The intended meaning of the story of Christ in the home of Mary and Martha is made apparent when its covenant-literary structure is taken into account.
In typical Hebraic fashion, this brief account (which appears only in Luke’s Gospel) gives the reader just enough information to convey the drama of the incident but frustratingly leaves much unsaid. Without the extra details, modern interpreters bent on finding the “timeless, universal moral” of the story are left at a bit of a loose end.
