40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42.
Martha could not understand why Mary was not also working on all the preparations. Notice that Martha did not even wait for Jesus’ answer to her question: “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone?”. She immediately followed with her demand as if there was no other reasonable answer. “Then tell her to help me.”
Jesus told Martha, and tells us today, “only one thing is necessary”. In John 6:27, Jesus tells us: “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
“Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” John 6:32-33.
Moses represents the Law. Martha was demanding that Jesus hold the Law over Mary’s head to make Mary do the works of the Law. But, Jesus did not hold the Law over Mary’s head to make Mary help Martha.
Even as “good”, “holy”, and “righteous” is the Law (Romans 7:12), it does not result in life for us. Rather, unless we are released from the Law and made to die to it, the Law results in our death.
Even as “good”, “holy”, and “righteous”, it was for Mary to help Martha with the preparations and serving, it would not help Mary. Martha thought there was no other answer other than her demand: “”Then tell her to help me.”
The problem is the sin within us. “But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” Romans 7:8-12.
The solution is: “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” Romans 7:4.
Mary chose the good part, Christ and His Words which is life, and it was not taken from her. We too are called to “not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life”.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 