Jesus is the Good Part

This post was written by Tacoi Bell of The Anointed Editorial. To connect with Tacoi, see the information in the bio at the end of this post.

Recently, I was in prayer with God. As I was praying and worshiping, I thanked Jesus for being the good part of everything I do — how I love, how I serve, and how I take care of my family and friends.

The idea of Jesus as the good part of life stuck with me for a few days. I attempted to recall the Bible verse that I was praying into. The Scripture reference comes from Luke 10:38–42, where Jesus is welcomed into the house of Martha and Mary. Martha scrambles around serving and tending to the needs of her guests, but her sister Mary is seated in the midst of the disciples, listening intently to Jesus. Martha becomes frustrated with Mary sitting at Jesus’s feet instead of helping her. She requests that Jesus tell Mary to help her. Jesus responds to Martha, but the answer is not what she expects:

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.’ (vv. 41–42, KJV)

One Thing is Needful

Martha probably felt Mary unwise to sit around as Jesus and his disciples are in their home; however, Jesus disagrees. In verse 41, Jesus meets Martha where she is when he says that she is troubled about many things. By today’s language, we would say that Jesus validated her feelings. And this is just like the Holy Spirit, the third part of the godhead. We are never told not to feel our human emotions, so when the Holy Spirit speaks, he recognizes the condition of our heart and speaks to the innermost part of us, calming our doubts and soothing us.

Jesus tells Martha that one thing is needful. Other Bible translations use necessary in place of needful. So, Jesus says that only one thing is absolutely essential in this moment, and Mary has found it. I think if Martha were to ask Jesus what the good part is, he would reply, “me.”

The Good Part

Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Very literally sitting at the feet of Jesus is the good part. Learning about the ways of God. This is a crucial time in history. The prophesied Messiah is born, and he has come to establish a heavenly kingdom, albeit on controversial ground. To some extent, it seems Mary understands how critical learning from the Son right now is, and Jesus tells Martha to honor that.

Jesus is the good part. Meditating on his ways is the good part. Maintaining the three spiritual practices of believers is the good part. Being about our Father’s business (Luke 2:49) is the good part. Pressing toward the prize of the high calling in Jesus (Philippians 3:14) is the good part. And it will not be taken away from us

Featured photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash; in-text photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

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