Martha and Mary: A Word for Busy Women

If you're a doer, the Martha and Mary Bible story might make you a little uncomfortable. Martha is in the kitchen working hard to serve Jesus and his disciples. Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet listening. And Jesus says Mary has chosen the better portion.

Many hardworking women read that and feel scolded. "So I'm supposed to stop working? Who's going to make dinner?" Others feel guilty, sensing they're more Martha than Mary.

But look more closely, and this story isn't a rebuke of hard workers at all. It's a gentle, loving invitation, one that busy women especially need to hear.

The scene

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving.

Luke 10:38–40

Jesus visited the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary, in the village of Bethany. Martha welcomed him. That's good. Hospitality was important in that culture, and serving Jesus and his followers was a worthy thing to do. Feeding Jesus and a group of disciples would have been a lot of work.

Meanwhile, Mary sat at Jesus' feet, listening to his teaching. This was significant. Sitting at a teacher's feet was the posture of a disciple. Mary was taking the place of a student, learning from Jesus.

And Martha "was distracted with much serving."

Martha's frustration

Martha came to Jesus frustrated:

And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me."

Luke 10:40

Notice a few things in Martha's words:

• "Do you not care?" Martha questioned Jesus' care for her. Her stress had turned into doubt.
• "My sister has left me." She felt abandoned and alone.
• "To serve alone." She felt like everything was on her shoulders.
• "Tell her then to help me." She tried to fix the situation by telling Jesus what to do.

Many busy women know these feelings well. When we're overwhelmed, we can feel like nobody cares, like we're doing everything alone, and like others aren't pulling their weight. Resentment creeps in.

Jesus' gentle answer

But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:41–42

Notice how tenderly Jesus responds:

• He says her name twice. "Martha, Martha." In Scripture, a repeated name often signals deep affection. Think of "Abraham, Abraham" or "Simon, Simon." This isn't harsh. It's loving.
• He names her heart. "You are anxious and troubled about many things." He sees past her complaint to what's going on underneath.
• He points her to one thing. Out of all the "many things," only one is truly necessary: being with him and hearing his word.
• He protects Mary's choice. He won't take it away from her.

Jesus doesn't say serving is bad. He doesn't tell Martha to stop cooking. He says that worry and distraction have pushed out what matters most.

The problem isn't work

Martha's problem wasn't that she worked. It was that her work had become a source of anxiety, comparison, and resentment. She was so busy serving Jesus that she missed being with Jesus.

That's a real danger for busy women today. We can be so busy doing good things for our families, our employers, and even our churches that we never sit still long enough to hear from God. Our service becomes frantic, our hearts become anxious, and our relationships become strained.

Good work done from an anxious, distracted heart can still leave us empty.

Making room for the one thing

So how do busy women choose the good portion? Here are some practical ideas:

Start with listening. Before you start your day's work, spend a few minutes in God's Word. Let his voice be the first one you hear. Even ten minutes matters.

Notice your anxiety. When you feel "anxious and troubled about many things," let that be a signal to pause and pray. Ask, "Lord, what's the one thing I need right now?"

Stop comparing. Martha's frustration showed up as comparison: "my sister has left me." Comparison steals joy and breeds resentment. Focus on your own faithfulness.

Ask for help directly. Martha's need for help wasn't wrong, but her approach was. If you're overwhelmed, it's okay to ask your family or coworkers for help clearly and kindly.

Serve from rest. Work done after sitting at Jesus' feet looks different from work done in a frenzy. It's more patient, more joyful, and less resentful.

Keep the Lord's Day. A weekly day of worship and rest is built-in "Mary time," a regular invitation to sit at Jesus' feet with his people.

Martha's growth

It's worth remembering that Martha's story doesn't end in Luke 10. In John 11, after her brother Lazarus died, Martha went out to meet Jesus. In her grief, she made one of the clearest confessions of faith in all the Gospels:

She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."

John 11:27

Jesus' gentle correction bore fruit. Martha grew. She learned to trust him in her deepest sorrow.

And in John 12, at a dinner in Jesus' honor, we read simply, "Martha served" (John 12:2). She was still serving. But there's no mention of complaining this time. Her service seems to have become an act of love rather than anxiety.

So there's hope for every Martha. You don't have to become a different person. Jesus invites you to sit with him and lets your service flow from that place.

Our free Monday Reset study is a three-day, ten-minute-a-day way to sit at Jesus' feet before your work week begins. It's written for busy women who want to choose the good portion, even on full days.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.