And a woman named Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving...and said, "Lord...tell [Mary] to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion which will not be taken away from her." –Lk 10:41-42
We don't need more serving and running around. We don't need more work. We don't need more money. We don't need more status. We don't need more significance and power and ego and recognition. We only need more of one thing in life—communion with God. Since Martha is preparing food, Jesus takes the opportunity to create a metaphor for this communion with Him. He says Mary has chosen "the good portion." In other words, enjoying God's presence and reflecting over His teaching is like enjoying a really, really, really good meal.
Mary chose to minimize her distractions and focus on Jesus. Martha was preoccupied with food and serving Jesus, but He simply wanted her to enjoy His presence. Only initiative and self-conscious choosing will result in being satisfied by the good portion. What's more is the distractions will lose their luster, but time spent with Jesus will not be taken away from us. His presence and teaching will satisfy us and never leave us wanting. So, like Mary, may we all choose the good portion. May we all enjoy God's presence each day like a well-prepared meal.
