A Bunch of Marys in a World Full of Marthas

Chad Jowers | Nov 26, 2023

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feetlistening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”



Sermon Summary

Life can be SO distracting. The daily grind and lists and emails and everything we have to do… it’s just there and sometimes never feels like it ends. And we can become so easily distracted, even those of us in ministry with the daily prayer groups and 1-1s and sermons and meetings, that we can actually miss Jesus. In this passage today, we see that Martha is a lot like us. She has goals, drive, a plan for the evening, aspirations, and she knows she has to take charge because... well... Mary isn’t doing it. Martha is also restless and anxious both with what is going on… and maybe even when nothing is going on. What we find, though, is that Martha and Mary have different postures around Jesus, the King of kings. Yet, one has chosen something completely different from the other. What does this look like for us today?




Discussion Questions

  1. What is your current posture toward Jesus?
    1. What do you long for it to be?
    2. What needs to change in order for this to be possible?
  2. Where do you see Martha in your own life?
    1. How do you relate to Martha?
  3. How do you feel the Lord really looks at you?
    1. What does it mean that he sees you?
  4. What does it look like for you to be a Mary in a Martha world?


Resources Consulted

  • Commentaries on Luke:
    • James R. Edwards, David Garland, Joel Green, Darrell Bock
  • Jimmy Agan "The Imitation of Christ in the Gospel of Luke"
  • Eugene Peterson "As Kingfishers Catch Fire"