I was hot and flustered- and it has to be said not a little angry. I'd been working all day to ensure an appropriate welcome for my guests; Jesus and his disciples- they'd arrived earlier than I'd expected, and as usual a crowd had gathered to hear Jesus, to ask him questions!
To be honest I would have preferred to have just a couple more hours to prepare the meal, and to tidy the room to make sure everything was ready. If I'd been able to do that without constantly tripping over people; fighting for room in my own home, then I too might have had time to sit and to listen like Mary.
Mary, my dear younger sister, sitting serenely at Jesus feet, oblivious to my workload- just sitting and listening, a slight smile on her face, totally absorbed in what Jesus was saying.
"Selfish and thoughtless" I muttered to myself " leaving me to do all of the work alone"..."selfish and thoughtless"...
I tried to make it to the front door again, to collect some herbs from my small garden, they were always better fresh picked, the flavour so much richer- and this was a special meal, for special guests. As I made my way out I tripped over someones foot- I don't even know whose it was, there were so many people crowding into the small space....
It was then that I lost my temper completely, surely someone had noticed my busyness, surely someone would be grateful for the time I had spent cooking and cleaning. I pulled myself up to my full height, placed my hands on my hips and rounded on Jesus:
"Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand."
Jesus turned to me, fixing me with his calm gaze, a slight sadness in his eyes, he spoke softly, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it's the main course, and won't be taken from her."
Nothing- he had called all my hard work nothing! How dare he.... I began to shake with rage, he was a guest, and honoured guest to be sure....
I looked him in the eye, ready to vent my frustrations upon him... nothing indeed..., when I noticed he was smiling at me, not in an amused way, but somehow he was gently, and silently inviting me to stop rushing and to sit, to share the stories, to hear his teaching.
I was embarrassed by my outburst, and looked around the room, everyone was looking intently at Jesus, it was as if they had not heard a word. I went quietly to the fire and set the pan aside, we would eat later, for I had been invited to listen, and I wanted to hear.
Jesus told stories all afternoon, wonderful stories, stories that fed our hearts and minds, stories that challenged and inspired us. Then as dusk was falling he turned to me and smiled; "Well Martha, shall we finish preparing that meal?"
Everyone lent a hand, men, and women joining in the task of laying the table, of finishing the preparations. By lamp light we all ate together, Jesus spoke a blessing over us... and the chatter died away as everyone became absorbed again, but not by Jesus words this time, but in the food and wine, and in a fellowship that needed no words.
Jesus was right of course, Mary had chosen the better way, and when Jesus had finished speaking she helped me. Nobody said a word about my outburst, and somehow I think the only one who'd noticed it was Jesus, and he never spoke of it again.
Picture by He Qi
