The passage
      v38. In this verse, Luke describes a model response to the gospel mission of Jesus and his disciples - we welcome the evangelist. Turning aside from their travels, they are invited to stay at the home of a woman named Martha. It is most probably the home of the sisters Mary and Martha who lived at Bethany, a village just outside Jerusalem. Luke doesn't give us the name of the village, for he wants us to see Jesus continuing on his journey toward Jerusalem.
      v39. Luke now describes another model response, this time to the gospel, the word of the Lord - we listen to the word. The situation, described by Luke, is most likely a meal where Jesus is reclining on a bench with his feet away from the table. Mary would then be sitting at Jesus' feet. This was the normal posture for a Rabbi's disciple, although the unusual aspect here is that the disciple is a woman. Women would not normally be privileged to sit under the instruction of a Rabbi.
      v40. Martha rightly offers hospitality toward her guests, but she is fussed by the burden and feels wronged that her sister is not helping in the necessary household tasks.
      v41. Jesus gives Martha a gentle rebuke. This may seem unfair, as Martha is struggling to serve her Lord in her own way. Earle Ellis paraphrases the rebuke this way: "don't let ordinary dinners spoil your appetite for the real dinner." Jesus is not rebuking her for choosing a practical form of ministry, a secular ministry over a spiritual one, but rather he is rebuking her for allowing her busyness to distract her from hearing the gospel. Worse still, Martha has sought to divert Mary from the gospel as well.
      v42. "Only few things are necessary, or rather, one alone", REBmg. The opening sentence of this verse has a number of variant readings in the Greek. The sense of this particular reading is something like, "I only need a few things for my meal so you don't need to fuss and put on a big deal, on the other hand, you need only one thing, for when it comes to a person's salvation, hearing and believing the gospel is the only necessary thing." As for Mary, she "has chosen what is better"; she has seen the priority of the Word of God and so has chosen "the best dish", Moffatt. She has made a choice that guarantees her "eternal life."

The priority of the Word
      During the Reformation in the sixteenth century, the Church of England ("the English received apostolic church") was reformed. The founding principle of the church's reformation was the priority of scripture. As the Articles of Religion put it, "Holy Scriptures containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite necessary to salvation."
      Due to the limited education of many of the clergy, the reforming Bishops wrote a series of sermons known as the Homilies. The first of these established the basis of church life, namely, the scriptures - "A Fruitful Exhortation to the Reading and Knowledge of Holy Scripture."
      By the eighteenth century, the Church of England had slipped into a state of morbidity. The "Great Awakening", led by John Wesley, renewed the church's focus on the Word of God. For the revivalists it was by faith alone in the scriptures alone, a believer and their Bible. Those who were touched by the "Great Awakening" and remained in the Anglican church, were known as Evangelicals. Like their Methodist brothers and sister, their focus was on the promises revealed in God's Word.
      When it comes to the church, it grows and is secured, not by sacramentalism, ritualism, social activism, intellectualism.... but by the faithful proclamation of the gospel and its ready hearing and acceptance by God's people.
      All Christian denominations have a similar story - times of dullness followed by times of renewed enthusiasm for the Word of God. The question we have to ask today is, how well does our church handle the Word of God?
      For many, a reliance on the Word has suffered as the hierarchy has acted to stem declining membership. Rather than seeing decline as a natural consequence of a post-Christian age, they have tended to adopt methodologies to shore up nominalism by attracting the middle-class children of baby-boomers back to church. These methodologies rely on secular marketing and management principles, in the same way as a company targets its consumer base and develops marketing strategies to increase product sales. The problem is that Christ builds his church through the proclamation of his Word, and this because his "kingdom is not of this world."
      It is very easy for us to focus on less essential tasks, assuming that these can produce more effective results. Yet, we need to be very careful with religious busyness, organization, programs.... which distract us from the real business of hearing Christ. Through the Word, Christ renews our lives and builds his church. Let us beware of worldly concerns which divert us from the priority of the Word.

