Apr 24
28
Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 6:1–9
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:1–9, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Luke 10:38-42
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed 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 up 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, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:38–42, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
This story about Mary and her sister Martha is well-known and much loved, and for good reason. As a father with grown children, this story puts a little smile on my face. It’s a blessing to watch your children grow and develop their unique personalities. I imagine all parents, especially those with older or adult children, will know what I mean. These two sisters, Mary and Martha, were wired differently. Martha was a doer. She was a servant. She excelled in hospitality. Mary, it seems, was a bit more relational. These differences between the sisters can be seen in other passages of Scripture too. Mary, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus, were dear friends of Jesus. These sisters are mentioned in John 11 and 12. There too we see their temperaments manifest. Martha serves, and Mary is found at Jesus’ feet. As you may know, Mary was the one who expressed her faith in and love for Jesus by extravagantly anointing his feet with expensive ointment (see John 12:3).
These observations about the temperaments, strengths, and weaknesses of Mary and Martha are good and fine to make. They are certainly a big part of the story that is told here. But we must be careful not to make this story about them. This story is not about them. It is instead about Jesus and the relationship we are to have with him.
The question I would like to begin with is, why this story, and why this story here? If you remember, we asked this same question about the story of Jesus’ encounter with the lawyer as recorded in Luke 10:25-28 and the Parable of the Good Samaritan that followed. We ask this question because we believe that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are more than dry and straightforward histories. No, they are histories carefully crafted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of teaching. Luke admits at the beginning of his gospel that he wrote to persuade us to have stronger faith in Jesus Christ (see Luke 1:1-4).
As I have said, this story about the sisters, Mary and Martha, and their interaction with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is well known and much loved. In a way, it can stand on its own. However, I believe that the meaning and message of this story are better understood and appreciated when we consider it in its context.
Why did Luke tell this story immediately following the story of Jesus’ interaction with the lawyer as recorded in Luke 10:25-37? I believe the reason is this. In Jesus’ exchange with the lawyer, the two great commandments, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27, ESV), were brought forward. The lawyer, seeking to justify himself, then asked a follow-up question about the second greatest commandment: who is my neighbor? Jesus replied to him by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In that parable, Jesus did only answered the question, who is my neighbor, but also showed what true love for neighbor is. True love for others emanates from a heart of compassion. True love for others takes action to meet real needs. The command to love your neighbor as yourself requires us to treat those we encounter compassionately. Where real needs exist, and when it is in our power to meet those needs, we should meet them with wisdom and care.
So, the Parable of the Good Samaritan describes what it means to keep the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. And I do believe that Luke inserted this story about Mary and Martha here in his gospel to teach us something about keeping the first and greatest commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to illustrate the superiority of the first great commandment over the second. Stated differently, though the question, what does it mean to love the Lord our God with all the heart, soul, strength, and mind, is never explicitly asked, I believe this story about Mary and Martha answers that question. It also illustrates the importance of maintaining the proper order. The first and greatest commandment requires love for God. It is first and greatest for good reason. The second greatest commandment requires love for one’s neighbor. It is the second great commandment for good reason. Neither of these commandments is to be neglected. But the order must be maintained. In my opinion, this is what the story about Mary and Martha is about. It reveals what keeping the first great commandment requires. More than this, it shows the priority that is to be given the first great commandment over the second.
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Mary Contrasted With The Lawyer:
Those Who Love God Will Sit At The Feet Of Jesus To Receive His Word
It should be clear to all that, in the story that is open before us, Mary is to be contrasted with her sister, Martha. In just a moment, we will compare and contrast the behavior of these two sisters. But I believe that Mary is also to be contrasted with the lawyer of Luke 10:25.
We should remember how the lawyer was introduced to us. Luke 10:25 says, “And behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test…” But notice how Mary is introduced to us in verse 39. Mary is described as one “who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” So, the lawyer stood up to test Jesus. But Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to learn from him. The lawyer in his arrogance and self-righteous pride challenged the Word of God incarnate. But Mary humbly submitted to the Word. She “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” These two – Mary and the lawyer – are meant to be contrasted. One would expect the the lawyer – the expert in God’s law – to love Christ, to welcome him, honor him, and to sit as his feet to learn from him. But he did not. In his self-righteous pride, he stood up to test Jesus. In contrast, Mary – a lowly and sinful woman – is found sitting at the feet of Christ, the eternal Word of God incarnate, to humbly receive his teaching.
