of salvation, there is necessity." That this is His meaning His subsequent words about Mary appear abundantly to prove. If "one thing is needful" means only "one dish," we might just as well say, that the "good part" which Mary chose, was the good portion of the feast which she had selected for herself!
Doddridge remarks, "This is one of the greatest and most important apophthegms that was ever uttered, and one can scarce pardon the frigid impertinence of Theophylact and Basil who explain it as if our Lord had only meant one dish of meat."
The whole verse is a deep elliptical sentence, and can only be rendered by a large paraphrase,
[That good part] This is a general expression, and meant to be interpreted with a reference to the conduct of Mary, at the time when her sister interposed. She was choosing soul- benefit. She was seeking more grace. She was striving after neaier and closer communion with God and His Christ. This was the portion which she preferred to everything else, and to which she was willing for a time to postpone all earthly care. Those who seek such a portion shall never be disappointed. Their treasure shall never be taken from them.
In leaving this passage, we should be careful not to fall into the error of thinking slightly of Martha's grace, or speaking, as some do occasionally, as if the good woman had no grace at aU. This is a grave error. In the day of affliction Martha's grace shone clearly and brightly. There is hardly any confession in all the four Gospels, of our Lord's office, which will compare with that which she made in the eleventh chapter of John.
The Roman Catholic writers are fond of quoting the whole passage, in favour of a monastic or conventual life; and insinuate that monks and nuns are like Mary, and people in secular occupations like Martha. Unhappily, their comparison fails completely. If all monks and nuns had been people who " sat at Christ's feet and heard His words," there might have been something in what they say. Unfortunately, convents and monasteries have been proved to be the very last places where successors of Mary are likely to be found. Bucer, in his com- mentary on the Gospels, dwells ably on this point.