Biblical commentary on the New Testament - The Christian ...

Luke X. 88-42. 619
than she. But as her craving for heavenly enjoyments was not
sufficiently strong and pure, she suffered herself to be fettered by
external activities, which in reality were more agreeable to her, and
oiit of this state of mind arose her speech. Jealous of Mary, she
wished her to be as she herself was. (The verb awavriXaiifidveaOai,
to support, to lidp, occurs again only at Rom. viii. 2G.)
Yer. 41, 42.^The address of Jesus to Martha refers less to
household activity in itself (for that nmst be cared for) than to the
state of mind in which she went about it, and the comparison she
instituted in this respect between herself and Mary. He rebukes
first the i-iepinvav, being careful, and rvpiidi^eiv, being troubled (the
word occurs only here in the New Testament, it corresponds to the
Latin turbare), that is, her restless spirit of action, as moved by the
impulses of creature-affection ; and he next contrasted the many
things with the one tiling, aloug with the intimation that for the
sake of the former she was losing the latter, while yet this latter,
not the former (compare on Matth. iii. 14, 15), was of essential
necessity* {xpda). It is one of the peculiarities of the Saviour's
discourses, that they often in few words say all that is necessary to
bring everlasting truth, in some special view of it, home to all times
and circumstances. Standing at the very heart and centre of the
spiritual world, he without violence entwined the minutest and least
important circumstances of the present with the loftiest eternal
verities. In the efforts of the two sisters the Lord brings the
nothingness of aU love and care for the creature, into close com-
parison with care for what is everlasting. The one thing must so
be laid hold of by the soul, that no striving after anything else may
similarly rouse it ; and having begun with one thing it will be able
to deal not merely with many things, but with all things else—not
in such a way, however, that these shall have the ascendancy and
take captive the mind's life, but that it shall itself bear sway and
bring every act into harmony mth the highest end of life. This
pure and holy effort after the one and the Eternal portion, had
Mary chosen. The expressions i-i^pig, part, allotment, and i^eXi^aro,
chose, mutually determine each other's meaning. The former points
to the election of grace, the latter to man's free determination to
embrace it. By the combination of the two (2 Pet. i. 10) spiritual
life is rendered complete, inasmuch as the individual thus lays hold
of the gift as his own, and in doing so places it beyond the reach of
* The clause ivbr 6s hri. XP^^O- is wanting in Cod. D. Other MSS. read hl.lyuv or
6?.i-yuv jj hog. On these readings J. D. Michaclis founds his translation—one dish i3
enough for us. Certainly the reading d/ityuv seems to be grounded on some such idea.
The common text, however, is sufiBciently established by critical authorities, and the
reference of the passage to a dish of food is altogether excluded, as well by the Jf as also
by the subsequent expression dyad/) fitptg.