19/07/2026
Servant like Martha and Mary
Luke 10:38-42
Luke has just given several stories showing the importance of hospitality, but those acts, themselves, are not the point.
1. The Samaritan showed hospitality because he loved (Luke 10:30–37)
2. The townspeople show hospitality because they want to know more about the kingdom of God (Luke 9:4–5; 10:5–11).
Martha bases her actions on the culture of her era, where hospitality was among the most important social expectations. Further, in that culture, women were expected to serve, not to learn. Some traditional Jewish writers suggested women shouldn't be taught to read at all, because women learning to read the Torah would be useless and dangerous. Mary senses that Jesus is not a traditional rabbi, however, and wants to know her true place in God's kingdom.
The Christian life is similar. Once the Holy Spirit makes His home in us, He will not leave. That doesn't instantly adjust our priorities into proper focus. We can echo Martha's well-meaning error, spending too much energy on the external, simplistic aspects of welcoming Jesus. That can include exceptionally good things, such as serving at the church, listening to Christian podcast, or hanging verses on our walls. But those exercises don't replace listening to His message and building a relationship with Him. Modern "Christian Culture" can be as distracting and burdensome as Martha's hospitality culture. As Paul says, such things are lawful, but they are not all helpful (1 Corinthians 6:12).
Salamat po sa pagpapatuloy sa inyong tahanan.