In Defence of Martha

Story by Sarah Burt, photography by Kym van der Plas

Is it ‘bad’ to be a ‘Martha’? Does being a ‘Martha’ mean you are obsessed with cleanliness over godliness?

I can be a bit of a ‘Martha’ in that I gravitate towards what needs to be done. Mess and clutter make me stressed and anxious, and one reason why I can’t watch those hoarder shows on TV; they give me cold sweats. I find my depression and anxiety is worse the more clutter I’m surrounded by. Decluttering is one of my hobbies and I did consider starting a business at one stage, helping other people to have one almighty throw out, but I could see myself being a hoarder’s worst nightmare (having said that, I don’t care what your house looks like; please still invite me over for dinner). My house is nowhere near as clean and tidy as I would like, and I’ve learned to live with that. But I still have minimalist tendencies. I’d be quite happy in a caravan with few earthly possessions. I’m not a cook, like Martha, but I often felt guilty for not having a chaotic house full of people all the time. I tend to jump up in the mornings (once I’ve had my coffee) and start thinking of my to-do list, rather than God’s to-do list, which I’m sure involves sitting at His feet first.

I know many of us are probably a bit over hearing about how we should be ‘Marys’ and not ‘Marthas’. There have been countless articles and sermons done on this topic, including many aimed primarily at women. Then I read something that changed my view of Luke 10:38-42. About ten years ago, the Bible study I was in at the time was looking at a series on the lives of different women in the Bible. I usually expect such studies to include Ruth, Esther etc., so I was pleasantly surprised that this one contained some unusual choices. One of these was Martha.

Swiss Family Robinson is one of my favourite movies and I find myself struck by the scene early in the film where the Robinson family make it to shore on their raft after being shipwrecked. Mr Robinson immediately starts saying what they need to do – start building a shelter for the night, but Mrs Robinson replies, “That’s not the first thing.” At her example, they all kneel and silently give thanks to God for sparing their lives. It’s not wrong to start thinking of what needs to be done. They need shelter and God knows this. But it’s not the first thing. That’s what Jesus is telling Martha.

What was different in this study is that it also explored what Jesus was not saying when He gently rebuked Martha. He wasn't saying hospitality, cleaning or organising are bad; there are other places in the Bible where Christians are commanded to be hospitable and to serve others. He wasn't telling Martha to stop serving Him that way; he was gently rebuking her because she wanted Him to tell Mary to stop sitting at His feet and start helping her prepare the meal. She was wanting Mary to fit into HER plan of how best to serve Jesus. I could summarise that study into one sentence: Don't Push Your Ministry onto Others.

This was liberating to me. Jesus is NOT saying you need to have a messy house and sit around doing Bible study all day to be godly (my husband would be happy about that). We need to be honest with ourselves - are we really in a tough season and struggling, or just being lazy?

I know I’ve been guilty of accusing or privately thinking that other Christians are doing nothing because I can’t see their particular ministry. It’s true that we all need a nudge sometimes to serve, when it’s oh so easy to be a pew-sitter. Too often we try to squash people into a box without praying and exploring how they could use their gifts and passions to follow Jesus. There’s a vacancy on a roster and there’s a Christian over there seemingly doing nothing – they should fill that spot. I wince sometimes as it reminds me of when I’ve had women involved in multi-level marketing businesses approach me and say I’d be a great fit for that company. I’ve laughed inwardly as they’ve only just met me and are only asking because it will help them grow their own business. I can’t sell products to save my life. Things need to be done in a church, but sometimes we need to appreciate the people God has given us in our midst. Are we challenging them to serve because we want to get off a committee, or because we really feel they can do that role?

We all have different gifts and ways of serving Jesus. It's not up to us to stop people from what they're doing because we think they should be joining in with our ministry. How many times have I seen that happen? People having a single focus and passion who get annoyed with everyone for not dropping everything to be involved in their ministry. I’ve read posts from Christians on Facebook, chastising other Christians in general for not giving financially to their organisation, or for not turning up to protests for causes they feel are the most important. How do they know the people they’re judging are not being generous with their time and money in other areas, but doing it secretly?

It’s okay to be a Martha. She clearly is a very pragmatic person and we need those people in the body of Christ. People need feeding and we need leaders who take charge. It’s also easy to forget that this is the same Martha who acknowledged Jesus as Lord in John 11:27, even before Peter did.

Luke 10:38-42 also doesn’t say that all Mary did all day was sit around, listening to Jesus, refusing to do anything else. Perhaps she did get up and serve later, who knows? While we are all called to be hospitable, some find it easier than others. Being a woman doesn’t mean that it is automatically an area of gifting. The passage focuses on the most important thing she did first.

Let’s all sit at His feet first before we serve, however we serve. I need that message as much as anyone.

It’s the first thing and the best thing.

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Sarah Burt—Regular Contributor

Sarah grew up in a non-Christian family in Albany, met some Christian friends in high school, then Jesus became her Lord and Saviour while at University. She now lives with her husband and two boys, a dog, two cats and a number of chooks on a farm near Tambellup in the Great Southern. She is a school officer by day, and enjoys writing fiction and performing in amateur theatre in her spare time.