“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?”

When Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary the two sisters take completely different courses of action.  Martha begins to prepare food and refreshments for her guest.  Mary gives her full attention to what Jesus has to say.  Both are doing a good thing.  Martha is fulfilling the responsibility of a good host according to the custom of her time by caring for the visitor to her home.  Mary is demonstrating her strong interest in what Jesus has to teach her.  When Martha complains to Jesus that her sister is not helping her to do the serving, Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part.  Jesus is not criticizing Martha for performing her duty as a host for a guest.  But he is saying that his message is important and that it is good for Mary and others to learn from him.  Jesus certainly appreciated the meal Martha was preparing for him, but his response to her means that spiritual food is more important than physical food.  We must care of our spiritual life, then care for our physical life.  Which life do we care about the most?