The story of Mary and Martha is brief but in it Jesus conveys an important message.
As Jesus and his disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister Mary sat at the Lords feet listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said "Lord doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while i do all the work. Tell her to come and help me. " But the Lord said to her " My dear Martha you are worried and upset over all the details, there is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it and it will not be taken away from her"
The story tells us something about the nature of Jesus He is gentle with Martha. Martha had been kind and eager to offer hospitality to Jesus. How many of us would just randomly invite somebody in off the street to share a meal with them?. Martha though is focused on the work that needs to be done and resents the fact that her sister Mary is not lifting a finger to help. We can all identify with this as we tend to value fairness in the distribution of labour, these situations are common in many households and workplaces. We can relate to Martha because a certain amount of work needs to be done each day, work however tends to create pressure and anxiety although we do get a sense of relief or satisfaction when a task is completed. Martha may also have been a bit jealous that Mary was getting all the attention. In this story comparisons are causing discontent and stealing joy.
Mary is at Jesus's feet a picture of devotion, looking up at Jesus, intent to listen to his word. Mary remains silent and does not argue with her sister over the issue. Jesus clearly affirms her pursuit of his word and the spiritual life that only he can bring. His teachings relieve our burdens. The story clearly exposes our attitudes to work and reminds us that our salvation is not dependent on our good works but rather our faith in God. Our works should not be conditional on what others do but be cheerfully given in love. We need first to hear the word of Jesus to understand this. Our kind deeds are to reflect our love for him rather than solely satisfy our own sense of duty.