41 The Lord[Other mss read Jesus] answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary.[Some mss read few things are necessary, or only one] Mary has made the right choice,[Lit has chosen the good part, or has chosen the better portion; = the right meal] and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41-42 CSB
The context for these verses
Martha and Mary
38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.[Other mss omit into her home] 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s[Other mss read at Jesus’s] feet and was listening to what he said.[Lit to his word or message] 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.”[Or tell her to help me]
Luke 10:38-42 CSB
41 The Lord[Other mss read Jesus] answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary.[Some mss read few things are necessary, or only one] Mary has made the right choice,[Lit has chosen the good part, or has chosen the better portion; = the right meal] and it will not be taken away from her.”
Thoughts and Insights
The Lord did not discount the work Martha was doing and worried about, but instead pointed out that “one thing is necessary” and Mary made the right choice – best use of her time – sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him.
Perhaps this moment is an example of the “cares of the world choking the word” Jesus spoke of in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15)
14 As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit. 15 But the seed in the good ground—these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.
Luke 8:13-15 CSB