“One thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part.” Luke 10:42
Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and hurried to serve. Her sister Mary sat at His feet and listened. When Martha asked for help, Jesus answered her with love and pointed both sisters to what matters most.
As Jesus traveled, He came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. Her sister Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.” Martha was “cumbered about much serving,” and she came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”
Jesus answered her kindly: “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.” He loved both sisters, and He gently pointed Martha to what matters most.
Who’s who
Jesus Christ: a welcome guest who teaches and loves both sisters
Martha: who opens her home and serves
Mary: who sits at His feet and listens
Where and when
In the sisters’ home in a village (John names it Bethany, near Jerusalem).
Eight stops from the village road to the good part. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
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The story, plainly
Four scenes: the welcome, the listening, the busy kitchen and the gentle answer. Look for the Savior in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
Luke 10:38“Meaning: welcomed as a guest. him into her house”
Luke 10:40“Meaning: distracted; weighed down. about much serving”
Luke 10:40“Meaning: tell; ask. her therefore that she help me”
Luke 10:41“thou art Meaning: full of care; anxious. and troubled”
Luke 10:42“one thing is Meaning: necessary; truly needed.”
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Look closer
Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders, Church resources or outside sources. Each card says which.
0 of 9 turned
All nine. The village, the door, the mat, the word, the tray, the many things, the question, the lamp and the good part. Luke 10:38–42
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Where are you?
Juggling too much, sitting to listen, left alone with it, or setting it down. Which feels most like you right now?
A next step for you
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Sit at His feet
Mary set everything else aside to listen. Press and hold, and stay still while His words unfold.
“One thing is needful.” Luke 10:42
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Their world, their words
A little background on Bethany, hospitality and two Greek words helps the story come alive. Outside sources are labeled.
Scripture · John 11
Bethany
John calls Bethany “the town of Mary and her sister Martha,” and says “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister.”2
A home He loved.
Church resource · Student manual
A good custom
Hospitality “was very important in Jewish society,” so many would have sided with Martha. Jesus taught that “there are higher priorities than social customs, even if they are good customs.”3
Good, and better.
Church leader · Sister Parkin
Where the good part was
“On that evening in Martha’s home, the good part was not in the kitchen; it was at the Lord’s feet. Dinner could wait.”5
At His feet.
Church leader · Elder Oaks
Commended, then taught
Elder Oaks noted that “Jesus commended Martha for what she was doing” and then taught her what was more needful.4
Loved, then lifted.
Word study · Greek
perispaó περισπάω · “cumbered” (Luke 10:40)
Bible Hub: “to drag all around,” that is, “to distract (with care).”6Outside · lexicon
Martha was being pulled in many directions at once. Jesus didn’t scold her for serving; He helped her see what mattered most.1
Word study · Greek
merimnaó μεριμνάω · “careful” (Luke 10:41)
Bible Hub: “to be anxious, to care for.”7Outside · lexicon
In King James English, “careful” means full of worry. Jesus named Martha’s worry gently, saying her name twice.1
What the text does not say
Jesus doesn’t say Martha’s service is bad, or that Mary is better than her sister. Elder Oaks noted that Jesus commended Martha for what she was doing.4 He loves them both, and He invites Martha, too, to the good part.1
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Look to Him
He came into their home, saw both sisters, and loved them both. He invites each of us to the good part.
“Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.”
Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
Mary and Martha is part of the Scripture Story Sketch Notes for the New Testament, set alongside Come, Follow Me for April 12–18, 2027 (Matthew 18; Luke 10).
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The words are in Luke 10:38–42; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
