What is Better
READ
The kitchen timer is beeping, guests are arriving, and there's still so much to do. If you've ever hosted a dinner party, you know Martha's frustration intimately. She's doing the responsible thing, the necessary thing, the serving thing. Meanwhile, her sister Mary is sitting in the living room with the guests, apparently oblivious to all the work that needs to be done. From Martha's perspective, Mary isn't helping—she's being selfish. But Jesus sees the situation entirely differently.
Let’s take a moment to read Luke 10:38-42:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
REFLECT
In what might be one of the most surprising statements in Scripture, Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen "what is better." Better than serving? Better than working? Better than getting things done? How can sitting and listening be better than active service? The answer lies in understanding the meta-practice of reception. Mary embodies what it means to receive from God without needing to control, filter, or immediately respond. She's positioned herself as a student, an apprentice, ready to receive whatever Jesus wants to give her. She's not passive—she's actively engaged in the discipline of listening, learning, and being present.
Martha, meanwhile, represents something we all struggle with: the belief that our doing is more important than our being, that our service to God matters more than our connection with God. She's prepared in one sense—the house is ready, the meal is planned, everything is organized. But she hasn't prepared her heart to receive what Jesus actually came to offer. Notice Jesus doesn't condemn Martha's service. He doesn't say her work is worthless or wrong. Instead, He gently points out that she's "worried and upset about many things" when only one thing is truly necessary. The issue isn't her service—it's her anxiety. She's serving from a place of distraction rather than devotion, obligation rather than overflow.
This story reveals something profound about reception as a spiritual practice. Mary isn't just sitting passively; she's actively choosing to prioritize receiving from Jesus over everything else demanding her attention. In first-century culture, this was radical. Women typically served while men discussed important matters. But Mary breaks social conventions to position herself as a disciple, ready to receive Jesus' teaching.
Reception requires this kind of intentional choice. In our Martha-minded culture, we're constantly told that our worth comes from our productivity, our busyness, our ability to get things done. We measure spiritual maturity by how much we're serving, leading, or producing for God. But Jesus suggests that our first and most important responsibility is to receive from Him.
This doesn't mean we stop serving—it means we learn to serve from overflow rather than empty tanks. When we regularly practice the discipline of reception, positioning ourselves at Jesus' feet to receive His truth, wisdom, and presence, our service becomes an expression of our relationship rather than an attempt to maintain it.
But reception is harder than it looks. It requires us to resist our need to control the conversation, filter what we're hearing through our preconceptions, or immediately respond with our own insights. Mary isn't debating with Jesus or trying to impress Him with her spiritual knowledge. She's simply receiving whatever He wants to give her. This kind of reception demands trust—trust that what God wants to reveal to us is worth our complete attention, trust that sitting still is as valuable as moving around, trust that being present with Jesus is more important than any task we might accomplish. It's trusting that God's input is better than our output.
The beauty of Jesus' response to Martha reveals His heart for both sisters. He doesn't shame Martha, but He does redirect her. He's essentially saying, "Martha, I see your heart to serve, but what I really want is your presence. I came here not just to be fed by you, but to feed you. Not just to receive your hospitality, but to offer you something that will never be taken away from you."
What Mary receives—the words of Jesus, His presence, His teaching—becomes a permanent part of who she is. Unlike Martha's meal that will be consumed and forgotten, Mary's experience of receiving from Jesus creates lasting transformation. This is what happens when we prioritize reception: we're changed by what we receive in ways that no amount of activity can achieve.
The call for us is clear: in our distracted, hurried, task-oriented world, we need to practice the discipline of reception. We need to create space to sit at Jesus' feet without an agenda, without a time limit, without the pressure to immediately turn our insights into action. We need to trust that receiving from God is not selfish—it's the foundation of everything else we do.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
In what ways do you resemble Martha, feeling distracted by many things when only one thing is needed? What would it look like to choose "what is better"?
What makes it difficult for you to receive from God without immediately wanting to respond, analyze, or act? How can you practice simply being present with Jesus?
How might regular practice of reception—positioning yourself to receive God's truth, wisdom, and presence—change the way you serve others and approach your responsibilities?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Jesus, forgive me for the times I've been so focused on serving You that I've missed opportunities to simply be with You. Help me choose what is better—to sit at Your feet and receive whatever You want to give me. Teach me to trust that time spent receiving from You is never time wasted. Amen.