Submitted by Pastor Reggie Koop, Watson Baptist Church

Have you ever been frustrated with someone? In Luke 10: 38-42, Martha is frustrated with her sister Mary. Jesus and his disciples entered the village of Bethany, the village of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. They were headed to Jerusalem.

Jesus began teaching and Mary sat down to listen to Jesus teaching. Something out of the ordinary was happening. Jesus was including women in His ministry. Women at that time were not equal to men and usually could not go to the temple to hear the teachings. The man was to pass on what he learned to his family.

While Mary was listening, Martha was going about preparing a meal. At one point she got so frustrated with Mary not helping that she rebuked Jesus, in verse 40, accusing Him of not caring that Mary was just sitting at His feet while she did all the work. One of the main themes of this passage is “Hearing the Word.” Jesus gently told Martha that it was far more beneficial to sit at His feet than to be running around ragged preparing a big meal and that a simple dinner would be alright.

How about you? Are you running here and there, doing this and that, too busy to stop and hear God’s word? Are you too busy getting the kids here, there, and everywhere, to spend maybe just one hour of your time to hear God’s word? Are you a Mary or a Martha?

We need to prioritize what is important. We need to prioritize our time to stop and hear God’s word. If we don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. Hearing God’s word should be number one on our list. If everyone one would spend one hour hearing God’s word, how much better our society would be. So be a Mary and make time in your busy schedule to hear God’s word. Don’t be a Martha being too busy to hear God’s word.