MARTHA: Woman of Hospitality

What would you do if a VIP was coming over to your house? Most likely, you’d clean like crazy! You’d bring out the brand-new plates that have been tucked away (the ones you probably won at a Christmas exchange gift). You’d suddenly change the curtains (the same ones you usually keep for years before replacing).

We Filipinos are known for our hospitality—we don’t take guest-receiving lightly. If there were a “hospitality sport” in the Olympics, we’d probably be gold medalists! We show how much we value our guests by doing something special for them, especially while they’re in our homes. That’s why it’s easy for us to relate to Martha. (And if she were alive today, she could probably relate to us too!) She invited the Lord into her home (Luke 10:38), and she made sure He felt welcomed and valued.

THE DISCIPLE

So, who exactly was Martha? Other than knowing she was the sister of Mary and Lazarus, and that they lived in Bethany (John 11:1–2), we don’t know much about her. Some suggest that she was the wife or widow of Simon the Leper (Matt. 26:6–7 cf. John 12:1–3), but that’s hard to confirm.

In the few instances her name is mentioned, Martha is always found serving Christ in her home (Luke 10:40; John 12:2). At one point, she even witnessed a great miracle—the resurrection of her brother Lazarus (John 11:1–44). Martha, together with her siblings, was very close to Christ. John records, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (v. 5). We also see that Martha had a deep faith in Him. She declared, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (v. 27). Clearly, Martha was a remarkable follower of Christ.

THE DISTRACTED

But Martha is most remembered in the story where she welcomed Jesus into her house (Luke 10:38–42). Just a few verses earlier, Jesus had told His disciples about finding homes willing to receive them while on their mission (Luke 9:4–5; 10:5–11). The account of Martha and Mary is a living example of that teaching.

For Martha, having Jesus as her guest was the greatest honor! Imagine—the VIP of all VIPs coming to your home! So it’s easy to understand why she was restless and preoccupied with serving. She simply did what a good host was expected to do: care for Jesus and His disciples while they were in her house. That’s why we can also understand her frustration when she saw Mary, her sister, just sitting there at the Lord’s feet. Not only was it unusual for a woman to be taught in those days, but Martha also felt it was unfair that she was left alone to do all the work. What’s amusing is that she even told the Lord to instruct Mary to help her (Luke 10:40)! That’s how flustered she was—so much so that she ended up scolding Jesus Himself.
But Jesus responded so gently: “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” (vv. 41–42).

Martha’s service wasn’t wrong—but in that moment, Jesus said Mary had chosen what was better: the “good portion.” It seems that while Martha was so focused on welcoming Jesus into her home, she missed the chance to welcome Him into her heart. She was distracted by all she was doing for the Lord, to the point that she overlooked the Lord Himself. While Martha was busy and anxious about many things, Mary chose what mattered most: sitting at Jesus’ feet to listen and learn.

For Martha, hosting Jesus was a great honor. But she forgot that listening to Him was an even greater privilege. Jesus was always surrounded by crowds, always traveling from place to place. To have such a close, private moment with the Great Teacher—right inside your own home—was a unique and priceless opportunity! Martha almost missed it. Thankfully, the Lord corrected her. In John 12, Martha again hosted Jesus and His disciples in her home. But this time, no scenes, no complaints—only this short and beautiful phrase: “Martha served” (v. 2). Apparently, she had learned her lesson.

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As believers, we all have the tendency to be like Martha. We can get busy doing so many things for the Lord—church ministries, late-night Bible studies, overseas missions in far-off tribes—until we become distracted from what truly matters. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with serving God diligently. The problem comes when our service distracts us from our relationship with Him. No matter how successful our public ministry is, it can never replace our personal encounters with Christ.

I’ve experienced this myself. There were times when I spent hours studying Scripture just to find answers for others, only to realize I was neglecting what God was teaching me personally. Thankfully, the Lord continues to correct me gently. There’s a “Martha” in all of us. We can all be busy, worried, and anxious about many things—to the point of forgetting the most important thing. But the good news is that we have a gentle and loving Savior who patiently corrects us, teaches us, and calms our anxious hearts. Stay Curious.