Mennonite Church USA

Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things. But few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”—Luke 10:41-42 (TNIV)

Jesus loved to spend time with his friends Mary and Martha, who lived in a household with their brother Lazarus.

As the biblical story goes, Martha expressed concern, not only about meal preparation but other things as well. She pressed Jesus to intervene in her differences with her sister Mary, who preferred to sit at the feet of Jesus. I get the impression that Martha’s brow was permanently wrinkled, the fruit of undue worry about very legitimate things. Jesus put a different frame around her worries, reminding her of the most important thing.

The story reminds me that I can too readily become occupied by something that doesn’t deserve the amount of attention I give it. I may even become distracted by good things that take away my focus from the main thing. When this happens, I become troubled in mind and heart and lose my inner peace.

As Jesus walks among our church gatherings and listens to our conversations during this time of vigorous discussion regarding same-sex marriage, I sense him saying to me: “Ervin, Ervin, you are worried and upset about many things. But few things are needed—or indeed only one.”

And when I ask him what that “one thing” is, I hear him say, “You can find it in your church’s statement of Vision: Healing and Hope: ‘God calls us to follow Jesus Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace, so that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the world.'”

It reminds me that in the midst of our differences in the church, we must occasionally stop to ponder the main thing that holds us all together—a commitment to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Various stories in Scripture show us that even the most ardent followers of Jesus sometimes had seemingly irresolvable differences. Only by keeping their eye on the most important thing could they find their way forward together.

It brings to mind a sign I once saw hanging on the wall of a friend’s office: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” It has become a life principle for me, a mantra I try to follow in my leadership within Mennonite Church USA.

I know that the things we count as most important will finally shape who we become. Our subconscious minds are like the roots of a tree, out of sight under the surface. Like roots, our minds absorb what they are exposed to, the rich soil of thought patterns that serve as the source of nourishment. The hidden roots eventually produce visible fruit, the actions in our lives that are visible for all to see. I hope our life in Mennonite Church USA will show the fruit that comes from concentration on the life and teaching of our master teacher—Jesus Christ.

Throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus was occupied with one purpose: reaching people with the healing and hope that came through the good news of God’s salvation.

The Gospels give us glimpses of Jesus ministering in open fields, at the side of a well, on the gentle slope of a mountain, in crowded marketplaces and even in a boat. He seemed equally at home in the public square as in the synagogue or temple. That’s a good example for our church.

I hope we can take a lesson from the words of Jesus to Martha, viewing all our goals and worries through the frame of our commitment to Jesus. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing.

Ervin Stutzman is executive director of Mennonite Church USA.