IN HER STEPS - MARY & MARTHA

Intro - About me (30 seconds)

Celeste - married for 5 years and 2 children

I’m excited to share about two different women we find in the Bible. Go with me to Luke Chapter 10:38-42.

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Mary and Martha.

How many of y’all have heard of Mary and Martha before?

You know, this story frustrated me for a long time because of the way Jesus responds to Martha.

In his response to Martha he almost seems to say that what she was doing in the moment wasn’t important or needed.

This frustrated me because she was doing something that was expected of her to do. They were in her home! She was preparing a meal and getting things ready as anyone would do if someone honorable were there to visit.

But it’s as if Jesus disregards the work that she’s doing for him.

So I wrestled with that for a long time becuase most of the time, I find myself to be alot like Martha.

Busyness - Mother of 2, wife, full time job, health coach, worship team, etc.

There’s always something that needs to be done. Something or someone who wants my attention.

So again, for Jesus to respond to Martha this way always hurt my feelings a little bit.

But if you really pay attention to what Jesus is trying to say here, you’ll see his heart in all of it.

Jesus was calling Martha out because she was being drawn away from his presence by the distractions of everyday life.

It wasn’t the fact that she was doing the work, it was the fact that she allowed the work to distract her from the one she was doing the work for!

Martha let the demands of the moment keep her from sitting at his feet.

And what does this lead to for Martha?

Bitterness

Frustration

Anger

Resentment

Burnout

Because how many of you know that when you try to serve God without the presence of God, you end up burned out?

And when I say serving God, I don’t just mean at church.

You serve God when you...

serve your family.

minister to your co-worker.

give generously to those in need.

love your kids.

You know, Martha was serving the Lord too…but her heart was not in tune with his like Mary’s was.

And that is why Jesus says that Mary chose the better thing.

When we prioritize his presence, all of the work that we do flows out of a place of confidence in who we are in Christ.

When all of the “things” that we do for God take us away from intimately knowing God, then we’ve lost sight of his ultimate purpose for our life.

So I believe that today, on this Mother’s Day, Jesus is drawing us back to himself and away from the distractions.

We are living in a time where busyness is at an all time high. There is always something that is calling for our attention.

But this morning I want to encourage you to remember the significance of sitting at his feet.

Remember the importance of being a woman of his presence.

Do you know what I love most about Mary?

In Luke 10 you see her sitting at Jesus feet to listen closely to his words and to learn from him.

If you read in John 11 you see Mary at Jesus’ feet again, this time she’s grieving.

And then fast forward to John 12. You find Mary at Jesus’ feet one last time.

This time it’s to serve him by pouring a very costly oil onto his feet.

The bible says in John 12:3 that the house was filled with the fragrance.

Because of Mary’s dedication to sitting at the feet of Jesus, her service to him made much more of an impact than Martha’s ever did.

She knew that by going after the one thing, that she would gain everything.

Jesus is the one thing. Seek him FIRST and then let everything else that you do flow from a place of His Presence.