#380: Martha’s Busy Hands, Mary’s Listening Heart

Luke 10:38-42

Today, we hear the story of two sisters — Mary and Martha! They welcomed Jesus into their home. While Martha hurried about making everything just right, Mary quietly sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to every word He said.

Jesus loved them both — the busy one and the quiet one — just like He loves you! Sometimes you’ll be like Mary, quietly close to Jesus. Other times you might be like Martha, busy with chores, homework, or sports that are yelling, “Do me first!” But Jesus gently reminds us: putting Him first is what matters most.

Kids will hear what that actually looks like and are reminded He doesn’t love you because you work hard — psst! — you don’t have to earn His love. He loves you because you’re His.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello again and welcome back to Kids' Bible Stories. Today's
story is called Martha's Busy Hands Mary's Listening Heart. This
comes from Luke chapter ten, verses thirty eight through forty two.
Before we start today, I want to say thank you

(00:21):
so much to the following families who have joined the
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(00:43):
That's huge. That's a great provision from God. My hope
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people to join the Patroon page and we would be set.
But right now I want to say thank you and
praise God for these families who've given their support. Thank
you to Tara, John, Carina, jan Jonah, Sarah, Thank you Astro,

(01:06):
who also says that she enjoys listening. Thanks to Boaz,
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(01:27):
Thanks Benjamin and Rath, who said they love listening every
morning while eating breakfast. Thanks to Nathan and Brittany, Courtney, Julie, Tanya, Chanelle, Paul, Joanna,
and five year old Aspen. Thank you for your support.
And if you didn't hear your name, don't worry, it's
coming up on the upcoming episodes. This podcast truly could

(01:49):
not survive without you, and it definitely couldn't grow like
it is with the Spanish translations without your help. So
thank you. Okay, let's go ahead and jump right into
Day's story. Long ago, on a warm sunny day in

(02:13):
a little village, two sisters were bustling around their home.
Their names were Martha and Mary. I imagine the house
sitting snugly with a tiny garden of fresh herbs and
colorful flowers just outside the door. Inside, the air smelled

(02:36):
of warm bread, herbs, and fresh water drawn from the well.
That morning. The sisters Martha and Mary had heard some
wonderful news that day, Jesus, the teacher they loved so much,
he was coming to visit their house. In imagine that Jesus,

(03:03):
who had healed the sick and told all about the
Kingdom of God, was about to step through their doorway. Listeners,
let's pause for just a moment. It's important that we
imagine what it was really like for the people that
we read about in the Bible, and remember they are

(03:25):
real people, just like you and me. To help us
do that, we will use our imaginations to picture the
possible sights and sounds that they might have heard, thoughts
that they may have had. Okay, let's continue. I imagine

(03:49):
Martha already sweeping away Mary, let's get this place ready.
Martha instructed what time be here. It might be any minute,
so let's hop to it. When Jesus finally arrived, Martha

(04:11):
threw open the door with a happy smile. Welcome Jesus, please,
oh oh, please come in, she said, brushing the flower
from her hands onto her apron. Maybe Mary peeked around
her sister's shoulder. Her eyes sparkled when she saw him.

(04:35):
Jesus stepped inside. He sat down to rest, and soon
his gentle voice filled the house As he began to teach.
Mary's heart felt like it might burst with joy. She
didn't want to miss a single word. She quietly slipped

(04:57):
off her sandals and tiptoed to where Jesus was sitting.
She settled down right at his feet on a soft rug.
She folded her hands in her lap and listened, her
eyes wide and her mind soaking up every word like

(05:20):
a dry sponge soaking up fresh water. Listeners, do you
think that you would want to sit and listen?

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (05:33):
Me too? But not everyone was sitting still and listening. Martha,
Dear Martha was so busy. The bread needed checking, was
it hurrying? The stew needed stirring? Was it bubbling too fast?

(05:58):
She hurried to the pantry, to the table. She wanted
everything to be just perfect for Jesus. She chopped vegetables,
poured the fresh water into the cups, dusted crumbs from
the table. She peeked out over and Mary still sitting there.

(06:22):
Martha huffed. Didn't Mary know that there was so much
to do? Finally, Martha must have had enough, because she
stopped her cooking and cleaning, crossed her arms, and marched
over to where Jesus was speaking. Lord Martha said, I

(06:49):
imagine she was trying to sound calm, but feeling upset inside. Lord,
don't you care that my sister has left me to
do all the serving by myself. Tell her to get
up and help me. Maybe Martha expected Jesus to agree

(07:13):
with her, to look at Mary and.

Speaker 2 (07:16):
Say, Mary, go help your sister.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
But that's not what happened at all. Jesus looked at
Martha with eyes so full of love that her racing
heart it started to slow. He said her name, not once,

(07:41):
but twice, Martha, Martha. His voice was gentle, like a
cool water on a hot day.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
You are anxious and troubled about many things, but one
thing is necessy. Mary has chosen what is better, and
it will not be taken from her.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
Martha stood still. Had she missed it, had she gotten
it backwards? Maybe she was trying to do all of
this work to impress, or she'd simply gotten distracted and
forgotten that what was most important was time sitting close

(08:33):
to Jesus. How do you think Martha felt? Maybe a
beer belief. Maybe you're right. We don't know for sure,
and the Bible doesn't tell us what Martha did after this,

(08:53):
But sometimes I wonder if maybe and that cozy little
house with the smell of food and wild flowers drifting
in through the open window. Martha did just that. Perhaps

(09:14):
she knelt down beside her sisters and let Jesus' words
fill her heart too, Because something I do know is
that Jesus he loved them both, the sister who worked
so hard and the sister who sat so still. He

(09:41):
didn't love Martha less. He wanted her heart to a
heart not worried, but calm and close to him. Well,

(10:03):
that is it for our story today. But before we go,
let's think about what we just heard. Tell me what
are the names of the two sisters we heard about,
Mary and Martha. Great job. Does Jesus love them both? Yes? Yes,

(10:28):
just like he loves you. Sometimes in life we will
be like Mary, and other times we will act like Martha.
You'll grow up one day and life will get busy too. Homework, sports, chores,
sometimes all those things shout out, do me first, pick me?

(10:55):
But remember, Jesus gently reminded her that putting him first
is what matters most. But what does that mean? Well,
we put Jesus first when we read our Bible, or
pray or follow his commands doing the things that he did. Now,

(11:22):
some of you may think this means I can just
hear like Mary and not have to walk the dog.
That is not what Jesus means. Jesus didn't tell Martha
that helping serving were bad. No serving is good. But
Martha's heart was worried, anxious, and maybe even a little proud,

(11:48):
like look at me, I'm doing so much. Remember that
he wants you to come close to him and tell
him about any worries you have because he doesn't want
you to be anxious. Tell him things you like about
your day. He wants to hear from you. Remember, he

(12:14):
doesn't love you because you work hard. You don't need
to earn his love. He loves you because you are his.
So this week, find a little moment to sit at
Jesus's feet, talk to him in prayer, Listen when someone

(12:35):
reads you a Bible story, sing a song to him,
because that's the better thing, the one thing that will
never be taken away. Well, that is it for our
story today. Thank you so much for joining us, and

(12:57):
as always, by and now