Luke 10:38-42

One Thing is Needful

by Jim Lincoln on Sunday, July 23, 2006

 

This morning I want to call us to consider one of my favorite episodes in Jesus' life found in Luke 10. We'll come back to Romans next Sunday. I need a little more time to do that chapter justice. There are also times when God just locks my mind and heart onto a text in such a way that I can't let loose of it. This is one of those times. I think the Lord just wanted me to lay hold of this a bit better in my life. So, let me invite you along as I preach to myself. It's a beautiful and tender encounter Jesus had with two of his dear friends.

It didn't take long for Jesus' teachings to enrage the religious leaders of his day (especially those in Jerusalem). Soon they began to plot how they might kill Him. And during those difficult and dangerous days Jesus found a special place to retreat. It was a place where he could be with friends. That place was Bethany. Bethany rose about 4,000 feet above sea level and shot almost straight up 2,000 feet from Jerusalem. From Bethany you had a panoramic view of Jerusalem and southern Palestine (Judea in those days). It was like a high desert mountain retreat where one could get a little relief form the heat and a bigger perspective on life.

The story takes place in the home of two sisters and one brother: Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Although they must have cut Martha to the core Jesus' words were designed to set her free from a disposition that was stealing her joy and keeping her from laying hold of God's grace and tender mercies. They may be what you need to hear this morning.

Let me indulge in a little personality profiling of these two sisters. I think Luke invites it. The word I would use to describe Martha would be "responsible" or perhaps "stressed." Verse 38 suggests that she owned the home. Therefore the overall responsibilities of the house probably rested with her. There's no mention of a husband. Was she widowed or never married? We don't know. My oldest daughter is single and she recently bought her first home. She literally had no idea of the amount of work and time and expense keeping a home up would involve. Don't get me wrong. She has no regrets and she's not complaining. She's grateful to the Lord for his many kindnesses to her to make it possible for her to own a home. But her life is now at times overwhelmed with the many details of keeping a home running. Frankly, I don't know how she does it. Debby and I share much of the household chores and responsibilities. Basically, I take care of the outside and she takes care of the inside but our duties often overlap. I'm glad Debby is back from her vacation. Now I can get some much needed rest. But I can't imagine running a house without a partner.

My guess is that Martha had little time for frivolous and idol fun. We assume that she is the older sister (perhaps the first born). She's probably a hard worker. Up at 6AM and done with her chores by 10. She makes lists. Her shoes are lined up in her closet. The sheets are ironed. She washes the forks and spoons before the rest of the dishes. If she can manage her time well and if guests are coming over she'll wax the garden hose. She has a picture in her mind of that home from Better Homes and Gardens. That's what she's after. Martha is responsible, hard working, neat and dependable person. Perhaps a bit of a perfectionist but perfectionists make pretty good citizens. We like perfectionists. But there is a down side.

What about Mary? Well, she's up by ten. However, both oars don't hit the water till noon. Mary's thought is, "Is it really necessary to make the bed every day? Does it really make any significant difference how you put the dishes in the dishwasher? Come on ...Is that really an issue worth anyone's attention? Martha knows that if you put them in just right you can be more efficient with the water. Mary doesn't care about that extra table spoon of water you might save in a perfectly arranged dishwasher. Mary doesn't understand Martha. She just doesn't see what the big deal is about a clean house. Martha doesn't understand Mary. She can't understand why Mary can't get with the program. How can someone live at peace with such squalor and not take care of business? Of course I'm playing with these two and may be off base with the profile.

However, Luke does tell us that Martha welcomed Jesus in to her home and that she got "distracted." (40) with all her preparations. He leaves us to guess exactly what preparations of the day or the visit distracted her. Was it the dessert forks, the croutons for the salad, cleaning the bathroom or what? Was it reasonable stuff like getting all the food out so that the main dish didn't get cold or things like cooking, setting the table, getting a bouquet of flowers on the table and maybe napkin holders? It's hard to say.

Maybe she doesn't want to just throw the slop on the table and say "Dig in!". Maybe she wants a bit of elegance and beauty. Maybe she just didn't feel that her house was in order to entertain a guest - especially one as honorable as Jesus. Maybe she was taught that a woman's place was in the kitchen and so she got preoccupied with kitchen work. Maybe she thought that Jesus would find her more acceptable and that she would rise a rung on his ladder (above others) if she could make a feast to remember.

When Debby and I were members of the Libertyville Free church in Illinois, on Sunday nights, church members were invited over to homes after church for coffee. But we soon found out that there was an unspoken competition over whose coffee the pastor enjoyed the most. When the pastor took his first sips of the coffee there was usually a dead silence the room. Of course he had to be subtle. But an approving comment or nod was like winning a gold medal in the Olympics. Now, I'm not picking on women. Men have their own sources of pride as well. But our story here is about two women. So, I'll stick to the text.

