10:38–39 The journey of discipleship continues, as Jesus continued his travels—though Luke is vague about the place, which we know from John’s Gospel is Bethany, near Jerusalem (John 11:1, 18; 12:2). Martha welcomes Jesus into her house, showing the kind of love and hospitality commended in the parable of the good Samaritan. Martha stands in contrast to the Samaritans who refused to welcome Jesus traveling through their territory (Luke 9:53), and Zacchaeus reflects the same hospitality in receiving Jesus (19:6). When Jesus arrives, Mary sits at his feet and listens to his teaching. In doing so she shows herself to be Jesus’ disciple, since disciples sat at the feet of their teachers (cf. Acts 22:3). We see from this story that Jesus encourages women to learn and to be his disciples, functioning as a contrast to those of his day who discriminated against women and thought them incapable of learning. Women are called not only to serve but also to learn and to be educated and instructed in the Scriptures and the ways of Jesus.

10:40–42 Martha, meanwhile, is busy with preparations for the meal. Her desire to serve well leads to distraction and to annoyance since her sister is not helping with the meal but is spending her time sitting, listening to Jesus. Martha’s concerns could result in the Word’s being choked out (cf. Luke 8:14).136 Her annoyance boils over, as she begins to feel that Jesus is complicit in the whole matter. Apparently he has no concern, according to Martha, about the work she is doing; he needs to tell Mary that she needs help. In her attitude towards Mary, Martha “foreshadows” the older brother in the story of the prodigal son (15:25–32).137 We must not misinterpret Jesus’ answer to mean that serving is less important than listening or learning; the parable of the good Samaritan (10:25–27) reminds us of the importance of practical love for others. Instead, Martha’s problem is that she is consumed with “much serving” (10:40). She is eaten up with worry and concern about the meal and has lost her focus; she has lost the right posture in serving.

Mary understands that only “one thing was necessary.” There is a difficult textual issue here, but the reading adopted by the ESV is probably correct; even if we adopt the variant reading, the meaning does not change dramatically. We ought not to read Jesus’ answer as endorsing the contemplative life over the life of service. Once again the example of the Good Samaritan demonstrates the importance of serving and loving others. Jesus reveals what is fundamental for one’s entire life. Mary, by listening to the Lord, by enjoying fellowship with God, has chosen what is most important in life. The word “portion” echoes OT texts in which the Lord is the portion of his people (Pss. 16:5; 73:26; 119:57). Serving is good and necessary, but Martha has lost the truth that all service must flow out of one’s relationship with the Lord, that all service must be rooted in the joy of knowing God as one’s treasure and one’s pleasure. The story of the Good Samaritan is misunderstood if it is sundered from a living and vital relationship with the one true God.