Love Rightly Ordered

Luke 10:38-42

While Jesus and his disciples were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his message. By contrast, Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for their meal. So Martha came to him and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to prepare the table all by myself? Tell her to help me." The Lord answered, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won't be taken away from her."

Luke places two stories side by side that we don't always connect. But Luke is a careful storyteller, and he almost never places things randomly. When two scenes sit side by side, it's usually because they interpret each other.

First, we see in Luke 10 the parable of the Good Samaritan in verses 25 through 37. It's a familiar story: A man is beaten and left for dead. The "right" people pass by. The Samaritan stops, shows mercy, and takes action. Jesus ends with a clear command: "Go and do likewise."

Then, almost immediately, we step into a home. Martha busies herself preparing food, doing exactly what her culture expects of her, what a good host should do. Mary, on the other hand, sits at Jesus' feet, listening. That may sound peaceful to us, but in that moment, it was unexpected, even a little disruptive. Put yourself in the same place as Martha and tell me you wouldn't be a little irritated.

Martha finally speaks up, and Jesus responds: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part."

Jesus doesn't rebuke Martha for serving. He names the actual problem: her worry. Her distraction. Maybe the same problem the priest and the Levite had, focused on their upcoming duties in the temple instead of the need and opportunity right in front of them.

Put these two stories together, and a fuller picture begins to emerge.

In one, love moves outward. It gets its hands dirty. It shows up for a neighbor in need.

In the other, love becomes attentive. It listens. It stays present.

Faithful living holds both. Love rightly ordered means knowing when to act and when to attend, when to serve and when to sit.

It's possible to do all the "right" things and still miss what matters most.

And sometimes, the most faithful thing we can do is stop long enough to listen.

Prayer

Lord, quiet the worries that pull our attention in too many directions, and help us to see what truly matters in each moment. Give us wisdom to know when to act and when to be still, and the grace to love you and others with a rightly ordered heart. In Jesus' name, Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Donn King.

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