Story Time pt8

Busy. That’s the word of our world. Busy conveys importance. Purpose. Drive. It says “I am not lazy. I am productive. I matter.” We measure our value by how covered up our calendars are.

Yet the Bible over and over again calls us to a different rhythm and cadence. One of rest. Stopping. Reflecting.

When Jesus was here with us He modeled that. He would go away for a time to be quiet and hear from God. He would pause.

I go through seasons in my life when the work seems overwhelming. I am in one of those seasons. But the previous seasons have taught me to seek rest and quiet. That’s hard to come by when you are in a whirlwind. But Jesus keeps saying “Rest.”

He modeled this for the disciples, but He said exactly that to His friends. The busy cannot miss the necessary.

Turn with me to Luke 10:38-42.

I sometimes feel personally attacked by this passage. I am often Martha.

There are people in church circles who will twist up this passage into some kind of statement about women and work. I feel sorry for them. They are missing the point.

The point is not about gender, it is about missing the Person because we are focused on the Task.

Martha has a task- she is running a household. And she needs all hand son deck. Especially her sister. But Mary is preoccupied with Someone rather than with the Task.

Luke Comments

“Listening” is a durative imperfect and emphasizes a continual listening. She was listening to “what he said” (literally his word). For the importance of the term word, see comments on 1:2.

Pastors can be really guilty of this. I have been. So focused on sermon prep I neglect my own personal study. So focused on Sunday morning I forget to worship. So focused on the point to drive home, I miss the Spirit moving a different way.

You get the idea.

Task driven people can be really dense.

Martha is focused on the Task. And she is focused on who is NOT helping. Everyone should be like her.

Luke Comments

Martha also wanted to hear Jesus, but the tyranny of the urgent prevented her from doing this.

By all the preparations that had to be made. The Greek is literally with much serving. The same term, “serving,” is used in 8:3; 4:39. Martha’s “service” for Jesus got in the way of her sitting lovingly at his feet

What causes us to be so busy so task focused?

- It could be we really enjoy the work

- It could be we are afraid of leaving something undone

- It could be the way we keep from having to think about a reality we don’t like.

- It could be that we are hiding from God.

Whatever the reason, we should not let the “busy” keep us from Jesus.

And that’s what Jesus tells Martha. And look at the word He uses in verse 41- “troubled.”

Busyness becomes troublesome when it keeps us from the One who came to set us free from our troubles.

Luke Comments

There is a need to focus on what is most important, for although serving is good, sitting at Jesus’ feet is best

Jesus told His disciples “my burden is easy and my yoke is light.” He is meant to be a bringer on peace and comfort and intimacy. Why would we choose anything else?

Which is why He points Martha- the troubled, busy one back to Mary- who is at His feet. When we choose Him, we do not lose. We win more than we could have ever accomplished on our own.

Luke Comments

Although there is a comparison between two things here, the superlative is to be preferred, for nothing is better than what Mary chose. It is best to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear God’s word. What feeds the soul is more important than what feeds the body

Years ago, when I was balancing 3 jobs, and just trying to stay afloat, a guy named Seth introduced me to a book called The Rest of God. It was about Sabbath.

The amazing thing about a Sabbath was how revolutionary it was in a culture where if you didn’t work 7 days a week you could starve. And yet God called His people to rest one day a week. That call to rest was a call to dependence.

In resting, they trusted that God was working even when they were not.

Mary discovered that. Martha needed that Sabbath rest.

The first moment of Sabbath rest comes in trusting Jesus as your Savior.

the next moments come as you follow Him.

Why are you not willing to rest and let Him work today?