“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42).

Imagine Jesus is coming to your home in 2026.

Two sisters are hosting. Your house is full. Cars line the driveway. People are packed into the living room, sitting on couches and folding chairs, hoping to hear Jesus speak.

One sister is rushing around the kitchen.

She’s checking the roast in the oven, pulling bread out at the right time, wiping counters, answering texts from guests asking what they should bring, making coffee, refilling drinks, and trying to make sure everyone feels comfortable. She keeps glancing at the clock because dinner is behind schedule. The dishwasher is running. Someone forgot ice. The salad still isn’t done. 

Meanwhile, the other sister is sitting in the living room near Jesus.

Not helping.

Not setting the table.
Not arranging food platters.
Not refreshing drinks.
Just listening.

People notice.

Some probably think: 

Seriously? Your sister is doing everything by herself. And honestly, if we were there, many of us might think the same thing.

Finally, the busy sister walks into the room, frustrated, and says, “Jesus, don’t you care that I’m doing all of this alone? Tell her to come help me.”

And here’s what’s so important:  Jesus doesn’t say the meal doesn’t matter.  He doesn’t say hospitality is bad. He doesn’t say serving people is wrong. Dinner still probably happened.  People still ate.  The dishes still got washed.

But Jesus recognized something the busy sister missed:  this moment would not last forever.

Mary understood the value of His presence.

In Jesus’ time, women would never have done what Mary was doing, sitting at a rabbi’s feet as a disciple. That wasn’t appropriate for women of that time. Yet Mary chose a relationship with Jesus over expectations.

She was willing to look irresponsible, unproductive, maybe even inappropriate in the eyes of others because she understood:

Time with Jesus had greater value.

And maybe that’s what makes this passage so uncomfortable for us today. Because we can become so focused on serving Jesus that we stop truly knowing Him.

We fill our schedules with Christian activity.
We stay busy.
We work hard.
We do good things.

Meanwhile, Jesus may simply want us to sit with Him long enough to recognize His voice.

Lord, please help me reorganize my time, my plans, and my schedule so that my life is centered around You instead of asking You to fit around everything else. Help me not become so busy serving You that I forget to truly know You. Teach me to pause long enough to recognize Your voice and to value time with You above the expectations and distractions around me. Help me choose what is better. Amen.