‘Cumber’ is a rather quaint, old-fashioned word that we don’t hear much any more. We still talk occasionally about something being an ‘encumbrance’, but ‘cumber’ (the shorter verb from which this noun is constructed) has largely disappeared.
It came into English from Old French around the year 1300, and it had the sense of being hampered, hindered, distracted or preoccupied (especially in an obstructive or inconvenient way). This is the sense employed by the old hymn ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’ (from the mid-19th century):
Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
This is also why in Luke 10:40, older translations of the Bible say that “Martha was cumbered about much serving”. While her sister Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus (listening to his words, learning from him), Martha was rushing around “cumbered about much serving”.
Her fault was not that she served (that’s what Christians are supposed to do), but that she was distracted by her serving (that’s what cumbered means). Martha allowed the distractions of daily life to override her contact with Jesus.
Each day is packed full of distractions that leap up and down and wave their hands, wanting us to pay attention to them and not listen to Jesus. We have to find the balance: listen to Jesus and serve others.
