“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 from her.” – Luke 10:41-42

Choosing The Good Portion

The Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets begin battle for the 2018 NBA Western Conference Championship tonight. These are two of the NBA’s best teams, and fans have anticipated this matchup all season long.

In addition to their success in the win-loss column, they are also two of the top 3-point shooting teams in the league. Golden State led the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage while Houston shot and made more threes than any other team. Don’t be surprised if  you see Steph Curry or James Harden stop and pop from the behind the arc rather than taking it to the basket. Long distance is their game. 

At the end of Luke 10, the story of Jesus’ stay at the house of sisters Mary and Martha is recounted. As Jesus teaches, Mary listens intently at His feet while Martha is “distracted with much serving.” When Martha complains about her sister, Jesus says only one thing is necessary and that Mary has chosen the “good portion.”

What Martha was doing was certainly good and she served guests in her household as best she could. But not many people were fortunate enough to have Jesus Christ visit their house. Jesus didn’t want Martha to miss the better joy of learning from and knowing Him while she had the chance. Mary understood the opportunity, and she chose the good portion. She chose what was better. She chose Jesus.

Like Martha serving her guests, of course a 2-pointer in basketball is good. But a 3-pointer will always be better. Mary, free from the distractions that exhausted Martha, used her time to pursue the full joy of knowing Jesus.

Often, we become so distracted with other positive pursuits that we forget about spending quality time with Jesus. Maybe it’s reading about yourself in the news or spending time on your phone chatting with friends, or even watching YouTube highlights of your favorite athletes. While these are certainly good things, focusing on them will keep our focus away from Jesus.

What are distractions in your life that prevent you from pursuing the good portion?

— Kevin Mercer

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