Chasing Perfectনমুনা

Whether we see ourselves as a “Martha” or as a “Mary,” we can feel some sympathy for Martha when we look at her situation. Not only did the long-awaited Messiah show up at her front door unannounced, but according to Luke 10:17, He brought 72 of His closest friends with Him. When my husband dares to even invite a colleague over for coffee, I panic about getting the house clean. So I understand why Martha felt overwhelmed about the unannounced entourage.

But Martha wasn’t just worried about cleaning before Jesus and his entourage arrived—she kept busy even after they’d entered her home. She started working the kitchen, arranging the table, and attending to everyone’s comfort in efforts to be the perfect host. In her mind, Martha probably thought she was doing as act of service. Being hospitable and serving others is, after all, biblical. Jesus Himself stated, 

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes (Matthew 24:45-46).

On the surface, Jesus’ correction doesn’t make sense. Only when we take a closer look at the text and study His exact words does God start to reveal the true message. Jesus wasn’t condemning Martha’s service or hospitality. He was concerned that Martha was distracted and that she was trying to do more than was necessary. 

The only necessary thing was to spend time with the Savior. But instead of finding emotional and spiritual rest with Jesus, Martha was troubling herself with all the preparations surrounding Him. And because Jesus looks at the heart, He realized Martha was preoccupied and stressed. 

Too often, we assess situations based on what was done and not why it was done. Feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and caring for widows are excellent acts of service. But if you perform them so that others will applaud your kindness, you have failed on the why. Christ desires for us to perform these kind acts, but not because they draw likes on Facebook. He wants us to do so because they point people to Jesus, the ultimate why. 

Like so many of us, Martha was succeeding on the what, but she was failing on the why. She was serving with the wrong motive. She was trying to prove her value by how she performed. She was overwhelmed by her agenda rather than by Jesus. 

The crazy thing is that Martha forgot to whom she was talking. She was addressing the Lord of the universe, Creator God, the Alpha and the Omega. The why was right in front of her, smiling compassionately and loving on her troubled heart. Martha wanted Jesus to fix the situation with Mary; Jesus wanted to fix Martha.

Martha missed it. And we often miss it too. We think we must handle everything on our own. We see what isn’t fair and complain. We don’t ask God; we tell Him. We forget the power of His presence. And we doubt that He cares for our needs even though He’s sitting right in front of us. When we take our focus off the Lord, we start pursuing joy and satisfaction elsewhere. When our joy is dependent on other things, we can fall into despair, anxiety, and depression.

Productivity is not merely the measure of what got done, but of who was loved. Martha desperately wanted to do the right thing, but she got distracted. She let her actions override her affections. That’s something I can relate to. And maybe you can too.