The Gospel story about Martha and Mary: do you need to give up everything in your everyday life? Is this what God wants from us?
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes.
Marfa! Marfa! you care and fuss about many things, but only one thing is needed; Mary chose the good part, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41–42)
AMBROSIY, Metropolitan of Tver and Kashin
The story of Martha and Mary is probably one of the most frequently read gospel passages during the Divine Liturgy. Returning to the same text over and over again, we, on the one hand, often encounter the fact that we stop paying close attention to it with our minds and hearts. On the other hand, we have the opportunity to notice something new every time, prompting us to think and, perhaps, change.
Two sisters - Martha and Mary - are very familiar to us. One is fussy but caring, the other is quiet but attentive. Sometimes we even try on one of these images to understand what we really are and how we can please God. What exactly is Martha’s mistake, or, better said, shortcoming? What exactly does the Lord reproach her for? And what lesson can we learn from this?
You should pay attention to the words of the Gospel, which says that Martha did not just care about the treat, but about a great treat (Luke 10:40). And in the words of the Lord we see an indication of the same thing, she does not just worry and fuss, but fuss about many things (Luke 10:41). Undoubtedly, we can take away from the story of Martha and Mary the fact that we should not have completely abandoned caring for the guests and treating them. It is quite possible that Mary also did everything necessary for this, but not excessively, she sat at the feet of Christ, because this was precisely what was her most important concern.
Martha got carried away. This happens to us too. We sometimes seem to forget about what is most important and what is secondary. We begin to get carried away by various traditions, history, the external beauty of our churches and everything else, which in itself is certainly important, but without an attentive attitude towards Christ has no meaning. Sometimes it seems that “now I’ll do this one more thing, I’ll add some paint here, I’ll arrange something more comfortable here, and then I’ll sit at the feet of Jesus and concentrate on what He says, what He teaches.” How often does such a train of thought become a vicious cycle of self-deception!
After all, you can always do something even better, even more convenient, even more beautiful, but you still can’t find time for the most important thing - and not only can you not find time, but you can also blame those who find time for the most important thing in life, and even if not to reproach, then to envy them. While only one thing is needed (Luke 10:42): to do the most necessary for external life and immediately devote oneself to the main thing - prayer, love for God and neighbors, the inner life of the heart.
This does not mean at all that you need to give up everything everyday: work, family, social life - no, and although “God is the One who demands absolute love” (see S. Kierkegaard “Fear and Trembling”), this does not mean that you can prove this love by giving up everything that is dear and valuable. This is just as impossible as trying to prove love for your spouse by showing disrespect and indifference to your parents. At the same time, only by filling the rest of our lives with Christ can we truly become Christians, can we truly die to the world in order to live with Christ in God (see Col. 3:3).
If human history teaches us anything, it is that we can lose everything we have in an instant. Everything that is valuable and expensive in our eyes may be taken away from us tomorrow. However, it is the life of our heart that no one can take away from us. It cannot be destroyed; it will never lose its value. And therefore, let us take care today, here and now, about the life of our heart, about what it is drawn to, what is a true treasure for it.
As for external things, let us give them only as much as they deserve, because our own care is enough for each day (Matthew 6:34).
The text is an excerpt from the book of Metropolitan of Tver and Kashin Ambrose (Ermakov) “Looking into the Face of Christ. The Gospel as an Invitation to Joy."
This book is an experience of reading the Gospel as an experience of knowing God, full of joy, wonder and gratitude. Opening the pages of the Gospel, the author each time strives to hear in it the personal appeal of the Lord to us, to see the eternal novelty of the Gospel message, which turns our ideas about ourselves, the world and God. In the ocean of meanings of the Gospel, the bishop is looking for answers to questions about meeting Christ, following Him, about the mystery of the Cross and how a Christian should relate to the trials that befall him.
M.: Nikeya, 2021
Serving Mary
It would be a shame if Mary sat at Jesus' feet and did not help Martha, if Jesus were just an ordinary guest.
But Jesus was no ordinary guest, and Mary knew it. He was God in the flesh, and the greatest way you can serve God when He is in your home is to sit at His feet and continue to receive from Him! This is what pleases our Lord.
When you come to Jesus to get as much as you can from Him, He loves it. This is why Jesus was pleased with Mary. That's why He defended her action by saying, “One thing is needed, and Mary chose this good part.”
What is the “one” that is needed? Is it not in order to occupy oneself in serving the Lord? Should you worry about many things? No, the only thing you need is to sit at the feet of Jesus and keep your eyes, ears and heart on Him.
One sister saw Jesus in his natural state, in need of her ministry. Another sister saw Him as God, clothed in flesh and having all the fullness for her life.
Which sister do you think praised Jesus and made Him feel like the God that He is? Maria. Martha apparently forgot that the God-man who was in their house multiplied the loaves and fish to feed the multitude. He came not to be fed, but to be fed!
