Martha, Mary And Jesus

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Article • Martha, Mary and Jesus

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Martha, Mary and Jesus In Luke 10:38-42 we read: Luke 10:38-42 “Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Martha was a very busy woman. She was cooking, sewing, cleaning. She was busy with much service, says the Word. She was so busy though that she essentially didn’t recognise the Lord had entered her house. She was so busy that she couldn’t any longer notice His presence. She was so busy that she had no longer time to sit at His feet and hear His Word - the service had more priority for her. She was so busy, beyond her abilities, that she was complaining to the Lord: “why nobody helps me in the service?….. please tell Mary to leave the talks and come and join me”. And there are brothers and sisters like her. Super workers. Super active. So active however that they have no longer time to sit at the Lord’s feet. Really, what a picture: you and He alone. No mobile phones, no noise, no service even if it is service for Him. You and He alone. Shut down your computer, switch off your mobile, close your door, close even this magazine and spend time with Him. Open your heart to Him like to your best friend. When the Lord was on earth He did the same: He spent time alone with the Father. Our highest priority is not the work, even if this is ministry related. “ONE thing is needed” said the Lord. It was Mary that sat at His feet that choose the good part and not Martha that was busy “with much service”. Your top priority is to sit at the Lord’s feet. Your top priority is to be together with the Father. Sometimes very early in the morning (Mark

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1:35-37), other times in the night (Matthew 14:22-23) the Lord spent time alone with the Father. As we read in Matthew 14:22-23 Matthew 14:22-23 “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” And also Mark 1:35-37 “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You.” In the first occasion He put the disciples into the boat, He dismissed the multitudes and went alone up on the mountain to pray. In the case of Mark 1, He went again alone to a solitary place to pray, while “everyone was looking for Him.” It was not that He wanted to hide Himself. He just wanted to have time alone with the Father. It was top priority for Him and it should be top priority for us as well. If you are always very busy, even with the ministry, if you always do something and you have no time, if you are like Martha, super energetic, even with the work of the God, see what the Lord said: “ONE thing is needed”, meaning what Mary did: “who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His Word”. Many say “the work (ministry) first and all else second”. I would say, “the Lord first and all else second”. For Mary it was not time for work but for the Lord only. “but Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. Tassos Kioulachoglou

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