She has chosen the greater

INTRO:

1 Corinthians 3:9–14 CSB

9 For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward.

(EXP)(9) this first verse tell us three things:

We are God’s coworkers-We have been saved to work. Not to sit

We God’s field-We live to bring glory to God.

We God’s body-We are to be a place were our Lord can dwell.

(9-14) this text tell us that our lives will be evaluated by God, so it becomes important for his to rightly order our lives in such a way the “keeps the main thing the main thing”

In our lives there are so many things via for our attention and time. We have to learn how to prioritize our lives in such a way the “keeps the main thing the main thing”

How does one prioritize so that what God deems important becomes important to us and what God deems as irrelevant will be become irrelevant to us?

Ariana Calling during the first semester after getting off track during her education.

Transition Statement-There is a story in the Gospels that teaches us what to keep as the center of our lives.

Luke 10:38–42 CSB

38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” 41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I would like to introduce you to Mary of Bethany

Luke 7:36–39 CSB

36 Then one of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!”

Luke 8:1–3 CSB

1 Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out of her); 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others who were supporting them from their possessions.

(1-3) Jesus exercised several women of evil spirits and sicknesses then he Mentions Mary called (Magdalene) who had 7 demons come out her. Seems like there were a group of women that hung out and got saved at the same time.

John 11:1–3 CSB

1 Now a man was sick—Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. 3 So the sisters sent a message to him: “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

In Luke account she was anonymous but John tell us who it was that wiped Jesus feet

John 11:28–34 CSB

28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there. 32 As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!” 33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked. “Lord,” they told him, “come and see.”

“Deeply moved”-Bowels in Greek. The ole saints said “He was sick to his stomach”

John 12:1–3 CSB

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

You notice something about Mary! She seemed to be totally captivated by Jesus. When she and Jesus were in the same room it was like He & Mary were the only two in that room.

A disciple is defined as “One who follows Jesus” well Mary certainly was a disciple because she could not separate herself from him

Men don’t be so proud so that you don’t notice the faith of some of the woman in the bible. Church we can learn something from Women in the bible!!

Mary must have been saved for a long time to develop that type of relationship with God.

We will take a look at that later:

I want to focus on the story in Luke 10:38-42 today. This story involves both a Rebuke of Martha and a commendation of Mary.

Something to hang your hat on: A missional church and obedient christian must learn to discern between the good vs the best.

Often Satan will tempt us with “the Good” distracting of us chasing the best.

Men it is good to work to take care your family, but not at the expense of your family

Ladies its good to take care yourself physically, but not more important than inner beauty

Paul says it best bodily exercise is good but it is not more important than spiritual exercise.

You see sometimes Satan can sneak in and get us focused good things but we missed the higher priority

Jesus helps us to choose the best over the good.

Luke 10:38–42 CSB

38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” 41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I. Distracted Martha

Luke 10:38–41 CSB

38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” 41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things,

(38-39) “While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary,”

(EXE) In this text Luke introduces to us two individuals who played a major role in the life of Jesus. In this scripture Jesus is visiting these two sisters Martha & Mary. Martha is usually listed first which normally tells us she is the older while Mary is the younger.

(39) “She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said”

(EXE) Luke takes special care first to put this story in his narrative and to let the reader know that “Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said” This phraseology employed by Luke tells us she is sitting in the place of a disciple or pupil. Normally reserved for men. Women sat separately from Men while the word was being taught.

(40) “But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? tell her to help

(EXE) Luke tells us that Martha in an attempt to provide a meal and proper hospitality to Jesus and his disciples she became overwhelmed and began to be frustrated. Martha is heating up. Martha is breathing heavy, speaking under her breath when she brought out the appetizer.

Can you hear her? “Mary just going to leave me to cook the lamb, pita bread and hummus by myself. I am over here trying to cook for all these people and she sitting over there at Jesus feet listening to him preach, she got a lot of nerve”

Doesn’t she know woman are supposed to be in the kitchen preparing the meal

(40) “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? tell her to help”

(EXE) Martha has come to her wits end. After rolling her eyes and talking underneath her breath didn’t get a response; she speaks up.

Lord do you see this? and do you care? Lord I know you see this?

(41) “The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary”

(EXE) Jesus stop teaching to deal with this cataclysmic dilemma. Jesus called her name twice. As if to say “baby calm down” now let me teach you a little bit. Jesus tells her your mind is on the lamb, the soup, the appetizer, the place mats, making sure the silverware is clean and polished, but out of all those things “only one thing is necessary”

To Martha Hospitality was the most important thing at that moment, but to Jesus only one thing at the moment was truly necessary. In the ancient world Hospitality was taken very serious. To not provide adequate care, concern for your guest was akin to adultery. Notice what it says in Genesis 19:4-6

Genesis 19:4–6 CSB

4 Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, the whole population, surrounded the house. 5 They called out to Lot and said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!” 6 Lot went out to them at the entrance and shut the door behind him.

