Mary vs. Martha

     If you asked anyone what would be one quality or attribute of a missionary, chances are you will get something along the lines of “serving” or “humility”. At least that’s what I would say. It is a very good thing to serve, to be doing the work of the Lord and be zealous for His kingdom.

     However, I believe that the idea of serving can become twisted when we forget the people or the person (God) we are doing this for. I know this because I have seen it in my own life, and it has become more apparent this summer as I have been engaged in full-time ministry.

     I am a task-oriented person as opposed to a people-oriented person, so I naturally place more importance on tasks rather than relationships. You could say I am a Martha, easily distracted by the work that needs to be done. What I have realized lately is that the church contains a lot of Marthas. There are always people serving, working hard – sometimes so much so that I feel as though there is no room for extra helping hands. When there are so many people helping clean up after an event that there is nothing for me to do, I feel at unease and a little insecure. Why? Because I don’t want to be a Mary.

     A Mary could be classified in one sense as a people-oriented person, but in a more deeper sense it is someone who realizes what truly matters and seeks after it. Luke 10:42 describes Mary as having chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. She went after the spiritual things which last forever, while Martha was preoccupied with fading physical cares. The Marys of the church are the ones who engage newcomers in conversation, who asks how people are doing like they really mean it, whose minds are set on souls rather than bodies. Marys will invite everyone they know to the table for the marriage feast of the Lamb, while Marthas will worry about how everyone will fit.

     We need more Marys in the church. We need people to engage non-Christians and to build relationships and spur one another on in the faith. We need people who don’t have to rush off right after the service ends to go do one thing or another. Churches will blossom when Marys are present, for their minds are ever on heaven and they will cultivate the seeds that are being sown.

     Now back to the idea of serving. I am not at all saying it is a bad thing to be a servant and to fill a position in a church. That is necessary for a church to survive as well. But the number of Marthas I have seen far outweighs the number of Marys in many of the churches I have been in. Why? We are busy. We try to be the “better Christian” as far as who is most humble and most willing to serve. We forget the gospel and we still think we can earn or add to our salvation through our works. If we don’t have some reason to rush out the door after church, we try to be working behind the scenes so no one will notice how we’re not doing so hot spiritually. Sometimes our service can be the mask we hide behind, and the distraction we entertain for the sake of security.

     I would challenge you to examine your heart and see where you stand. Are you a Martha? Or a Mary? Is your mind set on the things above, or worldly cares? What is your motivation behind your service? C.S. Lewis said, “If you read in history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.” Mary was commended by Jesus for choosing the good portion. Which will you choose?