Unsurpassed desperation: The key to being a Mary among Marthas

Journal Entry, 5-21-25

I planned to make this my final post. But it's like fire shut up in my bones—I couldn't hold it in. So I've reordered the series and I'm starting here. We'll get Mary and Martha’s perspective in the coming days, but this needed to come first.

I, John, Master Jesus' disciple, watched the exchange between the Lord and Martha.

"Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won't take this privilege from her."

But Martha, pulled by the distractions of the world, could not accept the words of the Master. They choked her. Though she called him Lord, she was not, in fact, obedient to him. She couldn't rest and sit at Jesus' feet.

Jesus showed her great love, calling her his beloved. He had so much love for her, but she could not fathom or receive it. Caught up in the routine of life, she could not drink in the living water Jesus had for her.

This is a sad thing, yet so many are like her. We saw them in Nazareth. People who viewed Jesus as just another man, another rabbi. They would not receive him as the Messiah, the anointed one. A special leader with a power beyond comprehension.

My heart breaks for Martha. Perhaps in time, she will look up from her drudgery and receive from the table the Master has prepared for her.

Reflection

I did not realize it, but when I began this journey through the gospels, I embodied Martha. Caught up in the busyness of days, I was busy even in my pursuit of God. I longed to slow down and savor him, his presence, his word and prayer. I felt so rushed in my time with him and distracted. My devotional time was a check on my to-do list.

I heard Jesus saying, Damola, my beloved Damola, but the cares of this world held me, slowly smothering faith and desire for God out of my life.

I leaked without realizing it. I worked for the kingdom, barely acknowledging the king himself.

Now I know Jesus has so much more for me. I have the strength to persist through trials and snares. Most importantly, my love for Jesus grows daily and I develop a great compassion for those who are far from him. I see them both in the church and in the world. Many have been traumatized by church in one way or another, and I feel for them.

However, I know without a doubt that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. The only way to the Father. And I must pray for those who don't know.

Reader's Note

I plan to spend extended time in this passage. Why? Because I believe the Mary/Martha story is central to today's church.

I believe we as the Church should all be Marys. Martha has her place, but we must be Mary first. Our actions should flow from sitting at Jesus' feet.

Otherwise, our busyness will steal our faith and cause us to fall away.

For ancient readers, a woman taking the position of a disciple would be a speed bump. It should be for us, not because Mary was a woman, but because she pushed past so many barriers to sit at his feet. The enemy has created a myriad of barriers for those who have a heart to sit before Jesus. But we must push them aside.

The numbers of people from the pulpit to the pew who have fallen away but still attend and serve in church is staggering. They are like Saul, whose anointing was removed while he was still serving as king.

He did not realize the anointing passed—to David, a shepherd boy after the heart of God.

Being a Mary is costly—for me, it means very early mornings, mental meetings with God during the day, more prayer, more bible study, improving my craft as a writer, pushing past fear, intimidation and laziness, depending on habit, not feelings. I am far from perfect in my pursuit—I have Martha moments. But I am desperate to be in his presence. My desperation grows by the day. I believe that is the key. Pure, simple desperation for Christ Jesus.

To truly be in that number when the saints come marching in though? No price is too high for that, as far as I'm concerned.

Help us all, Father. Heed our silent groans, Holy Spirit. Help, Jesus.