Most of us have a Martha mode.
You know the one. It’s the version of you that’s rushing around trying to get everything done, sure that if you just work a little harder and do a little more, it will all be okay.
We slip into it without even noticing, especially when we want to do something well, are stressed, or do it for someone we love.
There’s a short passage in Luke where Jesus gently speaks to that exact part of us.
It’s one of my favorite scenes in the whole Bible. Jesus visits two sisters, Mary and Martha, and in just a few sentences He shows us what God actually wants from us.
Let’s look at it together.
Prefer to watch instead? Here’s the full video:
The Passage (Luke 10:38-42)
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
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!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.””
Let’s break this down a bit.
1. Two Ways to Be in the Room With Jesus
Mary and Martha show us two completely different ways of being with God.
Mary sits at Jesus’ feet. She’s present, listening, soaking in His company, just connecting with Him. Martha, on the other hand, is in a hurried, almost frantic mode. She’s busy with all the preparations because she’s sure that’s what Jesus would want. She’s focused on trying to impress Him for the sake of her own status.
Here’s the thing. They both love Jesus. They both want to honor Him. They’re just doing it in completely different ways. And one of those ways, Jesus says, is better.
2. “Worried and Upset About Many Things”
Martha gets frustrated. She’s working so hard while her sister just sits there, so she comes to Jesus and basically says, don’t you care? Tell her to help me.
And Jesus answers so tenderly. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things.” He names the state she’s actually in. Worry. Stress. A little fear, maybe.
If we’re honest, we all fall into this mode at times. We tell ourselves that the frantic doing is the loving thing, the responsible thing, that we are worthy because we are doing all the things. But Jesus is pointing to something underneath all that effort.
3. Only One Thing Is Needed: His Presence
“Few things are needed, or indeed only one.”
That one thing is abiding in Him. Presence with God. Awareness of God. Jesus isn’t saying serving is bad or that the work doesn’t matter. He’s saying that real love, for God and for the people around us, starts with simply being present.
Slowing down enough to actually listen and care about the people around you.
And out of that presence, the real service flows naturally. There’s a big difference between service that pours out of communion with God, and service we white-knuckle our way through to prove something or to earn our worth. One brings life and creative solutions. The other leaves us frantic and depleted, like Martha.
4. The Thing That Can’t Be Taken Away
Jesus says Mary “has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
When we spend time with God, through prayer, contemplation, silence and stillness, or even just remembering Him in the middle of an ordinary day, something happens. We receive restoration, replenishment, and rest for our body, mind, and soul. This is what some have called practicing the presence of God.
And here’s the good news. That communion can never be taken from us. The deeper we rest in God’s presence, the more it lives inside of us. It becomes ours to keep and we don’t forget it.
A Final Thought
So here’s the invitation. The next time you’re with someone you love, or sitting quietly with God, notice which mode you’re in. Are you frantically doing, or are you doing your best to be present?
If it’s the case that you have a hard time being present sometimes, that’s ok. This might mean that you need rest, support, or love from others. Just be honest with yourself and do your best.
Try choosing presence first. Bring your attention to the love of God and to the people right in front of you. Then let the serving, the work, all of it, flow out of that. That’s the one thing Jesus says we really need. And once you have it, it’s yours to keep.
Where in your life have you been a Martha, when God might just be inviting you to sit down and be a Mary?