You might ask, what does this have to do with the first great commandment, to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind? Answer: Our love for God if it is true will involve submission to his word. Those who love God will receive and submit to the word of God. Those who love God will strive to obey the word of God. Those who love God will love God’s word. And if you know who Jesus is, you will see that those who love God truly will receive and submit to Jesus Christ, the eternal word of God incarnate.
Those who love God will love Christ, for Christ is God. Those who love God will receive and submit to God’s word. Christ is the eternal Word of God incarnate. Those who receive Christ receive the Word of God. Those who reject Christ reject the Word of God. We should remember the words of Jesus found in Luke 9:48: “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me”, that is to say, the Father. A similar statement is found in Luke 10:16. There Jesus speaks to the 72 disciples that he sent out to heal and to preach, saying, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” So then, to reject Jesus’ word is to reject the word of God. To receive Jesus’ word is to receive the Word of God.
I do believe that Mary is put forward here in Luke 10:39 as one who loved God truly. Her love for God was manifest as she sat humbly at the feet of Jesus, the eternal Word of God incarnate, to receive his teaching. She is one of the “little children” that Jesus spoke of in Luke 9:48. In a spirit of meekness and humility, her greatest desire was to hear and receive the Word of God. She sat at Jesus’ feet. But the wise lawyer – the one who was held in high esteem by the people – stood up to put Jesus to the test. So, the lawyer is doubly condemned. The Parable of the Good Samaritan revealed that he did not love his neighbor as himself. And this story about Mary at the feet of Jesus reveals that he did not truly love the Lord with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind. Those who love God truly will sit humbly at the feet of Jesus to receive the Word of God. The lawyer stood and put Jesus to the test. He sought to justify himself. It should be clear to all that he stood condemned.
A true love for God will involve, and even begin with, love for God’s Word. Those who love God will love the Word of God, humbly receive it, and strive to obey it.
It is interesting (and very sad) when people attempt to separate the concept of love for God from the idea that we are obligated to receive God’s word and strive to obey it. Have you ever encountered this way of thinking? I’d be shocked if you haven’t. It’s all around. Perhaps you have heard someone say, Christianity is about love, not law. Or maybe you have heard it put this way: Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. Both of these phrases illustrate the tendency that so many have in our day and age to pit love for God against obedience to his law or a relationship with God through Christ against religious devotion. So many in our day imagine that a choice between the two must made. Will you love God or will you strive to obey his law? Will you pursue a relationship with God through Christ or will seek to be religious and devout?
Friends, this is a false dilemma. The question you should ask of the person who thinks and speaks this way is, why must I choose between love for God and obedience to his law? Why must I pick between a relationship with God and religious devotion? Really, the most important question you should ask is, do the Holy Scriptures make such distinctions and press us with choices like these? The answer is, no. Again I say, these are false dilemmas.
Truth be told, the Scriptures teach that those who love God will submit to his word, receive it with meekness, and strive to obey all that it requires and forbids. Furthermore, those who have a right relationship with God will enjoy this relationship through religious devotion. In other words, love for God and heartfelt obedience to his law are in no way opposed. Instead, they agree.
Frankly, this should be common sense. Someone who loves God will also love God’s word. Those who love the Lord will agree with the Psalmist who said, “I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight” (Psalm 119:174, ESV). What would you think of a child who says, I love you mommy or I love you daddy, but then lives a life of willful rebellion against his parents? Would you not begin to question if their love is true? A child who truly loves their parents will desire and strive to honor and obey their parents. And so it is with God. God’s true children – those who have been made alive by him and adopted in Christ by his grace – will receive God’s word and strive to obey his commandments.
Not only should it be common sense that those who love God will also love his law. It is also the clear teaching of Holy Scripture. Consider, very briefly the context in which the first great commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, is given. It is found in Deuteronomy 6:5. This passage immediately follows the giving of the Ten Commandments and precedes many other laws found in the book of Deuteronomy. The point is this: the command to love God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength was given in the context of this second presentation of God’s law to the people of Isarel near the end of Moses’ life and not long before the conquest. More than this, in the text itself the concepts of loving God and obeying his commandments are intertwined. We read Deuteronomy 6:1-9 a moment ago. You may want to read it again to see what I mean. The point is that Old Covenant Israel was called by God to obey God’s law from the heart and to fear the Lord being moved by a sincere love for him. Love for God and obedience to his Word must never be divided. If Adam had loved God purely from the heart, he would not have disobeyed God. It was because Adam loved himself more than God that he transgressed to command of his Maker.