Whatever it was that distracted Martha it distracted her from Jesus' visit and occupied too much of her time and attention. It dominated her focus and isolated her from and choked out all that was going on around her. Think about this. She has the Son of God in her living room teaching and she's missing the blessing of His presence and teaching because her mind and heart are elsewhere. How many people get to have Jesus in their living room teaching and wanting to enjoy your presence? And yet she is missing the best part of the visit. Now don't misunderstand the passage. It's not implying that serving Jesus is unimportant and that all anyone should ever do is listen to Him. That would distort his teachings elsewhere.

The deal here is that she is overly occupied or so occupied with so many things in her heart and mind that she's missing the blessing of Jesus' presence in her life. Also, she's making life miserable for her sister.

I suppose some of you can relate. I certainly can. I can get so focused on getting stuff done that I am absolutely unaware of what's going on around me. This is strength. It makes it possible for me to focus and accomplish a few things really well. It's also a weakness. It can make me dull and insensitive to the blessings of the moment.

OK, let's look carefully at the text because it reveals what's really going on in Martha's mind and heart.

"Now as they were traveling along, He entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations (much serving); and she came up to Him, and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." (Luke 10:38-40) Chop chop chop!

Notice Jesus' response. I love this. He says, "Martha Martha"...repeating her name. He knows her. He calls her by name gently - affectionately. Can I ask you this, "Do you ever listen for this from the Lord? Do you ever hear Him call you by name? I'm not asking if you've heard it audibly. But do you hear it often in your soul? The Son of God who created the universe knows you better than you know yourself. He loves his children and he calls them by name. So, notice that he doesn't say, "Hey lady you're really off base here. How dare you be your sister's judge? How dare you be the judge of your Lord?" All of that would have been right. But Jesus is gentle with His children. He's meek. That means that he restrains his righteous indignation towards those He loves.

To say "Martha, Martha" is to speak with affection and endearment. Beloved, we need to feel this and lay hold of it. We need to take His tender mercies deep into our souls. She's not being very merciful at the moment and yet Jesus is treating her with mercy.

"Martha, Martha. Your life is so cluttered right now with so many cares that are not the essential things of the moment. So much so that you aren't even aware of who is standing right in front of you. Your mind is so active, racing, planning, achieving you can't rest. You are consumed by so many things."

What was it that consumed her life?

First, as we have said, all the preparations consumed her. By the way I'm empathetic with her at this point. Come on... someone has to do the work! We can't all be lazy. But it's not the preparations that are the problem. She is distracted by the preparations. The word translated 'distracted' literally means 'to be encumbered' or 'to be drug all around'. The preparations are in control. She's letting them rule her life. The preparations were taking such a priority that she missed the blessing of being in the presence of Jesus.

But there's more going on underneath her preparations. She is also distracted by resentment and bitterness. "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve all alone? Can you feel it there? Isn't it fair to say that she resents Mary for choosing to listen to Jesus as He taught instead of helping her in the kitchen? This may be a significant point for Luke. Mary is refusing to be confined to women's quarters. By vindicating Mary, Jesus upsets the native expectation of the way things ought to be in first century Palestine. Women weren't expected to sit and learn from a Rabbi. She's occupying a space not expected of her and Jesus validates her for it. The episode upsets the native perception of the day of the way things ought to be.¹ Perhaps this is one of the things that Martha is so angry about. Mary isn't doing women's work. She's out of her station or place. But Jesus says. "No! What she is doing is a good thing not a bad thing."

But there's more that distracts Martha. Martha is used to getting her way. She's used to being the boss. She wants what she wants. And what she wants is the driving force in her heart and in her home. What did she say to Jesus at the end of v. 40? "Tell her to help me."

Now, notice what she didn't say. She didn't say, 'Lord, would it be alright with you if Mary could help out a little?" She didn't say, "Pardon me for interrupting. But if you men want to good meal I could use some help in the kitchen. Mary, could you please help me for a few minutes." What does she do? She marches in and orders Jesus to get Mary in the kitchen! That is after she accuses Jesus of not caring about her.

Mary is a home owner. In those days there was no middle class. For the most part there were only masters and servants. My guess is that Martha is used to giving orders and bossing people around. That's how she gets her way. So, that's what she does to Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. She commands Jesus and tells Him what to do. She takes on the role of boss. Words like, "please" and "thank you" are out of her vocabulary. They might imply weakness. They might open up the possibility that she won't get her way. She commands. And it probably worked for her. Slaves didn't have a lot of options.

Let me ask those of you who are married. Do you seek your mate's blessings before you make major decisions in the home? Or, do you fight and compete for your way? Do you ask you husband, "Do I have your blessing for this?" Do you ask you wife, "Do I have your blessings to do this or that?" If not, what you are doing is bossing your mate around. I know what you're going to say. You're going to say, "If I don't give orders I may not get my way?" Of course! That's the point! Both of you may have to learn how to give and sacrifice and bless rather than boss, compete and struggle.

