More on Martha...

This talk happened to come up on my iPod shuffle as I was traveling to an IEP meeting yesterday. This is from the April 2010 General Conference. The talk is Developing Good Judgement and Not Judging Others by Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer. My ears perked up when he brought up the story of Martha since I had been thinking about her after my bad example. He brought up some very good points. That one experience with Martha does not make up the whole picture. Our lives are made up of many little experiences everyday that make us who we are. We should not be defined by one single incident, but by the accumulative effect of all our experiences. This is true for me, too. There are many other times when I have been kind or thoughtful to others. We are all usually doing the best we can!

By way of illustration, the story is often told of the time when Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha, who lived in Bethany with their brother, Lazarus. It was a welcome place for the Master, where He could rest and enjoy the surroundings of a righteous home. During one of His visits, Martha was busy preparing a meal and Mary elected to sit at the Master’s feet to receive His instruction.

“But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? …

“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Many Sunday lessons have been taught using this story which have cast Martha in a lesser position in terms of her faith. Yet there is another story of this great woman, Martha, which gives us a deeper view of her understanding and testimony. It happened when the Savior arrived to raise her brother, Lazarus, from the dead. On this occasion it was Martha whom we find going to Jesus “as soon as she heard” He was coming. As she meets Him, she says that she knows that “whatsoever [He would] ask of God, God [would] give [Him].”

Christ then shared with Martha the great doctrine of the resurrection, saying:

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

“And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

She responded with her powerful testimony: “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” 3

How often has Martha been misjudged as being a person who cared more for the deeds of doing than for the Spirit? However, her testimony in the trial of her brother’s death clearly shows the depth of her understanding and faith.

Many a sister has often heard the first story and wondered if she were a Mary or a Martha, yet the truth lies in knowing the whole person and in using good judgment. By knowing more about Martha, we find she was actually a person of deep spiritual character who had a bold and daring testimony of the Savior’s mission and His divine power over life. A misjudgment of Martha may have caused us not to know the true nature of this wonderful woman.

Here is the link to the whole talk: http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/developing-good-judgment-and-not-judging-others?lang=eng