Lot was willing to leverage his virgin daughters to protect the lives of the angelic visitors. For us this is horrible that Lot would give his daughters but he was simply behaving according to the culture

Martha was essentially telling Jesus what’s important to me should also be important to Mary. In this case Martha was elevating the lesser over the greater.

She was putting “Love of neighbor over Love of God”

She was elevating Culture over Christ.

Application

Pastor and Congregation as you strive to fulfill the great commission the constant challenge will be learning to discern the good vs the better

Sister Connors napkins

Satan, the World and our Flesh is always seeking to reorder our priorities.

Saints our Priorities have already been established for us by Jesus. Paul says Phil 3:10-11

Philippians 3:10–11 CSB

10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

Jesus in his high priestly prayer tell us our priorities in John 17:3

John 17:3 CSB

3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ.

Preacher every program, every fellowship, every mission trip, every Bible study, Every Sunday morning worship should prioritize this principle.

Saints we need to sit at his feet

There is a story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves. The teams were playing in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other. As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, "Henry, you're holding the bat wrong. You're supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark." Aaron didn't say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, "I didn't come up here to read."

Hank knew his priorities

Jesus tells Martha one thing is necessary

In this case what is Necessary?

II. Devoted Mary

Luke 10:42 CSB

42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

(42) “but one things is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her”

(EXE) Jesus tells Martha one thing in life is “necessary” One thing is life must be your highest priority. You see Jesus is “rebuking” Martha, but he is not asking her to choose between “Good & Evil” that would have been an easy decision. Jesus is teaching Martha that in life some decision are choosing between “Good & Better”

(EXE) technical speaking in the ancient world Mary should have been in the kitchen helping to prepare the meal for the disciples. She was the host along with her sister. In the ancient world to not show gracious hospitality was considered beyond disrespectful. Martha is doing everything in her power to make sure Jesus and his disciples are well taken care of. Her heart was in the right place. But she was absolutely wrong. Because it just wasn't’ any ole teacher in her family room it was THE GREAT TEACHER. When Jesus shows up tradition is secondary.

What Mary did was counter cultural. What Mary did went against all the cultural norms. I am sure the disciples were like “why is Mary out here listening to Jesus preach?” Only men out here! she should be in the Kitchen cooking. Jesus in this teaching and in his reaction to Mary is turning the culture upside down.

He says “Mary has made the right choice!!” and I will not be asking her to stop listening to me to help you prepare the Lamb. And maybe Martha you should be less worried about the stew and be more concerned about this Kingdom Message I am bringing!!

This is a lesson to the saved and the unsaved.

to the saved: Don’t let the mundane or superficial things keep you from the ultimate. When he is in the room Hospitality comes second. Leave the kitchen dirty, Cook after he gets done preaching. Learn to sit at his feet. Put your work down, Put your tablet down, Turn off the TV, get off the phone, Stop doing ministry and sit at his feet.

To the unsaved: This world system is like a ocean with a tide that will slowly pull you away from the shore. The tide will pull you further and further away from truth. This world is full of enticing distraction they will keep you from hearing the Lord calling you!!!! Don’t let the distraction of this World keep you from having a relationship with Jesus. He loves you and wants to get married to you!!! Seek him while he may be found!!!

Conclusion

Earlier I mentioned Mary dedication to Jesus was as if she had known him for all her life let’s take a look at that:

Mark 16:9 CSB

9 [Early on the first day of the week, after he had risen, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

(9) “Early on the first day of the week, after he had risen, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons”

(9) You notice in this text that it says Jesus drove 7 demons out of Mary. Jesus did not start his public ministry of healing and exorcism until he was 30. So Jesus did not meet Mary until he was 30. Jesus first encounter with Mary was having to exorcise demons out of her. Prior to Jesus Mary was “off the hook”

Mary anointed Jesus feet with a perfume that was worth a years wages? where Mary get the kind of money to be able to pour it out on Jesus?

Speculation: Mary was a former prostitute which was a lucrative career. In that career expensive perfume would be apart of her craft.

This is astounding that after meeting Jesus that same woman who needed demon therapy: Took care of Jesus physical needs(housing & food), Sat at his feet(discipled by him), Saw her brother raised from the dead, and Anointed his feet and head, and if that wasn’t enough look at this text in Mark.

(9) “Early on the first day of the week(Sunday), after he had risen, he appeared first to Mary” Now why did he appeared to Mary first. Because Mary was the first one to show up at the grave. Mary is the first witness to the resurrection of Christ. You think this is just a nebulous fact the writers are putting in the story. All of the gospel writers are highlighting the faithfulness of this newly saved, on fire believer disciple

Where did all this passion come from?

Luke 7:39–50 CSB

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!” 40 Jesus replied to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He said, “Say it, teacher.” 41 “A creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Since they could not pay it back, he graciously forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one he forgave more.” “You have judged correctly,” he told him. 44 Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. 47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Saints a church full of people who have been saved from much should love much!!

When you love Jesus and he is the Apple of your eye; your priorities will always be in order.

Jesus tells us the two greatest commandments in Matthew 22:35-39

Matthew 22:35–39 CSB

35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 22:37–39 CSB

37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

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