Choosing the Good Portion

Luke chapter 10 details a particular event where Jesus entered a village, Bethany, and was welcomed into the home of Mary and Martha. Mary sat and listened to Jesus’ teachings, as Martha was distracted with much serving. So Martha came to Jesus and said, “Do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.ˮ 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.ˮ

As we reflect on this passage it may seem quite odd. Why did Jesus say what He said to Martha? Is it not proper that the workload in a house be shared equally? In fact, many of us have this concept that it is not good for one to just sit around, not helping out in the house. We teach our children that helping out is part of being courteous and polite. We ourselves put it into practice by being hospitable hosts when we receive a guest.

Serving is good. But just as Jesus said to Martha, “one thing is necessaryˮ, the other things are not so desperately needed. Just as Jesus said in John 6:63 , “The word that I have spoken to you are spirit and lifeˮ, receiving the words of the Lord Jesus is more necessary than the work of serving. Having an abundant life is more important than tending to hospitable works. We can see this in the Apostles’ teachings as well. In Acts 6:2, the apostles gathered the congregation and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.ˮ As Mary sat at Jesus feet listening to His teachings intently, she was in the process of believing and accepting the words of life. She was choosing the good portion. She was choosing life, and that will not be taken away from her.

As a RE teacher, Iʼve come to have the opportunity to be a friend and mentor to some. Thereʼs this one kid I know, and if you got to know him you would know that all that he wants to do is play video games. Everything he talks about is related to some video game he played, and heʼll go on and on about it. Heʼs not particularly attentive in class, he doesnʼt really take notes during service, heʼs not particularly interested in reading the Bible so his bible knowledge isnʼt that strong. But one day, I started to notice something different about him. On a particular Wednesday night, he said to me, “I donʼt really have anything to do, can you take me to church?ˮ. On a particular Sunday during translation workshop, which has nothing to do with him, because he doesnʼt translate, he said to me, “I donʼt really have anything to do, can you take me to church?ˮ This kid that I knew to be obsessed with video games started to want more and more to come to spend time at church. He shared with me one time, “The more video games I play the more I realize how boring it is.ˮ As I spent time with him year after year I realized that sometimes heʼs the only person to know how to answer the questions I ask in class. That was quite a surprise to me. He was starting to realize that thereʼs more to life. He was starting to choose the good portion.

For ourselves, as we reflect, we ought to choose the good portion too. Many of us do what we like in our free time. Many of us store up our vacation days to go where weʼd like. But some would choose differently. During their summer breaks they could have chosen to work a part time job or go on vacation, but they choose to attend SSC or NYTS. There are some who would skip the wedding invitations because they agreed to help out with a particular training seminar. These are all examples of those who choose the good portion.

Because the work to receive the words of life is more important than expanding our business, or making extra money in the summer, or even just having a long vacation. There could be many worries in our lives that we have, but one thing is necessary. That one thing is choosing the good portion, choosing the words of life.

Morning by morning he(the Lord) awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. (Isa 50:4)

For many of us who are leaders in the church or even heads of our families we must be careful not to take away the good portion. These days families are very

strong-headed, and they like to be very prepared, so they send their children to many extra-curricular activities. Their children will learn the piano, the violin, the guitar, go to cram school, find a tutor, go to band, play on school teams all because we want to give our children the best. But little do we know that perhaps all these things take them away from the time they spend in church and the opportunity that they would have to hear the words of life.

In the parable of the sower, the word is the seed that is sown, and it can be given. However, just as the seed can be given, the birds can take it away. So as shepherds in the church let us reflect on our own work. We really have to do our best to inspire zeal and passion in students for the word of life. If we do our best work, those who are under our care will also be inspired. If we are passionate about the truth, then those who hear us will also be passionate about the truth. But if we just want to get it over with, those who hear you will feel it too. Perhaps then, things will take away the seed sown in them before they have an opportunity to receive it with joy.

So I leave our readers with this final encouragement: let us choose the good portion, inspire others around us to choose the good portion, and let us muster our best efforts so that it shall not be taken away.