Of course, the same is true under the New Covenant. Those who love God will receive his Word and will desire and strive to obey his commandments. Now, it is not the law of Moses that we are to keep under the New Covenant. No, we are to keep the law of Christ.
You might ask, what do the laws of Moses and Christ share in common? Answer: they share the moral law, contained and summarized within the Ten Commandments, in common. The moral law is unchanging and ever-abiding. God’s true people living under the Old Covenant and New will love and strive to keep the moral law.
And how do the laws of Moses and Christ differ? Answer: The positive laws of these two covenants are different. Now that the Old Covenant has been fulfilled by Christ and has passed away, the civil or judicial laws of the Old Mosaic Covenant are no longer binding. In their place, Christ has given laws to govern his eternal kingdom, which is not of this world. The New Covenant Isreal of God – that is to say, all who have faith in Christ from amongst the Jews and Gentiles (see Galatians 3:28, 6:16) – are to obey the laws of Christ’s heavenly and eternal kingdom. Think of the Beatitudes. Think of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Think also of Christ’s commandments regarding the government of the church – commandments about the appointment of officers, the reception of members, and discipline. The civil or judicial laws of the Old Mosaic order have passed away with that covenant, but Christ has given new laws to govern his kingdom on earth today, and this kingdom is made visible, not in some nation on earth, but in Christ’s church. Furthermore, the positive laws of the Old Covenant which we call ceremonial are no longer binding, having been fulfilled by Christ. New ceremonial laws have been instituted by Christ in their place. Those who turn from their sins and profess faith in Christ are to be baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20). These are to partake of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of him (see Matthew 26:26-29). These are to assemble on the Lord’s Day, which is the first day of the week, and the Christian Sabbath (see Hebrews 4:1-13, 10:25; Revelation 1:10). These are to devote themselves to the means of grace given under the New Covenant order: the reading, preaching, and teaching of the Word of God when the church assembles, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer (see Acts 2:41-42). When the Old Covenant gave way to the New Covenant, there was a change in the priesthood. Christ is our high priest. He came, not in the order or line of Aaron (like the priests of Old), but in the order of Melchizedek. And Hebrews 7:12 tells us, “For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well” (Hebrews 7:12, ESV). We are no longer under the law of Moses. Instead, we are under the law of Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant. Again I ask, what do the laws of Moses and Christ share in common? They have the natural or moral law in common. How do they differ? They differ in their positive laws.
Here is the point. The New Covenant under which we live – the Covenant of Grace – is not without law. And this is why Christ said things like this: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV). And “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46, ESV). And “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21–23, ESV). And “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32, ESV).
When Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to hear his teaching, she did not merely sit with him to enjoy his company, as a friend enjoys the company of a friend. She sat at his feet because she revered him. She sat at his his feet to learn from him. She sat at his feet to receive his word so that she might obey him. She sat at his feet knowing that his words were the very words of God. She sat at Jesus’ feet, not because she regarded him as a mere or common friend. She knew that but as the Messiah, the prophet, priest, and king of God’s eternal kingdom. Is Jesus a friend to his disciples? Yes, indeed. Are we to enjoy our communion with him? Yes, indeed. But he is no mere or common friend. When we sit at his feet to receive his word, we must know that we are receiving the very Word of God. Those who love God will love his Word. Those who love God will receive the Word of Christ and will desire and strive to obey him. This means that the Christian will strive to obey God’s ever-abiding moral law and the positive laws of the New Covenant that Christ has instituted – positive laws pertaining to life in Christ’s eternal kingdom, that is to say, the church – and laws pertaining to the worship of God under this New Covenant era.
Those who claim to love God and have faith in Christ who live in sin, willfully violating God’s moral law and disregarding the positive laws that Christ has added under the New Covenant – laws about the government of the church, and laws about worship – are like those children who claim to love their parents and yet live in rebellion against them. They are hypocrites. They prove that their love is insincere by their actions. Do not forget what Christ has said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV. Those who love God truly will love Christ, the Word of God incarnate. And they will have the posture, not of the lawyer, but of Mary. The one who loves God truly will be found sitting humbly at the feet of Jesus to receive his teaching as the very Word of God. The true Christian will receive the Word gladly with the intent to obey.
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Mary Contrasted With Martha:
Love For God And His Word Is To Have Priority Over Service
We have contrasted Mary with the lawyer. Now, let us contrast Mary with her sister Martha.
