Really only one
“but only a few things are necessary, really only one:” Luke 10:42
Really only one – Life is designed to bring us to the circumstances of our defining moment – the moment when who we really are in the depths of our being is revealed. The problem is with “defining moments” is this: you never know when they are going to arrive. A defining moment is not like an exam in school or a professional license test or an interview for a promotion. A defining moment is that sudden crossroad of circumstances that reveals a lifetime of character. You can’t cram for it. It’s not about what you know. It’s about who you are.
Think back over your years on this planet. What were your defining moments? What were the circumstances that suddenly revealed your real character? They were probably times when you were “off guard”, times when you reacted according to your true instincts rather than the carefully scripted expected behaviors. Unfortunately, some of those moments we would rather not think about. And that’s exactly what happened to Martha.
This is the last sentence of the Mary-Martha story, the sentence that forever defined Martha as the one who was preoccupied with tasks but missed the important thing. She was so busy with all the clutter of life that she overlooked what was essential. It is a defining moment that haunts her – a moment that is remembered through history.
Maybe it doesn’t really say all that we have come to think about her. In fact, this particular translation of the Greek text has some alternate readings. One thing is clear. Jesus wants Martha to know that there is one, single, critical need. The phrase is henos esti chreia (one is necessary). Chreia is a word of personal need. It conveys the idea of something required to fulfill a debt, a personal necessity. Jesus sees that Martha is asking for something quite personal – recognition. But Jesus knows that what Martha believes to be her need is not her real necessity. She does not need temporary recognition motivated by self-importance. The need to be filled in her life must come through a much deeper recognition. She needs to understand what it means to be recognized as a servant of God.
Jesus does not say that Martha’s actions aren’t important. He doesn’t dismiss her attempts to please him. He simply says that her anxiety about “doing everything right” has caused her to be blind to the one critical element of this defining moment. Martha allows the pressures of life to alter her deepest character. She makes room for frustration and complaint when all she really needed to do was focus on devotion to her Lord.
You never know when the defining moment will come this day. It will usually be the intersection of pressure and priority, that split second when you will choose frustration or devotion. It’s a matter of character, not performance.
Today: “Father, help me keep my eyes open for the moment of choice today.”
This Mary-Martha story is examined in my book Jesus Said to Her: Encounters with Women. You can read the first chapter on my web site www.atgodstable.com