v38
      Luke again restates his travel motif, setting Jesus on a gospel mission that will inevitably climax in Jerusalem. The reception of the gospel is imaged in Martha's response, she "welcomed him", NRSV.
      en tw/ + pres. inf. "as [Jesus and his disciples were on their way]" - while [they went]. This construction forms a temporal clause expressing contemporaneous time; the present tense = "while". "In the course of their Journey", Barclay.
      tina .... tiV "-" - It was a "certain" village with a "certain" woman. The village is undefined, but presumably Bethany, Jn.11:1, and the woman "Martha" = mistress of the home. Luke obviously doesn't mention Bethany as it would disturb his motif of Jesus travelling toward Jerusalem.
      uJpedexato (uJpodecomai) aor. "opened her home [to him]" - received him. Variants exist were the obvious "into her home" is supplied, although Plummer suggests that eiV thn oikehn is original. "Invited him as a guest into her home."

v39
      Mary's response to Jesus again illustrates the right response, an attentive hearing of his word.
      kai "-" - and. Here indicating a second person in the house so, "also, she had a sister."
      th/de (oJde) dat. pro. "she" - this one here. The rarest of the three demonstrative pronouns used in the NT., is anticipatory of what follows and serves to give weight to it. "Now this particular woman had a sister, ...."
      kaloumenh (kalew) pres. pas. part. "called" - having been named. "named Mary", CEV., cf. John 12.
      h} "who" - This relative pronoun serves to further emphasize what follows, although its textual authority is questionable; "who actually sat at the Lord's feet ...."
      parakaqesqeisa (parakaqezomai) aor. pas. part. "[who] sat" - having sat beside. The passive expressing reflexive action, "she sat herself beside", she took the initiative. Sitting beside the feet of a teacher for the purpose of instruction. A typical pose, but certainly not for a woman. In pious circles it would be improper for a woman to take instruction with men.
      hkouen (akouw) imperf. "listened" - was hearing. Imperfect indicating onoing listening; "stayed there listening to his words", REB.
      ton logon autou "what Jesus said" - the word of him.

v40
      periespato (prispaw) imperf. "was distracted" - was being worried, busy, overburdened. Lit. "pulled about." Possibly, "Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen", Peterson, even "burdened", NAB, but the more figurative sense is likely", "distracted", as NIV, NJB; "was drawn about in different directions", Plummer.
      diakonian (a) "preparations" - service, ministry. A strong positive word; probably used by Luke to deflect negative criticism of Martha's "service".
      epistasa (efisthmi) aor. part. "she came to him [and said]" - having come to, stepped up to. Expressing "impatient movement", Plummer; "stepte unto him", Coverdale. Participle of attendant circumstance, expressing an action accompanying the main verb "said"; "she came to him and said", REB.
      ou melei soi "don't you care" - is it of no concern to you. The negation assumes a negative answer.
      oJti "that" - Identifying content, what is supposedly of no concern to Jesus.
      kateleipen (kataleipw) imperf. "has left" - leaves, forsakes. The imperfect expressing continued action, although UBS4 has the aorist, Nestle imperf. If imperfect, the sense is that Mary, from the outset of Jesus' visit to them, has not assisted Martha in offering practical assistance to their guests.
      diakonein (diakonew) pres. inf. "to do the work [myself]" - to serve. The infinitive is verbal, either expressing purpose or result (best).
      iJna + subj. "to [help me]" - that [she may help me]. Forming a purpose clause "in order that"; "tell her to give me a hand", Barclay.

v41
      Marqa Marqa voc. "Martha, Martha" - Repetition (epanadiplosis) used as a slight censure.
      merimnaV (merimnaw) pres. "you are worried" - you are worried, anxious, concerned, fretting. Often used to express an excessive concern about worldly things.
      qorubazh/ (qorubazw) pres. pas. "upset" - troubled, distracted, agitated. Variant turbazh, being the more difficult reading, is possibly original, but it means the same. "You are fretting and fussing about so many things", REB.