“Serve one another through love” (Galatians 5:13). For the past few weeks we have looked at the biblical command to serve others. We have considered serving God, the church, the needy, the sick, and the world. In each of those columns, we have considered Jesus as the example to follow as we serve. But now we conclude the series by looking at the opposite: how NOT to serve others. And surprisingly, Jesus agreed with this one too!
Having emphasized the importance of serving others, we should note that doing this can become a distraction from even more important things. In the following story of Mary and Martha, we learn the difference between serving Jesus by doing things for him and an attitude which he desires even more.
Jesus and his disciples had come for supper at the home of Martha, and Mary. Martha was busy preparing the meal, while Mary sat on the floor listening to Jesus teach. Soon Martha became frustrated at Mary’s lack of help. She went to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.” But Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed— indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42).
We might have expected Jesus to tell Mary to get busy serving. Instead, he praised her for making the better choice.
There are several possible interpretations for this story: one is practical, one is psychological, one is hospitality, one is cultural, and finally one is theological. I think many of us jump to the practical interpretation of this incident, and we side with Martha. There was a meal to cook, and Mary was shirking her duty. While that seems obvious, it doesn’t explain why Jesus sided with Mary. So, let’s consider the other possible interpretations.
The psychological interpretation is based on personality types: Martha and Mary were different types. Martha liked being active, she was a do-er; Mary was quiet and contemplative. And as often happens when personalities clash, both sides think their way is best. There is no right or wrong in this conflict. The world needs both types of people. As a leader in several Christian organizations I, as the quiet type who wants to make decisions slowly and thoughtfully, sometimes ran into conflict with the quick thinkers who rush into things. I observed that our co-workers seemed to prefer the activist approach.
The next interpretation is the hospitality one. Martha saw the house full of hungry people who needed to be fed, and so she launched into lunch. She got caught up making a big meal, both because there were many to feed, and because she wanted a feast to honor their main guest. But Jesus told her that a smaller meal would have been enough. I expect we all know how easy it is to get overinvolved in a big project that distracts us from other things. Maybe Martha was the classic workaholic who ended up neglecting friends and family.
The fourth possible interpretation is cultural. The culture of that day was patriarchal: men were leaders, woman were helpers. A woman’s place was in the home, in the kitchen, and men were to sit at the city gates discussing current affairs, or debating theology. For Mary to leave the kitchen to join with the men violated a cultural norm and it offended Martha. We still hear this debate today: a woman’s place is in the home as a helper, but never as a leader or a learner. There are several biblical responses to that: (1) Proverbs 31:10-31 describes the wife of noble character. In some ways she resembles both Martha and Mary. She is active, always busy, running the household and her own business. But in a book dedicated to wisdom, she also idealizes wisdom in daily life—she even teaches wisdom. The reason her husband has time to hang out at the city gates with the guys is because she is running the household. But she is also like Mary in that she is to be praised because she fears the Lord. (2) But the main biblical response to the view that a woman’s place is in the kitchen is that Jesus upheld Mary’s choice and not Martha’s. He was clearly saying that Mary’s choice was the better one! Jesus often went against cultural norms!
The theological interpretation, the one spoken by Jesus, was that there is really only one thing that is necessary in life, and Mary had found it. For any of us, our role in life is not to serve food, as important as that is, but to spend time learning from Jesus. Perhaps we could summarize this story by asking “if the Messiah is in your living room, what are you doing in the kitchen?”
Serving others is important! The church needs Marthas—of both genders. The world needs do-ers who see what needs to be done and do it. We all need to serve one another. But more than that, we all need to spend time learning from our Lord. Serving is good, but service should never become a distraction from spending time at his feet.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell. Please visit his website at reflections-on-wisdom.com.