Question concerning Luke 10:39-42?

Question

This is of course, the story of Mary & Martha......sisters of Lazarus.

I'm leading my Sunday school class this week......and this is the topic at hand. We'll be talking about conflicts in our families.....as well as in the church......and what we can do to resolve them.

My question is:

Who are you more like.......Martha or Mary?
Are you a neat freak (like Martha)......or are you more laid-back (like Mary)?

Guys are welcome to answer this too........we can be neat freaks as well.

Thanks,

Primo

Ecterbob:
Thank you so much for that. I will consider that as well in the study time.

Thank you very much!

Answer 1

Mary..

Years ago I read a good book called having a Mary heart in a Martha world. It taught me a lot. did you notice how the sisters changed? when Lazarus died Martha was the first one to run to Jesus..then Mary. they learned from their time with Jesus and didn't remain the same.

regarding conflicts....forgive 70 X 7

Answer 2

Primo, perhaps you'd like to ask your class to look at it differently--is there both a Martha side to them (neat freak, task oriented, get it done) and a Mary side (focused on the spiritual, quieter)? Do these two sides war for dominance? In what circumstances does each win out? Is there a way to use the strengths of both of these personality characteristics? Can both be equally pleasing to God?

If you ask only "are you a Martha or a Mary," they may just say which one they can relate to, and it can be tough to get the conversation going past that.

Just suggestions, I'm sure you will lead the class well.

Answer 3

I don't think that is the issue.

The sister who did the clean-up, etc., may have hated house work, but whe thought she was being a "good girl" doing what HAD to be done!

The sister who let those things go, to sit at the Master's feet, and learn, was not necessarily "Laid back"!

She chose a different priority.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to learn from the Son of God, which can't just be done just any day (they did not have handy sermons on CD's or books back then), so she HAD to let the "woman's work" go that day.

She felt that LISTENING to the Word of God HAD to be done, right then, while He was there, and that priority trumped housework, which she may have loved most days.

Is it Martha or Mary? Or is it giving vs taking? Cleaning and cooking was giving to Him. Listening and learning was getting from Him, but it was His will for her!

Is it a brick house or wood? It depends on which side you stand and look, quite often.

If you are the sister seeing the brick veneer on the front of the building, it does not make you less honest than the sister looking at the wooden frame house from the back, but neither are you equaly right.

We need to see with SPIRITUAL EYES. Martha's service was logical, but Mary's listening was, perhaps, more essential!

Martha may have chosen wisely, using the human mind that God gave her, but Mary chose using spriritual discernment and intuition that gave her a different set of price tags.

Answer 4

I am a Marthy.
LOL
seriously-- I am a little of each, I cannot be constantly working all the time, cleaning and what not--- but I also cannot just sit and be still all the time either, but I wish to be MORE laid back, like Mary, so maybe I am more Martha.....There are days I am more laid back than others....and there are days I am more busy doing things than just being still and knowing that GOD IS GOD! (Psalm 46:10)
I want to sit and listen to the voice of the Lord, to spend an entire day studying His word and just spending time with Him.

Answer 5

The question is a good one - personally, I much more like Martha. I aspire to be more like Mary - but have a hard time sitting still for awhile. But really, I wonder if you truly know the meaning of this story in the bible. This story is actually talking about who's approval are you seeking? Martha had the right idea, in that she wanted her house neat and clean for the Master. And those types of people are needed for certain. Mary was more interested in spending time with Jesus - which is good too - but can go to a fault as well, in that you can be so spiritually minded, that you're no earthly good. But this parable, really and truly, is about who's approval are you seeking? Martha was much more interested in seeking the approval of humans, in that she cared more of what everyone coming to the house would think, and not as much about what the Master would think. Mary on the other hand was more concerned about what Jesus thought, and was concerned with, than what everyone else thought of her for "just sitting there". We live in such a fast paced world, and often times in our walk with the Lord, all that God is asking us to do is simply wait on Him. Spend time with Him. Not just in our daily prayer time - but sometimes for weeks and months, and sometimes years at a time - to sit and wait. The world has a big problem with that - as is heard in the voice of Martha "how can you just sit there, and leave me to do all the work!" In other words, in the world's view if you appear to be doing nothing, than you are unproductive, and not valuable. The bottom line is - if God tells you to sit, you sit. Regardless of what anyone thinks or says. Obedience is the key. And don't think that this means that God will tell you to shirk your responsibilities - like going to work, paying the bills, taking care of the husband and kids - He won't. But if He says "Come over here, and rest awhile.." then for good ness sake - leave the dishes undone, and the clothes unwashed - they will be there in a bit. Sit at His feet, and rest. For it "is the better thing."

Answer 6

My initial impulse was to say Mary, I mean who wouldn't like to be the one sitting at Jesus' feet and hanging on his every word? But alas, I must be honest. I am more like Martha. I am so busy that I have very little time to pay attention to what the Lord is saying to me.

We all have responsibilities to our families and our jobs, but when those things start to crowd Jesus out of our lives, maybe, just maybe it is time to re-assess some things and re-prioritize.

The world needs both Martha's and Mary's, but it's really all about balance. Martha was an extreme workaholic and Mary was an extreme "What? Me worry?" person. We need to find the middle ground, where that perfect balance exists.

Remember though, the scripture says that Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus. So, He's not mad at us if we are on either end of the extreme. He just wants us to be well-adjusted and balanced, useful not only to Him, but to each other too.

Answer 7

You miss the point of the whole story. Jesus said that Mary was seeking the more important messages of eternity instead of being weighed down with the cares of the world. My wife is more like Martha, she frets over the preparations instead of paying attention to that which is more important and letting the everyday mundane tasks go for a while. Jesus would not be with them for ever. It was important for them to learn of Him while He was there with them. There is time enough to worry about the mundane things of life after He was gone. Thus Jesus chided Martha for being such a fuss budget and praised Mary for seeking that which was more important.

Answer 8

Having a guest, especially an important one, generally means you'd take extra care to host properly. It may be Mary had helped, but to a point, then went to listen.
Martha came out somewhat angry...she felt the work she chose was more important, she actually accused Jesus of allowing Mary to slack off, and even tries to get Him "on her side" against Mary to get her back to helping.
Calvin wrote that this is a good example that when we are doing what is right, we ought not to think more highly of ourselves than others.

We shouldn't get caught up by all the many cares and minor things. They distract. Many things opposed to one needful thing.

Answer 9

Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm more of a Mary than a Martha. I'm certainly not a neat freak; I'm more of a constant learner. If you were to visit my house, you're more likely to hear "Mommy, PUT DOWN THE BOOK, it's time for dinner" than you are to hear "you did a great job cleaning the bathroom."

I'm just being honest.

Answer 10

Both are required for society to function properly.

The Story of Mary and Martha is really an allegory for society.

Some people are very practical (Martha) and their hard work behind the scenes makes communal events and visits possible. Others are more esoteric (Mary) and make those events more enjoyable. Both are necessary in society.

Without practical people like architects and engineers, we wouldn't have buildings or indoor plumbing that hold our art, created by esoteric people, which gives us all enjoyment.

Someone had to create the guitar before someone mastered playing it.

Imagine if we all turned into faithful Christians tomorrow. We ignored science and invention for belief in scripture and faith in prayer. What would happen to our society?