Do not worry
Unfortunately, sometimes the hardest thing for us is to sit down and listen! And the equally difficult thing we can do is to abandon our own efforts and rely solely on the unmerited mercy of Jesus.
We are often like Martha—preoccupied, busy, and worried about many things. These may all be very necessary things that we worry about. In Martha's case, she tried her best to serve the Lord. She did a lot of things that day, but missed the only thing that was really necessary.
Believers who do what is necessary do not worry about anything else. On the other hand, believers who don't do this "one thing" end up worrying about many things. Do you believe that all you have to do is fall at the feet of Jesus and receive from Him?
So, is it practical to just be busy with Jesus? Absolutely.
Everything has its time
We find that later, in the Gospel of John
Mary took a pound of very expensive rosehip oil, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped His feet with her hair to prepare Him for burial
(John 12:3-8)
.
On the morning of the resurrection, some women came with spices to anoint Jesus' body, but it was too late. They did the right thing, but at the wrong time. The Lord has already risen...
(Luke 24:1-3)
On the very first day of the week, very early, bringing the prepared spices, they came to the tomb, and with them some others; but they found the stone rolled away from the coffin. And when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Martha was preoccupied with everyday matters. Mary did the right thing at the right time. This shows us that when you do the right thing at the right time, God will make everything you touch amazingly blessed.
Like Mary, focus on the beauty, glory and love of Jesus. Choose not to worry about many things or be constantly occupied with yourself.
Like Peter, turn away from the storm and look to Jesus and you will begin to walk above the storm.
Beloved, choose to focus on the Lord and rest in His finished work. As Jesus is, so are you in this world!
The Orthodox pilgrimage service was named after the sisters
Previously, pilgrims went on a journey to holy places at their own risk. Nowadays, traveling has become much easier: many organizations have appeared to help believers get to shrines.
Such organizations are called Orthodox pilgrimage services
Schema-Archimandrite Elijah, confessor of the Holy Vvedenskaya Optina Monastery, blessed the creation of one of these services. She was named after her sisters, Martha and Mary.
The Martha and Mary pilgrimage service helps pilgrims reach holy places
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Martha and Mary - sisters of Lazarus resurrected by Christ
One of Christ’s miracles was the resurrection of Lazarus from Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary.
The Gospel of Luke tells only the parable itself about Martha and Mary. Chapters 11 and 12 of the Gospel of John tell us a little more about the lives of the sisters. Chapter 11 describes to us the resurrection of Lazarus. The first verse mentions the sisters:
A certain Lazarus was sick from Bethany, from the village where Mary and Martha, her sister, lived...
(John 11:1)
Lazarus dies. Christ knows about this and goes to Bethany. They meet him there:
Martha, hearing that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; Maria was sitting at home.
Then Martha said to Jesus: Lord! If you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.
Jesus says to her: Your brother will rise again. Martha said to Him: I know that He will rise again on the resurrection, on the last day.
Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.
Do you believe this?
She says to Him: Yes, Lord! I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, coming into the world. Having said this, she went and secretly called Mary, her sister, saying: The Teacher is here and is calling you.
She, as soon as she heard it, quickly got up and went to Him.
(John 11:20-29)
Bethany is the village where Christ stopped before entering Jerusalem. It is clear from the text that Jesus visited there more than once. He has known all three for a long time:
Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus...
(John 11:5)
Bethany is identified with the city of Al-Azaria, where the tomb of Lazarus is located.
Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus had done believed in Him (John 11:45)
After the resurrection of Lazarus in front of the sisters, the Jews, led by the high priest Caiaphas, finally decided to kill Jesus.
Christ resurrects Lazarus, and, fearing persecution from the Jews, goes into the desert, to the city of Ephraim. But he will return to his sisters in Bethany.
No other information about the sisters has been preserved
There is no more information about Martha and Mary. Sacred Tradition records them among the myrrh-bearing women.
Martha and Mary came to the tomb of Christ for the ritual anointing of the body
Afterwards they allegedly went to preach Christianity in different countries. There is no information about the place and date of death.
In the Orthodox Church, the sisters are commemorated on the 3rd Sunday after Easter. Temples in their honor are called Marfo-Mariinsky.
Martha and Mary may have taken part in the Supper at Bethany
In the Catholic tradition, Mary is identified with Mary Magdalene.
In the Gospel there is a story about how, before Easter, Jesus came to Bethany and stayed in the house of Simon the leper.
One of the women smeared Christ’s feet (or head, the Gospels do not agree) with myrrh and wiped them with her hair. Miro is an aromatic oil used in worship.
The Gospel of John reports that this woman was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus:
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was dead, whom He raised from the dead.
There they prepared a supper for Him, and Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those who sat with Him.
Mary, taking a pound of pure precious ointment of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the world.
(John 12:1-3)
The other Gospels do not contain the name of the woman who anointed Christ's feet. Luke calls this woman a sinner. This allowed interpreters to assume that Mary, Martha’s sister, is Mary Magdalene.