The text says, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her house.” Martha, as you know, receives a kind of rebuke or correction from Jesus in this passage. We will come to consider that rebuke or correction in just a moment. It is obviously a very important detail of this text. But let us be careful not to exaggerate Jesus’ rebuke of Martha to the degree that we overlook her great faith in Christ and the strength of her hospitality. “Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her house.” This is to be commended. Martha was a woman strong in faith. She was a servant. She was hospitable.
Christians are called to be hospitable, friends. To be hospitable is to welcome others into your home. Hospitality is to be shown to travelers. Hospitality is to be shown to those who are lonely. Hospitality is to be shown to those who are in need. If you are a Christian who has been blessed with a home, even if it is a humble or modest home, I encourage you to show hospitality to others. Granted, some are particularly gifted in this area. And some within the church may not be in a good position to show hospitality. But in general, we Christians should, like Martha, welcome others – especially fellow Christians – into our homes. When we welcome them, we welcome Christ. As Christ has said, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me” (Luke 9:48, ESV). Yes, Martha is corrected by Jesus in this passage, but that fact must not obscure the greatness of her faith and the strength of her gift of hospitality and service.
You should know that the Scriptures speak often of the importance of hospitality and command us to practice it. Romans 12:13 says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” 1 Timothy 3:2 is about the qualifications to hold the office of overseer or elder. It says, “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach…” 1 Timothy 5:9–10 is about qualifications for widows to be enrolled in the number. “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.” Titus 1:7-8 is also about the qualifications to hold the office of overseer or elder: “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.” Finally, Hebrews 13:1-2 is addressed to all Christians, saying, “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:1–2, ESV) Martha excelled in showing hospitality, and for this she is to be commended.
It is in Luke 10:39 that Mary is introduced to us. She is described as one who “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” In verse we read, “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to [Jesus] and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’” Pay careful attention to the way in which Martha’s service is described. She was “distracted with much serving”, the text says. Christ, the eternal Word of God incarnate, sat in her home, and she was distracted – perhaps we could say, preoccupied – with serving. And she was distracted with much serving. I think we are to take this to mean that she was overdoing it. Here desire to have everything in order, every detail in place, and every want or desire met, was over the top. Again, I say to you, that Martha’s service or hospitality is not criticized here in this text, but her approach is. Martha did not merely serve, she was “distracted with much serving.”
And notice, she was bothered that Mary did not join her in service. “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me”, she said. It is clear that in Martha’s mind, the service of Jesus and his disciples was to be the highest priority. Mary, it seemed to her, was wasting time. Mary, it seemed to her, was preoccupied with the wrong thing. Mary, it seemed to her, needed to adjust her priorities. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to receive God’s Word. Martha’s opinion was that the service of others was the priority.
I wonder, have you ever encountered someone who thinks this way? In their view, the service of man is to take priority over the reception, study, and endeavor to obey the Word of God. This veiw is very common. Please don’t misunderstand, I am not calling Martha a liberal. But it is very common within liberal “churches” to insist that the service of man must take priority over the study of the Scriptures and the pursuit of orthodox theology and practice. Look around and you will see many “churches” that stress feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, and the pursuit of “justice”, but to the utter neglect of God’s Word. What should we think of this?
Well, let us consider how Jesus replied to Martha’s complaint. It is found in verse 41: “But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41–42, ESV).
Notice a few things about Jesus’ reply.
One, Jesus did not rebuke Martha for her service and hospitality. But he did rebuke her for being “anxious and troubled about many things”. Considered in context, this is a rebuke of the way Martha was serving. She was “distracted with much serving”, remember? And Christ confronted her about this.
Two, the phrase, “but one thing is necessary” may also be translated as, but one thing is needful or one thing is particularly needed. The meaning is not, there is only one thing that is necessary, or there is only one thing that we should be concerned about. This would flatly contradict the Scriptures we have considered that speak of the importance and needfulness of hospitality.
Three, Christ identified Mary’s chosen occupation as the “good portion” and insisted that it not be taken from her.
