Luke 10:38-42 | Distracted

Last year on April 23, 2023 I preached my candidating sermon for the position of Senior Pastor at MEFC: A Nobody Telling the World About Somebody.

In between services there was a Q&A question time:

Do you have a vision or a plan for our church?

I don’t have one… Actually, I do. Sort of. One of the greatest challenges that I face as a pastor is that people are busy. Crazy busy!

Unfortunately, this is not a MEFC only problem or a Minnesota only problem. This is a problem with our society.

Crazy busy has led to something called hurry sickness. Have you ever experienced hurry sickness?

By definition, hurry sickness is “a behavior pattern characterized by continual rushing and anxiousness; an overwhelming and continual sense of urgency.” Rosemary K.M. Sword and Philip Zimbardo, Hurry Sickness

Constantly checking your phone for emails and social media posts.

Annoyed by the slow tractors during harvest time

Impatience at the slow-moving train in town

Moving from one check-out line to another because it looks shorter

Why is important to address hurry sickness? Simple: Life is short. Eternity is long. Don’t waste your life! We need to embrace an Eternal Perspective: Investing With the End in Mind.

“Do you ever catch yourself with the sneaking suspicion that you’ll wake up on your deathbed with this nagging sense that somehow, in all the hurry and busyness and frenetic activity, you missed the most important things?

Somehow you started a business but ended a marriage.

You got your kids to their dream college but never taught them the way of Jesus.

You got letters after your name but learned the hard way that intelligence is not the same as wisdom.

You made a lot of money but never grew rich in the things that matter most. Which ironically, aren’t things at all.

You watched all fourteen seasons of ____ but never learned to love prayer. (John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry)

Let’s look at how the Bible addresses this issue.

Luke 10:38–42 “38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 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 much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.””

This passage addresses two ways to approach the Christian life:

The Martha Approach: Anxious and troubled with many things.

The story of Mary and Martha takes place right after Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan which teaches the importance of loving our neighbor through service. The story of Mary and Martha comes as an encouragement and a warning: “Don’t elevate you doing for God over being with God.”

Martha is introduced in our passage today as welcoming Jesus and his disciples into her home. In Bible times, before AirBnB, hospitality was a cultural norm and an expectation of providing provision and protection while a guest remained in the region.

When the passage says that Martha welcomed Jesus into her house it meant more than offering coffee. She volunteered to provide meals and lodging for 13 guys while they are in the Jerusalem area.

Martha has a sister named Mary. Notice the contrast:

Martha: Distracted, anxious, and troubled.

Mary: Sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.

The Greek verb to be distracted means “to be pulled/dragged away from a reference point.” ( Greek-English Lexicon of the NT). Her attention was being pulled away.

Illustration: When your car tends to pulls to one side you bring it to the shop and do an alignment.

Martha is being pulled/dragged away. Rather than being pulled away in one direction, she is being pulled away in many directions. The implication is that Martha wished to hear Jesus but was prevented from doing so by the endless to do-list.

The result was inner turmoil. Martha became anxious and troubled. “Worried and upset” (NLT).

The Greek verb, to be anxious (merimnao),

has its roots in the Greek verb, to divide (merizo). To be anxious or worried is literally “to be divided into parts” (A.T. Robertson). “She has a lot on her mind.”

The meal

The dishes

The beds

The laundry

She became overwhelmed by the amount of things that needed to get done which led to her becoming troubled or upset.

The Greek word here literally means “turmoil or uproar.” Martha is agitated to the point that she becomes snappy at her sister Mary and Jesus.

Luke 10:40 “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.””

The Empty P’s

Pleasure

Praise

Power

Prestige

Position

Popularity

People

Productivity

Possessions

Perfection

Performance

Physical Appearance

Platforms

Projects

Public Opinion

“Work for God that is not nourished by a deep interior life with God will eventually deteriorate and us with it.” Pete Scazzero

The Mary Approach: Being before doing

Jesus offers a tender response to Martha’s dilemma by using her name twice: “Martha, Martha.”

Jesus tells Martha that in this life, one thing is necessary, which is“sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to his teaching.”

Mary elevated being in the presence of Jesus before doing work for Jesus.

He is not saying, “Don’t minister to people.” He’s saying, “Just don’t start there; start with me.”

In Bible times, sitting under someone’s feet is an act of submission and teachability.

People would sell their properties to help those in need in the early church and brought the proceeds “35 and laid [the money] at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts 4:35)

The Apostle Paul was “educated at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3)

Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to her teaching. Mary gave to Jesus her time and undivided attention. As a result, she was in tune with God’s agenda. She had an eternal perspective.

In John 12 Jesus and his disciples are back at Martha’s house.

John 12:3 “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”

People complained, “Why not sell the expensive ointment and give it to the poor instead?”

Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.”

Mary knew that Jesus was going to die. It seems to me like she was the only one who really knew and understood that Jesus was going to die.

Didn’t Jesus tell his apostles about his upcoming death? Many times!

However, Mary took the time to sit at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. As a result, she was in tune with God’s agenda by anointing Jesus in preparation for his burial which will take place in a week. She had an eternal perspective.

Mary elevated being in the presence of Jesus before doing work for Jesus.

“Corrie ten Boom once said that if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.”

There’s truth in that. Both sin and busyness have the exact same effect—they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul.”

Conclusion: The passage teaches us that spending time with Jesus and learning from Him is more important than being distracted by the worries and tasks of this world. Jesus elevates being with him over doing for him.

"I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord." (George Mueller)

There are two meals going on in this story. The meal Martha offers and the meal Jesus offers.

Jesus said that Mary has chosen the good portion which will not be taken away from her. This is an allusion to Psalm 16:5 “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup.” (Deep satisfaction in God)

Is an invitation to abide in Jesus.

Exercise: Teach us to pray!

Luke 11:2–4 “2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread, 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.””