V 38.

While they were on their way Jesus came to a village where a woman named Martha made him welcome in her home.

Jesus was a family friend and Martha was happy that he had come to visit.  She wanted to make everything as perfect for his visit as she could
 

V 39.

She had a sister, Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and stayed there listening to his words.

To sit at the feet of a teacher was the traditional place for a disciple, but never for a woman!  Jesus made no distinction on the basis of gender: we are all equally acceptable to him.  But I wonder what his male disciples thought!  There is no hint in the gospel story that any one made any comments about it.

We do know from the stories of the early church in Acts, that there was no discrimination of women in the church in it's early years - just as there should be no discrimination because of gender, race, colour or nationality - or for any other reason - now.  Every human being is equally loved by God, whether they recognise that or not.  Each one of us needs his saving grace equally and each one of us is equally entitled to it.

V 40.

Now Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to get on with the work by myself?  Tell her to come and lend a hand.'

There is nothing wrong with wanting to serve the Lord in the best way we can.  What we so often do, is want everything to be perfect, because we value him so highly and want to give him the best (or because it show us in the best light to others!).  But sometimes this takes up so much of our time and resources, that it leaves us no time to spend with him.  This is when serving the Lord becomes 'sinful' because it actually separates us from God!

Mary was probably the older sister, or Martha would have directly ordered her to come and help. As a younger sister, she would have had no right to give orders to her sister, so she felt she had to appeal to Jesus for help.

Martha's worrying about serving Jesus was distracting her from the purpose of the service - her love for Jesus.  This led her to feel resentment towards her sister and to act rudely in demanding that Jesus intervene.

V 41.

But the Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha, you are fretting and fussing about so many things;

Jesus' reply, as it always is, was a gentle rebuke, made in love.  When we see a fellow Christian needing to be corrected it must be done in a loving way and amongst many other loving actions we do for that person.  It must not be done out of the context of our friendship and love for that person.

I have been rebuked often - and rightly - by people in my church family who have shown me years of love, care and understanding.  And I have been rebuked by people who seem to do nothing but criticise and complain. Most of those rebukes have been well justified and well intentioned.  But those from the friends who have shown me love and acceptance are the ones I have been able to accept without resentment.

V 42.

but one thing is necessary.  The part Mary has chosen is best; and it shall not be taken away from her.'

Time management : do the important things rather than the urgent things - then there won't be so many urgent things! The most important thing to do in life is to spend time with the Lord.  He is our very best friend, so spending time building our relationship with him and getting to know him better is more important that all the other things we have to do.  Mary got it right.