Good? Or, Great?

Steve Bowyer

Words & Works of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted 6 months ago • Presented 6 months ago

Luke 10:38–42

Jesus visits Mary and Martha

0 ratings

· 2 views

Notes

Transcript

Priorities

In 2001, Jim Collins wrote this book, “Good to Great”.

If you were in business, education, ministry, or many other fields, likely you read this book, or at least you have heard about it and its premise.

It’s a book about how to become a great organization. It’s rare to make it to that level. Interestingly, the reason he gave for more organizations not becoming great is b/c they are already good.

Wait, what?

The quote of the message of the book is this:

“Good is the enemy of the great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don’t have great schools principally b/c we have good schools. We don’t have great government principally b/c we have good government. Few ppl attain great lives b/c it’s just so easy to settle for a good life.”

Basically, he is saying we let the good get in the way of the great. We are afraid, lack the will, to make the necessary changes to become great. We do good things and are satisfied w/ them. If someone were to press us to do better, we can become frustrated b/c what we are doing is important and good enough.

Many of us have, or have had important jobs. I have a career in ministry. We’ve got doctors, nurses, teachers, accountants, first responders and many other important careers represented right here in this room today. What we do, or did, is important to the people we did it for.

And, as I shared my story last week, sometimes we let important things get in the way of things that are more important.

If you were here last week you probably remember the story. Sara and I had our first child when I still had one semester left of seminary. She went back to work. I finished, graduated, and found my first ministry job. That all took about a year.

Therefore, I started that job just after Alyssa turned 1. So, for the first full year of her life I was her primary care-giver. I was Mr. Mom.

But, when I started that job, which was an important ministry job, I worked 7-days/week and 13 or 14-hour days. I’d get to the church around 8. Break for lunch, break for supper, and head back until 8 or 9 that night. I got my wakeup call about 6 months in when Alyssa told me to get lost. She was mad. I had deserted for that time.

I was not all she knew, but I was the primary she knew. Then, I was absent. I had been very present.

I had vowed that I would be an involved father. My dad split on us when I was young. I was not going to be an absent father. But, that was what I had become.

But, what I was doing was important. I had a role in the eternal destiny and abundant life of all the ppl who attended that church. No small deal.

But my family was more important. I had allowed what was important to get in the way of what was more important. And b/c of that wakeup call from my 1-year-old daughter, I was able to make the necessary changes to get my priorities back in order.

I am sure, w/ the number of ppl we have here this morning, some of you did the same thing. You let your job responsibilities expand to fill the available time. Then, there just wasn’t much time left over for anything else.

Hobbies, sports, social life, TV shows and movies? After your job and other important things, what have you allowed to get in the way of what is more important?

Bringing home the bacon, important. Financially supporting your family. If you lost your job and income, then you had to go get another one. Your family needed for you to do that.

Vacays, travel, exercise. Mental, emotional, and physical health are all important. But, we cannot allow them to become more important than what is most important.

One of our VBS kids suggested I might get a little chunky if I ate a dozen donuts in one sitting.

Ya, I’d be chunky.

We all need a good night’s sleep. 6, 7, 8 hours at least. And all these things take time. And there is no way make more time. It’s finite for all of us.

Some may try to sleep less to have more waking hours for all these other things. But, if you’re not sleeping enough, then these other things won’t go well.

Above all these important things, there is still one more thing that even more important that keeps us healthy and thriving while keeping our priorities in order. And it’s way too easy to settle for not spending enough time doing it b/c all these other things are so important.

We can be good at all of them. But, if we want a great life, then we need to make sure we do what we need to do that Jesus said was the most important thing to do.

You remember, Jesus was asked what is the most important thing to do. Literally, they asked about commandments. Commandments are things we should do; or not do. The “Thou shall not’s”.

And, think about all the things He could have said.

“Go to the synagogue every Saturday. Then, go to church every Sunday.”

Give your pastor a standing ovation after every sermon.

Work overtime whenever possible.

Take your vacations. Work hard. Work only 4 days/week.

Could have said anything.

But what He said was, love God more than anything else and w/ your entire being. And, love your neighbor as yourself.

2 relationship commands.

According to Jesus, the most important thing to do in your life is maintain your most important relationships before you do anything else even when everything else is important.

Many of these important things help us accomplish these relationships. But we must keep them in their right priority.

God, first. Then, from the Good Sam parable, there is no non-neighbor. But, who’s your closest neighbor? How about the person who sleeps in the bed next to you. Or, in the rooms next to yours.

Luke wrote these few verses in the middle of a three unit passage. Last week was the first unit. The Good Samaritan. This is unit 2. Next week we will study the Lord’s prayer and the role prayer plays in Jesus’ priorities for us.

This is another more popular story. Maybe not as popular as the Good Sam. And it’s only 5 verses.

