The Ministry Tableનમૂનો

Martha, Martha

If you’ve been around church long enough, you’ve probably heard the story of Mary and Martha. Two sisters. One running around the kitchen, frantically trying to make everything perfect for Jesus. The other sat quietly at His feet, listening. The Sunday school message was always simple: don’t be like Martha, be like Mary. But as easy as it is to cast Martha as the villain, if we're honest with ourselves, most of us—especially those of us in ministry—relate far more with Martha than we do with Mary. It’s easy to be Mary when you don't have to be Martha. It’s easy to sit at Jesus’ feet when you’re not the one people depend on to get things done, when you’re not the one juggling responsibilities, preparing meals, managing the chaos of family life and church life.

And yet Jesus here gently reminds us that even good and godly work can become a distraction if we let it. Martha isn’t necessarily doing anything “wrong.” She’s serving Jesus. But because she has prioritized doing things for Jesus over being with Jesus, she becomes anxious, overwhelmed, and frustrated. And this is what busyness does. It convinces us that constant activity equals value, importance, and meaning. It lures us into thinking we’re serving God when in reality we’re serving ourselves — chasing the validation and acceptance we think our work will earn us. And like Martha, if we’re not careful, we can find ourselves in the same house as Jesus and still miss Him completely.

But notice Jesus’ response. He doesn’t shame Martha; He calls her by name—twice. “Martha, Martha.” In Scripture, doubling a name is always a sign of deep affection. In this sense, Jesus’ words are not a condemnation, but an invitation. He is drawing Martha into a new way of being. He's inviting her to lay down her anxious striving. To choose presence over productivity.

Today, Jesus extends this same invitation to all of us. In a world run by Marthas, where there is constant pressure to perform and an endless sea of voices and tasks that demand our attention, Jesus invites us to slow down, sit at His feet, and simply receive His love. At His feet, we have nothing left to prove, nothing to earn, nothing to achieve. We simply look at Him looking at us with joy and delight.

Jason Min
Lead Pastor, Citizens LA
Los Angeles, CA
https://citizensla.org/