If you google personality test, you will get 524 million responses in about a half a second.  That is more responses than I can even fathom.  Today, I want to talk about a different kind of personality test.  It won’t require you to log onto Facebook or search the web to get the results, you can get them right here in just a few minutes.

This test is going to help you decide if you are a Martha or a Mary.  I assume you probably know I’m referring to Lazarus’ sisters.  They were all three dear friends of Jesus and he often visited in their home when he traveled to Bethany. 

If you aren’t familiar with them, Martha was known for her great hospitality.  When people were coming to visit, she wanted everything to be just right.  I imagine that the furniture was dusted, the pillows fluffed, and the floors were spotless when she was expecting guests.  According to her profile in my Bible, she was overly concerned with details and had a tendency to feel sorry for herself if she weren’t recognized for her efforts.  I get the impression that she may have been just a bit of a control freak, but my Bible didn’t use those exact words.  

Mary, on the other hand, was a little more relaxed.  Oh, I’m sure she knew that it was important to be a good hostess, and I’m guessing she did her share of preparations when they received word that Jesus was coming. But she had her priorities straight and would sit down and simply listen to Jesus after he arrived.  I’m imagining her watching him intently lingering on his every word. In my mind, I see her savoring his stories and tucking them away in her heart.  

Of course, being the perfectionist she was, Martha couldn’t allow herself to do that.  She kept working on the final details even while she listened with half an ear.  Finally, she’d had enough!

She blurted, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work?  Tell her to come help me.”  But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about.  Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:40-41.  

Now, don’t be misled by this. Both Mary and Martha loved Jesus.  In fact, they were both serving him in their own way. Martha was just caught up in the comparison syndrome we all seem to fall into and felt that her style of serving was far better than Mary’s.  

What she didn’t realize was that she was so busy doing things for Jesus, she lost sight of the need to spend time with Jesus.  

We need to be wary of that same mistake.  We, too, can get so wrapped up in our effort to serve others and be really good at it, that we lose sight of the reason we are doing it.  When we do that, the service becomes about us and how good we are and not about Jesus and how good He is.  

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do our household chores, or any other work God calls us to do.  It simply means we are called to determine what our priorities are and then make sure we are living in integrity with those values.  

I see it all the time.  We get so wrapped up in all the things we are doing, we forget to think about who we are being!  Our routines get so busy we just keep doing things for reasons we can’t even remember.  Reverend Jonathon T. Krenze said it well in my recent Portals of Prayer Devotional.  He said, “So much to do! Good things to do. Important things. But first things first. That is what Mary understands but Martha doesn’t. The most important thing, the one thing needful, is to rest at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word, receive His teaching, receive the forgiveness and life only He can give.”  

He goes on to say, “That is the good portion. All the things we have to do, even the good and important things, can distract us from our Lord’s Word and make us anxious and troubled. The only answer to our anxiety and trouble is to stop and rest in Jesus’ Word.”

He concludes with, “Go to church. You have nothing more important to do. Everything else can wait. You can have an appointment with Jesus Christ and His Word and Sacrament. Serving your neighbor, serving Jesus, is good. You should do that. But first things first. You are not saved by serving. You are saved by Jesus, who imparts His salvation to you in His Word. Go sit at His feet and rest in the Gospel. That is the good portion, and it will not be taken away from you.  Then, having heard, get up and get to work. It’s all good!”

Thank you for indulging me in the opportunity to share that reading word for word.  I was so inspired by it that I felt I would do it an injustice to try to rephrase or condense it.  

So what about you?  How’d you do in the personality test?  Are you a Mary or a Martha?  I personally am a little of both, but I am certain if you asked my sister, she’d tell you I’m the Mary to her Martha most of the time.  Sitting still has never been a problem for me, while she rarely does.  

What I didn’t realize until recently was that this scripture about Mary and Martha has little to do with activity and everything to do with having a true relationship with Jesus.  The good news is, whether you are constantly on the move or rarely on the move, you can develop that relationship.  It takes a commitment to change your habits, but it can be done, one small step at a time.  

Thank you for stopping by today.  I hope that regardless of which end of the Mary/Martha spectrum you are on,  you can carve out a little more time to spend with Jesus this week.  

If you liked this message, I hope you will share it with a friend. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out this blog in it’s audio version on most podcast platforms. Haven’t discovered the world of podcasts yet? Send me an email at vona@vonajohnson.com and I’ll be glad to show you how.

So go, be blessed, have a Mary kind of week, and live your More!