“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42

The Lord has gifted His children with various graces. We are not all the same, although we are drawn to Christ by ONE Spirit, ONE Gospel, and ONE perfect, complete, and effectual sacrifice for sin, Ephesians 4:5. Another scripture states, ‘But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him,’ 1 Corinthians 12:18.

This is the explanation of the difference between Martha and Mary. The problem wasn’t that she was doing what the LORD was directing her to do in being about serving the LORD. That was the particular gift that the LORD Himself had given her, and therefore was of Him, for Him, and to Him. The problem was that she was finding fault with Mary for sitting at Christ’s feet, needy to hear His Word. Who at that moment was even giving Mary the desire and hunger just to sit and listen, if not the LORD Himself? He upholds ALL things by the word of His power, and is the giver of life, breath, and ALL things, Hebrews 1:3, Acts 17:25.

Both were brought by the same Spirit of God to confess the LORD Jesus Christ in the ways that the Spirit of God was directing. Both were the LORD’s whom He loved equally (John 11:5) and for whom He paid the debt when He paid the debt on the cross. The LORD used Mary’s example of anointing Christ’s feet on two different occasions as a testimony to the type of death and burial he would accomplish for her, Luke 7:36-50, John 12:1-8. Yet, Martha also was taught of the LORD of what His death and resurrection would accomplish, and was used of the LORD to comfort Mary on the occasion of Lazarus’ death, John 11:27-29.

The lesson for us is that while life necessitates times of caring for temporal things as Martha was doing, yet the need for the truly spiritual is greater, which is why the LORD commended Mary for choosing ‘the good part’ or portion. Christ is that portion for His own at ALL times and in ALL ways. While Martha was cumbered with preparation of physical food, which from time to time is necessary in order to live, yet given the opportunity to worship, the good part, is none other than Christ Himself, and the ONE thing needful at ALL times, and for eternity. His body broken is the children’s bread, and His blood shed their drink, John 6:53-56. In light of eternity, which is more important: what we eat for physical nourishment, or having partaken of Christ, and His blood and righteousness by God’s grace? Which is truly the good part? Is it not that which can never be taken from us? (Who Christ is and what He has accomplished for sinners to save them, redeem them, and justify them by His death).