Gen. 18:1-10a; Ps. 15:2-5; Col. 1:24-28; Lk. 10:38-42

Do everything with love and let this be our sacrifice. “Martha, Martha you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.”  “Martha, Martha” is Jesus’ way of emphasizing the important of what he is about to say and wants Martha and us to listen well and understand the meaning of his word.  Are we good listeners to Jesus, to his word, to his teaching in its application to us?  The disciples often heard what Jesus said but did not understand his meaning.  We often hear but only understand at the concrete level without seeking the greater message which is how am I a part of this teaching?  Jesus is asking us to listen with our hearts and discern the truth at it applies to us, to transform our hearts to do everything with love. 

Martha is the host who “welcomed him” and takes responsibility to “serve” Jesus.  Jesus calls us all to be servants of the Lord and every task can be offered “with love” in serving Jesus.  Martha’s “mistake” is often our mistake by comparing ourselves with others as she compares her role with that of her sister Mary who Jesus says “has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”  It was a “choice” we make every day to serve God, to “do everything with love” in all we do as well as to stop and be still and listen to him.  Jesus loves both Martha and Mary but he cares that their actions come from the heart of love. 

Could Jesus have said to Martha, “you have chosen the better part”?  Possibly yes, if Martha’s attention to service was do everything with love for Jesus.  Then her hospitality becomes an act of love while Mary may simply care only to avoid work and was paying no attention to Jesus.  Do everything with love and it is transformed into an offering.  When we compare, we often judge others in a condescending attitude.  What underlies Martha’s attitude was fear of being judged by attempting to look good, being right, being a people pleaser, and trying to “fix” the problem she created in her own mind (“Four leaches”, Julian Treasure, How to speak).  Now we ask ourselves “does this attitude of fear show itself in us?”  Probably every day to some degree when our focus is on us and not on Jesus, we lose an opportunity to be transformative in our service. 

Looking good is the sin of pride when the focus is on being better than others as if we were in competition.  Martha’s sin of pride is to question Jesus “Lord, do you not care…?”  Martha, Martha are you making yourself to be the judge and jury better than Jesus?  In Martha’s view Mary by not helping is making her look bad.  Jesus’ response, “Mary has chosen the better part” is understood that he can see her heart is ready to listen to him. 

Martha is concerned with “being right” meaning Mary is wrong for sitting to listen to Jesus.  When we make an issue of being right, we again make ourselves better than the other and bring division to our relationships.  We make it about us rather than validating what others have to contribute.  When we become the “people pleaser” we reveal our underlying insecurity, seeking acceptance from others where acceptance begins from within.  The consequence of disordered thinking becomes disordered behavior as we try to “fix” what may not be broken, and we made a crisis for ourselves and others.   Stop and choose the better part.

The better part is instead of attempting to look good recall it is not about us but about him as Mary demonstrated.  Make it about the good of the other without complaining and ask for what you need by lifting up the other with a little kindness and recognition.  Martha could have said, “Mary, you are so good at setting the table, please assist me for a moment.”  Direct to the need maintains the unity without complaining or judging.  Say it with genuine love for that is what we are called to do. 

The better part instead of sounding off as “being right” or justified and judging others as wrong is to first seek to validate the other.  What if Martha had said, “Mary you have chosen the better part by listening to Jesus but I need you for a moment please”.  Validating first does not make anybody “wrong or right” just different in their behavior.  Validating a person does not mean that the behavior cannot be changed, improved, or when needed stopped.  It allows the person to look at themselves, their behavior and come to value other behavior as meaningful and appropriate and even called for in certain circumstances. 

“People pleasers” lose themselves in others becoming the chameleon that changes color to fit in, seeking to be accepted while in the process sacrificing their own values.  If you ask a people pleaser “who are you?”, they have no answer left wondering what the right answer is.  Being more concerned with being right the answer comes back “it depends”.  “It depends on who I am with” is what they are saying.  We all have different roles in life, but we do not have to wear different masks to “fit in” with the crowd.  Let us recall, I am a child of God created in his image and thus I am a person of faith, hope, and love. 

Martha wanted to please Jesus as a good hostess to receive her recognition rather than simply to do it with love of him.  Abraham was not seeking any recognition when the Lord appeared to him.  He recognized in the three men a “God-sent” and looked to please the Lord with his hospitality.  The focus was not on himself but on God’s messengers.  God’s reward is something Abraham could never have imagined that he would have a child with Sarah by the next year. 

“Fixers” perceive a problem where there may not be one to fix.  Fixers fall into the trap of being “worried and anxious about many things.”  Fixers follow the mantra “what if” and then act as if it was already happening.  Fixers can also fall into the trap of living two lives, theirs and the one for who they are trying to “fix” the problem. 

Jesus reminds Martha and us we are to choose “the better part”.  The better part is to do everything with love, and it will be transformative.  The better part is to silence the thinking and be listening for the voice of God working in us and through those we encounter as a “God-sent”.  The better part is when we pray “Jesus I trust in you” and go forth believing in faith, hope, and love.  Let us live the better part of the gift of life and grace coming from the Father, in the Son, through the Holy Spirit. “There is need of only one thing.”