Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 10:40

"But Martha was cumbered about much serving; and she came up to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister did leave me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me." — Luke 10:40 (ASV)

The unnamed “village” was undoubtedly Bethany , a town close to Jerusalem. Possibly Luke wants to reserve mention of Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem and its environs till later. The way Martha is mentioned seems to give her the role of hostess. It is Mary, however, who takes the place of a disciple by sitting at the feet of the teacher (v.39). It was unusual for a woman in first- century Judaism to be accepted by a teacher as a disciple. Notice that Jesus is called “Lord” throughout this passage. Martha, on the other hand, was “distracted” (v.40); she had to work alone rather than sit at Jesus’ feet.