference, because not everything is service to God; service to God is revealed (diakonia), it is something spiritual that comes from above. Many say that they serve the “Lord,” yet, judging by their fruit, it may well be that they are serving their “lord desire.”
Service to God must be accompanied by fear and by joy (Psalms 2:10-12; 100:1). We must have an attitude of rejoicing before Him, for if there is anger, it is no longer service to God. He does not receive it. Jehovah is demanding about what is given to Him, which is why He never accepted any offering that was not given from the heart and willingly. Also, for the one who serves, if he does not do it with contentment, the service becomes a heavy burden to him.
In the same way, service in the ministry must have a relationship with the One to whom it is given. If we do not know God or the Son, we will serve Him poorly. Communion is necessary. Everything that is done in God and for God must be done with devotion, with surrender, with truth, with integrity.
If we meditate on the passage in question, we will see that these two sisters well represent two kinds of believers: the one who does chores and the one who has devotion. Martha, apparently, had a gift of service. Whenever Jesus came to her house, she immediately began to serve Him (John 12:1-3). However, she served with worry; her mind was overloaded with the many chores (Luke 10:40). Martha was so worried about the many things she had to do that she became angry when she saw her sister Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet, hearing the Word.
So great was Martha’s anger that she complained to the Lord Jesus that He did not care that Mary had left her alone doing the chores. Did the Master not recognize or value the service this woman was rendering to Him? Of course He did, but when we do something for God and feel that we are not recognized, or we figure that someone else is the one benefiting, we become angry and feel unappreciated. Let us meditate on this, because that attitude can spoil our offering to God.
Jesus said to her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled with many things” (Luke 10:41). The word “anxiety” means to be so concerned about something that it disturbs. Therefore, when we serve with anxiety and trouble, we are not rendering a service that pleases the Lord. Our service should be a vehicle for reaching the heart of God, but if we become anxious and troubled, we will not be able to attain any communion.
Let us remember that before being ministers we are worshipers; before being servants, we are sheep. Just as it is important not to fall into routine when we serve God, neither can we stop gathering together because we are not serving in some ministerial function. We must put our heart into the service of God. Jesus also said to Martha: “But only one thing is needed; and Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). Yes, beloved, only one thing is needed in the service of God, and that is devotion. Service to God without devotion is anxiety; service to God without devotion is trouble. Devotion in the service of the Lord gives us sobriety, revelation, humility, recognition, and honor. Service to God is discerned, just as there is a difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him (Malachi 3:16-18).
In conclusion, both service and worship of God require devotion. The more we serve God, the greater our communion with Him must be. The higher we are in God, the more we must depend on Him. Let us not neglect our devotion, because without it there is no service or worship that pleases the Lord.
