'Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her' - Explain what this means.

This remark was made by Jesus when he visited the home of
Mary and Martha. Martha was distracted with preparing the meal and other household
necessities; while Mary seemed intent on listening to Jesus' words. Martha complained
that Mary was neglecting her household responsibilities; but Jesus emphasized to her the
importance of listening to his words. The meaning is, of course, that daily household
preparations are temporary and have no lasting significance, but the words of Jesus
would have a far more lasting and meaningful effect than day to day chores. Jesus seemed
to emphasize the importance of his teachings at another point when he
said:

Heaven
and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass
away.

The Prophet Isaiah
said,

The
grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands
forever.

So, by saying that
Mary had chosen the best part; Jesus meant that she had made the wiser choice. One might
even say that she had exercised the better part of discretion.