Martha, Martha

Pots dey boil. Bread wey she go bake. Water wey she go fetch. Visitors wey she go feed, and more dey knock for door. And for di middle of everything, one woman with flour for her hands, dey wonder why na only her dey work.

Jesus and im disciples dey for di long road wey go Jerusalem. Dem reach one village, and one woman wey her name na Martha open her house give dem. Dat one no be small thing. Jesus no dey travel alone. Disciples dey with am, one whole group of travellers wey hungry and wey dust full dem body, and for dat part of di world, to receive visitors well na big matter. You go give visitors your best: water to wash, good food, place to rest. Martha get one sister wey dem dey call Mary. Di Gospel of John tell us say dem dey live for Bethany, no far from Jerusalem, and say dem get one brother wey dem dey call Lazarus. Jesus love all di three of dem.

So Martha start work. And di work plenty. Di fire need attention. Di bread need kneading. Di beans need stirring. Somebody must go fetch more water from di well. Martha dey everywhere at di same time, she dey go, she dey come, she dey go, she dey come. Luke say all di preparation carry her mind, e be like say dem dey pull am for many directions. All of am na good work. All of am na for Jesus. But e dey pile up.

And where Mary dey? Mary sit down for ground near di feet of Jesus, dey listen to wetin e dey talk. She no dey stir di pot. She no dey fetch di water. She just dey there, near Jesus, dey take in every word, while di noise of di kitchen dey continue for her back.

For di end, Martha no fit take am again. She come inside, maybe she dey clean her hands, and she no talk to Mary, na Jesus she talk to. Lord, you no care say my sister leave me make I do all di serving alone? Tell am make she come help me! Na fair question, no be so? Most of us don feel exactly wetin Martha feel. Everybody for di room keep quiet, dey wait to hear wetin Jesus go talk.

Jesus answer with kindness. E call her name two times, di way person go talk to somebody wey e love. Martha, Martha. You dey worry and your mind dey troubled about plenty things. But na only one thing dey necessary. Mary don choose di one wey better, and nobody go take am from her. Jesus no scold Martha because she dey serve. E no talk say her work no get value. E see say her mind no rest and say dem dey pull am apart, and im words be like say dem dey make space for her make she sit down too, make she receive before she give. Luke no tell us wetin Martha do after. Di door still dey open, for her and for us.

To sit down for somebody feet na one way to show say you be im student. For di book of Acts, Paul describe how e learn for Jerusalem; e say dem train am for di feet of Gamaliel, one famous teacher of di law. So when Mary sit down for di feet of Jesus, she dey take di place of disciple, dey learn from di master. Jesus no send her go back kitchen. E talk say di place wey she don choose na her own to keep.

Martha, Martha. You go find am for Luke chapter ten, verse thirty-eight to forty-two. Martha love Jesus by serving am. Mary love Jesus by listening to am. Jesus want di two of dem near am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. How e go be for you to stop, sit down, and listen to Jesus dis week?