Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. Luke 10:38-40

In today’s reading we see two sisters , Mary and Martha. Now these sisters were more famous for their brother Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead (John 11) It was well documented that Jesus was close friends with this family, that’s why the raising of Lazarus was very personal for him, as its noted “Jesus wept” over the death of Lazarus.

Martha hosted a gathering for their friend and Lord Jesus. Now while Christ was teaching, Mary took a break from her choirs and sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to his teachings. This made her sister Martha very angry, as she was the only one doing all the work at this dinner party. Now anyone who has hosted a dinner party or takes care of a home, knows how much work Martha was tasked with, so it’s understandable  her frustration with her sister Mary

In fact Martha wanted Jesus to rebuke her sister Mary and tell her to get to work. However Jesus was going to teach Martha and all of us, the importance of a Sabbath rest to be with God

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:41-42

Jesus was telling Martha “There are alot of things in this world we can be busy or distracted with, however we must choose time for God” I know this is a complete paraphrase but I think this is the point Christ is trying to make. While Jesus was there, Mary chose to spend time with The Lord, which was a wise choice. Even though Martha’s work seemed very important at the time, she was going to miss out on her time with Christ

I think Jesus was trying to teach us about the “Sabbath Rest”. Often Christians don’t think about a Sabbath Rest or even know about it, because we are too divided on what day is the Sabbath and whether we should we observe it. The point is God wants us to devote a day and time of rest and reflection upon Him. Remember to dedicate some time for God and take a rest from your daily work and burdens in Jesus name Amen!