Wow, it is almost a new year! What makes a year a new year? Well, it is new because we have never experienced it before. I find the celebration of New Years quite fascinating because of all the new choices, and new beginnings, people determine to make. We choose to lose weight and be more disciplined with our exercise and our finances. We choose to love more and complain less, to get along with our neighbors and co-workers. We choose to live more, enjoy life, and to not let the stresses of everyday living get to us. We choose to be more committed to time spent reading our Bibles and going to church. After all, the old year is past, the mistakes made and tragedies experienced are left behind. With a new year we can start fresh. We leave behind all that was wrong with the previous year and start over. Oh, the many times in this life I have wanted to start over- making new and better choices.
If you look at the story in Luke 10:38-42 of Mary and Martha, you will see two very different women who made two different choices. Martha welcomes Jesus into her home and proceeds to go about preparing a meal for him and his disciples. She is busy setting the table, preparing the food, and getting everything in place, so that everyone can enjoy their meal together. Mary, where was she? Not in the kitchen, that was for sure! Mary was seated at Jesus’ feet, attentively listening, and learning. Martha, noticing that Mary was relaxing at Jesus’ feet, and not rushing around helping her with all the details, points this out to Jesus. As you read, you will notice that Jesus scolds Martha, but commends Mary for “choosing” the good thing which would never ever be taken from her.
I wonder if on the New Year’s Eve following Jesus’ visit, Martha committed not to make that mistake again! This year she was going to be different; she was going to choose the good thing- to sit at Jesus’ feet. Perhaps you are asking some of the questions that I am asking of Martha- would she be serious about her new commitment. Would she be faithful to it? Would she follow through? Would she start out strong, but fizzle as the days and months passed by, in the end determining that yet another New Year was coming; she’d just have to make a new commitment. A commitment like the one she’d made the year before, and the year before that. But, certainly this year would be different- she’d do better!
Mary, on the other hand, didn’t have to determine that that New Years Eve she’d choose to spend time with Jesus in the coming year. It was the habit of her life- not the choice for the New Year! One translation says, “Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” She’d made the choice to sit at Jesus’ feet years before, she’d seen the value of it in her own life, and she wasn’t going to be distracted from that precious time with her Savior.
My study Bible says of Martha, “She did not realize that in her desire to serve, she was actually neglecting her guest.”They go on to ask, “Are you so busy doing things for Jesus that you’re not spending any time with him? Jesus did not blame Martha for being concerned about the household chores. He was only asking her to set her priorities. Service to Christ can degenerate into mere busywork that is totally devoid of devotion to God.”
Both sisters loved Jesus. Both had a choice, but only one chose correctly. This coming New Years Eve, will you make the choice Martha made, or the one Mary made? Mary sat and listened. Martha busied herself. It’s your choice!
Father, I want to choose to sit at your feet everyday of the coming year. Help me to choose You over sleep, your Word over business, and time spent with you over time serving others.
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life…You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20
“Choose today whom you will serve.” Joshua 24:15
“A wise person chooses the right road.” Ecclesiastes 10:2a