It’s in Luke 10.

Let’s start w/ the setting.

The Setting

Luke 10:38–39 NIV

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.

Remember when Jesus sent out the 72, 2x2 into the towns and cities where He was about to visit. So now, He is out visiting these towns and cities. This home is in Bethany, about 2.5 mi. SE of Jerusalem.

Martha was the oldest of 3 siblings who lived together. Mary was her younger sister and Lazarus was their brother.

Jesus was more than just casual friends w/ the 3. Whenever he traveled this way, He stayed w/ them. After his 12 discs, these 3 were about his closest friends. Obviously, it made sense for Him to stay w/ them. There would have been a warm welcome here. versus whatever towns and cities rejected Him.

This won’t be the only significant story to come out of their home in Bethany. Lazarus will be a major object lesson for us in time.

Jesus is traveling. The 12 must have found other accommodations as they are not mentioned here. And the home was probably a very modest home w/ little extra room. There is no mention of Lazarus there that day. But, he probably would have been as it would have been very inappropriate for Jesus to stay in a home w/ 2 other women only.

Husbands? No mention, they are not important to this story. This is about Jesus, Martha, and Mary.

If someone as special as Jesus came to visit, you can imagine the effort that would have been put into a fancy meal. Martha set out to put out a spread that would have impressed Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsey. Mary had other priorities.

Mary, the younger sister, took the initiative, did not wait to be asked, and took her place sitting on the ground at Jesus’ feet. This was the position of a disc. She was an eager listener and learner.

That said, it was not appropriate for a woman to take this place. Rabbis did not accept women as students. But she obviously was not interested in cultural norms when Jesus came to visit. This was her opportunity to be taught by him, no matter how inappropriate.

We tend to forget that Jesus’ spoken words are of the same importance as the written word of God. How much better would it be if we were able to dialogue w/ Jesus. Ask follow up questions rather than you guys having to depend on me to explain, as best I can, what was being discussed.

In this case, we don’t know what the topic was. Again, not the point.

Mary had been involved w/ Martha in the kitchen making preparations for their meal. When Jesus arrived she immediately stopped helping Martha and diverted her attention to Jesus.

Martha kept up the work prepping for the meal by herself. You can almost hear her huffing as she throws the pots and pans and food around b/c she’s having to do it by herself.

And that created a conflict between the sisters and Martha voiced her complaint.

The Complaint

Luke 10:40 NIV

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Martha was mad. The indication is this was a very elaborate and fancy meal. This was no Swanson TV dinner popped into the microwave. This would have been a specialty, her favorite meal to prepare and she needed her sous chef.

This was important. Prepping the meal for such and important guest would have a good thing to do. She was obsessed w/ something important.

Apparently, she was good at this. She knew her way around the kitchen and knew what to do to honor such a special guest.

In effect what she was saying was, Mary isn’t doing what I told her to do. You make her help me.

This put Jesus in an awkward position between the sisters.

Don’t you care?! Martha expected a positive response. Sure, Jesus cared.

But that she had to raise the issues shows how irritated she was and how she expected Jesus to do what she told Him to do.

Interesting prayer. People have been praying this prayer since Jesus was here. Just do what I tell you to do and my life will be less stressful.

It didn’t work then. It doesn’t work now.

She felt deserted and Mary was being irresponsible. Martha had a plan that involved Mary. Mary was not doing what Martha told her to do. So she makes a demand of Jesus expecting Him to do what she wants him to do.

Jesus didn’t do what she expected. And He certainly didn’t make Mary do what Martha wanted her to do.

Martha was obsessed w/ good, important. But Jesus took the opportunity to communicate to her what a better, more important choice she should make.

Good, Better, Best

Luke 10:41–42 NIV

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Rather than rebuke Mary and make her get up and help; Jesus rebuked Martha. It was gentle. But that is what was communicated by repeating her name.

Jesus told her she was too stressed about this. The meal was not as important as she thought it was.

Isn’t that the way it goes for us much of the time? We stress over things that we think are more important than they really are.

Martha was upset, angry. Jesus is even telling her she was over-planning the meal. He didn’t need such a fancy elaborate meal. Keep it simple. Your preparation is keeping you away from the rest of us.

It was not Martha’s service that Jesus rebuked, but her anxiety, stress, over-occupation w/ the material things of an elaborate meal when a simple meal would have been better. And also, her loss of temper and outburst demanding He tell Mary to help her.

Had she kept the meal plan simpler, she would have had more time to sit w/ Mary and listen to what Jesus had to teach them.

A couple of Xmases ago, I bought Sara a Blackstone flat top grill. She saw one at the Agee’s Labor Day fundraiser raffle that year and was pretty disappointed she didn’t win it. So, I bought her one.

