“Mary has chosen what is better” Luke 10:42 (New International Readers Version)

Each post in this blog will examine a statement made by Jesus. By carefully considering the words of our Lord, we will build our faith in him, gain a greater understanding of the world we live in and the good news about which Jesus spoke. Together we will look to the scriptures to find answers to some of the worlds most perplexing questions like: What proof is there that the Bible is God’s word and not man’s?  Why is there so much suffering in the world? What is the purpose of life? Why are we here? What is God’s kingdom? What will happen in the future … and much more.

To begin with let’s just briefly consider the words Jesus spoke to Martha, Mary’s sister. You can read the account at Like 10:38-42. Here Martha invited Jesus as a guest to her house. While Martha was busy preparing things her sister took the opportunity to listen to Jesus teach. Martha wanted Jesus to tell Mary to help her get things ready. How did Jesus respond?

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered. "You are worried and upset about many things. But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better. And it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42

Mary knew what was truly important and wanted to focus here attention on the teachings of Jesus rather than to be distracted attending to everything Martha thought needed to be done. Jesus did not require anything extravagant and was pleased that Mary chose to listen to his teachings instead.

Today we live in a very busy world, but we can learn a lot from this. If we follow Mary’s example and take the time to focus on Jesus teachings instead of worrying about all the things “that need to be done,” we will have also chosen what is better.

To get the most out of this, I would like to encourage you to keep your Bible near your computer so when you read these emails you can refer to the scriptures that are listed. By doing this you will be following the instruction given to us at 1 Thessalonians 5:21 where it says, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (King James Version)

In the next post we will consider the words Jesus spoke to his father in Prayer the night before he gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins. These words are so precious that just one sentence gives us an important key to our salvation.