I think it is important that we continue to interpret this passage in light of the first and second greatest commandments mentioned in Luke 10:27. Considered in those terms, Mary represents love for God and love for God’s Word. Martha represents love for neighbor. It is vitally important to recognize that Martha is in no way criticized or condemned for her service and hospitality. No, she is to be commended for it! Showing love to your neighbor is vitally important! She is, however, corrected by Christ for her view that her chosen occupation was superior to Mary’s. When Christ said, “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” it illustrates the proper relationship between the first and second greatest commandments. The two greatest commandments require love for God and love for neighbor, but the order is immensely important and must always be maintained. To prioritize love for neighbor over love for God is idolatry. To love neighbor first and God second will result in neither God nor man being loved, for man’s greatest need and highest good is to know God and to be in a right relationship with him. And to know God and to be in a right relationship with him begins with sitting humbly at the feet of Jesus, as Mary did.
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Conclusion
I have a few additional observations to make by way of conclusion.
One, by connecting this story about Mary and Martha with the story about Jesus’ interaction with the lawyer in Luke 10:25 as we have, I think we can appreciate even more Jesus’ response to the lawyer, when he said in Luke 10:28, “do this and you will live”. In a previous sermon, I said that Jesus responded in this way to use the law as a strict disciplinarian or mirror to show the lawyer his sin and his need for a Savior. It’s as if Jesus said, do you think you can justify yourself before God by law-keeping? Best of luck to you, my friend! In other words, the law cannot justify us. It condemns us now that we have fallen into sin. But here is another insight. If truly loving God with all of the heart, soul, strength, and mind begins with sitting humbly at the feet of Jesus, the eternal Word of God incarnate, as Mary did, then the words that Christ spoke to the lawyer were a call to repentance and faith. In this sense, Christ was calling the prideful and self-righteous lawyer to no longer stand to put him to the test, but to fall at his feet to humbly receive and submit to his Word. Remember, to receive Christ is to recieve the one who sent him, namely, God the Father. That Christ called the lawyer to faith and repentence externally is clear. Whether the lawyer was called inwardly by the effectually working of the Holy Spirit, I cannot say.
Two, I do suspect that the sisters, Mary and Martha, do in some ways symbolize the bride of Christ, the church. Mary gave herself to the Word of Christ. Martha gave herself to the service of Christ. And if we pay attention to the establishment and development of Christ’s church as recorded in the pages of the Holy Scriptures, we see that Christ’s bride, the church, has been endowed with a diversity of spiritual gifts, some having to do with the ministry of the word of God, others having to do with the service of others.
Listen, for example, to the exhortation delivered by the Apostle Peter to the church. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:8–11).
All of the spiritual gifts that Christ has poured out upon his people from on high may be divided into these two broad categories. Within Christ’s church are those with speaking gifts and those with the gifts of service. Pastors and teachers are called by God to devite themselves to the mistry of the Word of God. All of God’s people are called to use the gifts that God has given them to serve one another with the strength that God supplies. It seems to me that the sisters, Mary and Martha, represent the church in this regard.
Three, and connected to this, Mary and Martha seem to stand for the two offices of the church, the offices of elder and deacon. The elder, among other things, is to lead in the ministry of the Word of God and the administration of the sacraments. Deacons are to lead in service. Which of these offices is higher? Which is to take priority? It is the office of elder and the ministry of the Word of God that is higher and is to be prioritized. This is what the Apostles (who were also elders) said in Acts 6:2, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables” (Acts 6:2, ESV). Both offices are vital. Service and hospitality must never be neglected. But neither should they be elevated to a place of supreme importance over, or to the neglect of, the ministry of the Word of God.
My fourth and final observation is this: it would be a mistake to interpret this passage as if Christ were teaching us to choose between occupying ourselves with love for God and his Word or the love and service of our fellow man. I’ll warn you again, brothers and sisters. Beware of false dilemmas. We are not to choose between the two but are to do both well. Both the first and second greatest commandments must be obeyed by us. The best of both Mary and Martha deserve to be emulated. But the order must be maintained. To love God with all of the heart, soul, strength, and mind is the first and greatest commandment. The command to love your neighbor as yourself is second. Though Mary and Martha both occupied themselves with good and important things, Mary chose the better portion and Christ would not allow it to be taken from her.
May God, by his grace, move us, as individual Christians and as a congregation, to be like Mary. May we love to sit at Jesus’ feet to receive his holy word. May we receive the Word of Christ with meekness and strive to obey it with the strength God supplies. And may we be like Martha too, especially after she received Christ’s correction. May we who love God and his Word, also love one another fervently and serve one another faithfully according to the gifts Christ has bestowed upon us by his Spirit. In other words, may God strengthen us by his grace to keep his holy law. May we obey his law because we love him. May we never forget that we love him because he first loved us.