December, January it’s cold out on the deck where she wanted to use it. No problem, Jim told me Sams was having a sale on propane deck heaters. So, I bought her one of those. Now, she could cook outside in the cold and stay warm.

And of course feed me.

Moment of honesty. Much of my gift-giving to Sara is so she can do more good things for me.

But, there was a bigger issue. My wife is too social to stand outside in the cold by herself. If we are hosting a dinner party, the rest of the ppl would stay inside by the fire where it was warm. Sara didn’t like that. Since I didn’t want to buy more deck heaters, she only uses the flat top during the summer.

She needed a different plan in the winter where she can stay inside w/ everybody else. In the summer, we can all be outside w/ her.

This was the problem Jesus pointed out w/ Martha. It seemed Martha was more of a doer. She had a plan. It was a good plan. Mary, may not have had a plan at all. It might be she just reacted in the moment. Either way, Jesus said Mary’s choice was better than Martha’s.

The point He was making? To be occupied w/ Jesus is more important than to occupied for Jesus.

Being taught by Him is more important and impactful than being busy for Him.

Don’t neglect the relationship by being preoccupied w/ the ministry and service.

Mary had made the better choice. Time w/ Jesus is more important than time prepping to feed Him. Sometimes the important activities of ministry can prevent us from the more important things in our life.

That’s what happened to me. I was serving Jesus by serving the ppl in that church. That was a noble and important task. But I was neglecting the more important tasks of the relationships w/ my family.

Life gets busy, even doing good things. Making sure we do the more important things involves some of the harder decisions we will ever make.

One of the main reason why we need a little planning for our day making sure we do the most important things sometime during the day.

If Jesus really is the most important relationship you, then what does it say if you make no time for him during your day?

Do you remember when you first fell in love w/ someone. Did your parents have an egg-timer, or oven-timer they set when you called her on the phone? Back in the day there was one phone hanging on the wall and the handset was attached by cord. If I was on the phone w/ my girlfriend, no one else could receive a call.

But, we were in love. We couldn’t wait to talk to each other. Long-term relationships were 2 weeks.

You hang up. No, you hang. I’m not hanging up…

My mom right there waiting w/ that look in her eye.

Do you love Jesus more than your jr. high crush? Do you talk to him more than that crush?

If we don’t take the time early in the day, then by the end of the day do you have anything left in the tank for Him? It’s okay if you’re more of a night person. But, It’s too easy to let other important things squeeze out your time w/ Jesus.

Just like how we budget and spend our money. The budget is important. We must have a plan for how we spend our money monthly. B/C, if we just buy what we want at the first of the month w/out planning for our payments that come due at the end of the month, then those later important bills may not get paid.

If we are over-concerned w/ the material things in this life we can get ourselves in a bind paying for them.

Here, Jesus said to the sister, spend less time and money on the meal and more time w/ me.

That’s fulfilling the greatest commandments.

One last thing from my life. It was said around the seminary where I went to school that there is no place like a seminary to kill your spiritual life. That’s b/c students would confuse homework assignments in the bible for personal time w/ God.

If I have to study a passage in Matthew for a class then why not consider that my QT? B/C, I’m working for answers for my professors, not me.

Even w/ me prepping to preach, then my QTs, personal time w/ Jesus is not in any of the gospels. Right now I am reading the Psalms.

God still teaches me to apply the passage I’m preaching and hopefully help you apply. But it’s different than me sitting at the feet of Jesus for him to teach me just for me.

More relational time. Less ministry time. More listening time, less doing time.

Maybe we need to scale back our material pursuits to make adequate time to sit and listen to Jesus. Let the Word of God in.

Working, supporting your family is an act of service to Christ. It’s a good thing to do. Hobbies, vacays, exercise, reading other books are also good to keep you well balanced and emotionally and mentally healthy.

But we just can’t neglect the most important things to do simply important things.

Don’t get so busy like Martha that you don’t have the time to just sit and listen like Mary. Priorities.

Applications

Good

What’s good about your life? What could be better by making a couple of adjustments?

An earlier bedtime? Less trashy TV? Less coffee? Less sugar? Less TV news?

If you are stressing too much about stuff, then cut back on the stuff.

What can you be better at?

Sit & Listen

Are you taking enough time to simply sit and listen to Jesus?

Do you have a friend who does all the talking when you get together? You can’t get a word in edgewise?

Are you that friend to Jesus? Do you need to speak less in your prayer and listen more?

Serve

Don’t get the idea that serving Jesus is a bad thing. It is definitely good. I’m sure He appreciated Martha’s efforts to serve Him. He scolded her for over-stressing about it and not cutting back enough to enjoy his presence w/ them.

Serve. Serve enough w/out serving too much so that you stress over it. What do you need to cut back on to stress less and sit and listen to Jesus more?