Choose the Good Portion

"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he said. But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:28-32

I was meditating on this passage the other day and I got a new perspective. In the past I had just considered the obvious physical application. For instance we shouldn't allow the various things in life, such as household responsibilities, jobs, etertainment distraction from spiritual pursuits. Yesterday, though, I was thinking about how even in spiritual pursuits we can neglect the best part, or the good portion - Jesus Christ.

I was thinking about Martha. Certainly she felt she was keeping Jesus in mind as she hurried about the kitchen fixing food for him. I'm sure the meal that she was preparing to feed him would have been fabulous and praise worthy. However such a thing had to be secondary to focusing directly on Jesus and listening to the Great Teacher.

It could happen easily to us. We may do a bunch of charitable works in the name of the Lord but in the process lose focus on Jesus himself. Or purely in terms of learning we can get distracted with doctrine, theology, history, or eschatology. These things may be done with Jesus in mind but in chasing after them we always run the risk of gradually losing sight of our teacher.

I think about what a powerful apostle Paul was. Being a disciple of the esteemed teacher Gamaliel he had a great background education. Being filled with holy spirit he was given extensive wisdom and revelation. These qualities are certainly reflected in his letters but the primary thing that stands out is his near constant focus on Jesus. I'm mindful of what he told the Corinthian congregation, "And so I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come with an extravagance of speech or of wisdom declaring the sacred secret of God to you. For I decided not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him impaled." - 1 Cor 2:1,2

In my personal study I'm often left wishing Paul had went into more details on such subjects as the "man of lawlessness", "the resurrection of the dead", and "third heaven". However, I'm beginning to appreciate his brief treatment of these intriguing subjects is intentional. As he told them Corinthians he decided, or made the conscious decision just to proclaim Jesus Christ.

Later on in that letter to the Corinthians Paul puts it all into perspective:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become a sounding [piece of] brass or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophesying and am acquainted with all the sacred secrets and all knowledge, and if I have all the faith so as to transplant mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my belongings to feed others, and if I hand over my body, that I may boast, but do not have love, I am not profited at all. - 1 Cor 13:1-3

Paul here highlights a danger. We can focus on pursuing spiritual gifts, discerning divine mysteries, gaining knowledge or being charitable at the expense of losing out on love. And we don't have love we don't know our Heavenly Father or Jesus. (1 John 4:8; John 13:35)

Frank Viola in his article The Deep Ecclesiology makes this personal observation regarding how by persuing things such a doctrinal correctness that we can lose sight of love. He writes:

"But during that season, I made another discovery. Namely, that Christian doctrine can make a person downright mean! I observed that the men who were the most schooled in Christian doctrine and the most concerned about “sound theology” did not resemble Jesus Christ at all in their behavior. Instead, they seemed to center their lives on making the unimportant critical. The spirit of the Lamb was altogether missing. They were harsh personalities who appeared to almost hate those with whom they disagreed. Granted, there is a doctrine in the New Testament. But majoring on Christian doctrine and theology can turn Christians into inquisitors."

The Corinthians congregation that Paul wrote to was racked with division. (1 Cor 1:11) Since this is the first thing he mentions in his letter we may conclude that was the primary purpose for his writing to them on that occassion. One specific divisive area that is mentioned is how different ones were developing camps around certain spiritual teachers. (1 Cor 1:12) However that wasn't the only problem dividing this congregation. Reading through the letter we see that there were may other divisive areas:

• Some were "going beyond the things written." 4:6
• Some were showing favoritism. 4:6
• Some were prideful. 4:18
• They were tolerating gross immorality. 5:1
• Some were taking their brother to court. 6:7
• There was conflict over the eating foods sacrificed to idols. chap. 8
• They were observing the Lord's Supper without consideration of others and with excess. chap. 11
• They weren't giving consideration to all members of the body of Christ. 12:14-18
• Their meetings were a free-for-all as the members were unyielding to one another. 14:26-33

Paul provides the appropriate remedy to this divisive situation. He says that they should be "united in the same mind and in the same line of thought." (1 Cor 1:10) What mind is this? It is the "mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16) Our unity is in Jesus Christ and in order to have unity all must have the "mind of Christ" and focus on him.

Maybe like Martha we have our hands full with many things, physically or spiritually. If so perhaps we just need to set it aside for a season and like Mary position ourselves at the feet of Jesus, the good portion, focusing just on him.