Finally, she was distracted by worry and anxiety. "Martha, Martha" Jesus said, "you are anxious and troubled by many things. " What's ruling her life? Anxiety and worry. The worries and cares of life eclipsed the joy and peace of the Lord's presence.

Let me paraphrase. "Martha you are consumed and distracted from my presence in your home right now by the preparations, by bitterness and resentment, by blaming others, by your own agenda and being a god to yourself and getting your way above everything else, your displeasure with Me and a host of worries. Right now at this moment this house needs one thing and your little sister has chosen it."

Boy, that must have cut to the heart. You mean this flaky emotional, lazy Mary? Exactly. What did Mary choose?

1. She humbled herself before the Lord. She sat at Jesus' feet. To sit at someone's feet is to humble yourself before another's authority.

2. She made time to listen, rest in, enjoy, honor, prize and treasure up in her heart and learn from Jesus and risked the scorn of her sister and perhaps others.

OK, let me make some application of this to us this morning.

1. Jesus' lesson to Martha reminds me of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Jesus talked about the gospel being sown in four kinds of soil. Three of the soils represented those with inadequate faith. The inadequacy was not in the amount of faith or the strength of faith. It was in the fact that the object of their faith was inadequate. Jesus (as He is) was not the object of their faith at all. Jesus said that some seed fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked the life out of the plant. Jesus said,

"And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful...23 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." Matt 13:22-23

One sign of authentic faith is that Jesus becomes the object and center of our faith and not the cares, riches and worries of the world.

Now, Jesus isn't teaching that we shouldn't work hard, serve and even strive.

Phil 3:12-14

I press on (strive) to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

1 Tim 4:10

"...and for this we labor and strive, that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe."

Col 1:29

To this end I labor, striving struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

Jesus isn't saying we should passively stop serving, struggling, or giving any effort. He's saying that we can be controlled and consumed by so many things that they choke out His presence, grace, and peace. So, here's the question, "Is Jesus the object of your faith and thoughts? Have you taken the time to be overwhelmed by the love of Jesus for you who sings over you and names you as His bride? Have you taken the time to be captivated by Jesus and His teachings? What captivates your soul? What dominates or controls your thoughts? Do you take the time to be spell bound by His grace that He would forgive such sinners like us who fail Him so often? Have you taken the time to be filled up with gratitude? This is the one thing that is really needed. This is the thing the other pieces of life should orbit around. Jesus! Mary was leaning on Jesus. Are you? Peter says to make your election sure. Around what does your mind and heart orbit? What is the real object of your faith, Jesus or the worries of the world? Look to Jesus. Believe in Jesus.

Second, do you find yourself judging and blaming others, perhaps even Jesus? Do you find yourself saying, "If only that other person would get his life together then mine would be okay. The reason I'm miserable is because that person is making my life miserable."? Guess what? Only Jesus can give you rest for your soul and no one else. No one else. Why do you give others the power to control your life and worship? Why do you give them more power than God? Also, only you can choose to lean on Jesus. No one can do that for you. Jesus said, Matt 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

You know it's an easy temptation for those of us who have been taught and aspire to high standards to judge those who fall short. But the truth is that it is as ridiculous for us to judge others as it would have been for blind Bartimaus to go around beating other blind people with his blind man's stick because they are blind! The Bible says that we were all once blinded by the ruler of this world. But Jesus opened up our eyes. By his tender mercies and grace he opened up our blind eyes and caused us to see. You will never be able to bear witness to grace if you are preoccupied with judging others. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not advocating lowering your standards. I'm advocating that you understand that the only grounds upon which any of us could stand before God and live is the grace of God. Jesus came to save sinners of which we all are.

So, make some time to rejoice in His goodness. Take some time to rest in His grace and care. Take some time to marvel at His majesty and good will for you. Take some time to lean on His promises that are irrevocable and unassailable. Take some time to remember that more are for you than those who are against you. Take some time to remember that He will lose none that the Father has given to Him. Take some time to remember that if God is for you no one can stand against you. Take some time to revel in His love and then you will have all gladness and energy you need to serve Him with joy.

And notice that Jesus keeps his own. Jesus said, "Martha, Mary has chosen the better good here and no one is going to take it away from her." Jesus is saying that He will defend his own to the end. When Elijah complained that he was the only one left serving the Lord what did God say? He said that He had KEPT 7,000 others who had not bent the knee to Baal. Notice that He didn't say that he found 7,000 more. He said that he KEPT 7000 faithful. Paul says believers in Jesus are kept by Jesus. One thing is needful every day and that is this: Humble yourself before Jesus and learn from Him because no one can ever love you like Jesus!