Sitting At Jesus' Feet
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Luke 10:38-42
Luke 10 takes us from the open road of ministry to the quiet room of fellowship.
We move from public teaching to personal devotion.
Here in the home of Martha and Mary, Jesus reminds us that following His steps is not about speed but about being still long enough to learn from Him.
We live in a noisy, hurried, overcommitted world.
Phones ring, schedules fill, and hearts grow restless.
In the midst of all that motion, Jesus shows us that devotion is more valuable than activity.
Martha welcomed Jesus into her house, but Mary welcomed Jesus into her heart.
Both sisters loved Him, but only one truly listened.
This passage doesn’t scold service—it simply sets it in its proper order.
Jesus wants worship before work, presence before performance, and communion before contribution.
Spurgeon once said, “The more active you become for God, the more time you need to spend with God.”
That is what we see in Mary’s choice and Martha’s correction.
If we are to follow His steps, we must first learn to sit at His feet.
I. The Receiving of the Savior
I. The Receiving of the Savior
verse 38 says, “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.”
Every great moment of fellowship with God begins with an open door.
Before Jesus can speak in your home or heart, He must first be welcomed in.
Bethany became blessed because someone made room for the Savior.
A. The Visit of the Master
A. The Visit of the Master
Jesus entered Bethany—a quiet village just outside Jerusalem—and chose to visit this home.
Every visit of Jesus is an act of grace, He doesn’t need us, but the truth is we desperately need Him.
Christ’s coming to Martha’s house shows His willingness to fellowship with everyday people.
He didn’t just eat with pharisee’s, but he did do that.
He didn’t choose a palace or a synagogue, but a home to dine in.
Jesus still comes to dwell wherever He is welcomed.
Revelation 3:20 says,
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
and He enters any heart that opens the door.
A church or a believer who invites Him and His presence will never lack His power.
B. The Welcome of the Mistress
B. The Welcome of the Mistress
Martha did a good thing—she “received Him.”
Hospitality was a mark of love and respect in Jewish life, and Martha excelled at it.
She saw Jesus’ physical need and sought to meet it with food and comfort.
And of course there is nothing wrong with working hard for the Lord.
God blesses diligence and discipline.
in fact Colossians 3:23 says,
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
But here is the danger: sometimes our doing for Him crowds out our being with Him.
It is possible to open your house to Christ while closing your heart to His voice.
Martha started right, but somewhere along the way she let her service eclipse her Savior.
Her busyness became her bondage, and her joy turned into frustration.
II. The Restlessness of a Distracted Heart
II. The Restlessness of a Distracted Heart
(v. 40) “But Martha was cumbered about much serving…”
The same hands that once welcomed Jesus are now weighed down with work.
She is cumbered about - to be distracted or to be pulled away.
When service takes priority over surrender, the soul begins to strain.
The sound of pots and pans can quickly drown out the still, small voice of the Lord Jesus.
So we see first of all…
A. The Burden of Her Activity
A. The Burden of Her Activity
The word “cumbered” literally means “to be pulled in different directions.”
Martha’s good intentions became an exhausting weight.
What began as worship turned into worry.
When work for God replaces fellowship with God, burnout is certain.
When Dr. Helen Roseveare first arrived in the Congo as a missionary doctor in the 1950s, she threw herself into the work with full energy and devotion.
She built hospitals, trained nurses, and treated thousands of patients.
At first, she described it as “pure joy to serve the Lord.”
But over time, she became cumbered about much serving.
Every need felt urgent, and every demand felt divine.
Sleep shortened, meals skipped, prayer time neglected.
Soon, the joy of service had turned to the burden of activity.
She later confessed that she began to measure her worth by what she accomplished rather than Who she adored.
If we keep our eyes on the right place and serve in and by His grace, we will have peace not turmoil.
Isaiah 26:3 reminds us,
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.
Peace departs when focus drifts.
We can be busy in ministry yet barren in spirit.
B. The Bitterness of Her Attitude
B. The Bitterness of Her Attitude
verse 40 continues…“She came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?”
Martha’s frustration boiled over.
She accused her sister and even implied that Jesus didn’t care.
When our hearts are out of tune with the Lord, we start blaming people who are still in tune.
Her focus shifted from the Savior to her situation.
A heart filled with frustration often produces a mouth filled with complaint.
Remember Dr. Helen Roseveare, as her story continues we see her burning the candle at both ends but neglecting her time with God.
As exhaustion set in, so did frustration.
When her co-workers didn’t match her pace, she grew resentful.
She wrote in her journal, “I began to feel that others were lazy and that God Himself had somehow forgotten to help.”
Her bitterness of attitude poisoned her fellowship.
What once felt like ministry became misery.
She was serving God but not walking with Him.
Whenever service becomes about what others are or aren’t doing, our eyes have left Christ.
The remedy is not less work, but more worship.
C. The Busyness of Her Anxiety
C. The Busyness of Her Anxiety
Jesus told her…“Thou art careful and troubled about many things.”
Jesus saw her inward condition.
“Careful” means anxious.
“Troubled” means stirred up or agitated.
Martha’s heart was in motion but not in peace.
When prayer is replaced by pressure, the result is always panic.
Dr. Helen said that when she could no longer keep up…Then came anxiety.
When political tensions rose and violence broke out, she said, “I feared everything — the work falling apart, my own safety, even whether God was still in control.”
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Paul is telling us to be carful [anxious] for nothing, but to bring everything to God in prayer.
The result is “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
You cannot have peace and be pulled in pieces at the same time.
While Martha was pacing the kitchen, Mary was at peace in the living room.
The difference wasn’t personality—it was priority.
So now we see…
III. The Reverence of a Devoted Disciple
III. The Reverence of a Devoted Disciple
(v. 39) “And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.”
If Martha shows us the strain of serving without sitting, Mary shows us the strength that comes from stillness.
She teaches us that the best way to follow Christ is to stop moving long enough to listen to Him.
first we notice…
A. Her Position at His Feet
A. Her Position at His Feet
Mary chose the place of humility.
To sit at someone’s feet meant to be a learner, a follower, a disciple.
Acts 22:3 says Paul was “brought up at the feet of Gamaliel.”
Mary sat at the feet of the greater Teacher—the Lord Himself.
Application: You cannot learn from Christ until you bow before Him.
Psalm 46:10 says,
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Stillness is not laziness; it is dependence.
Secondly notice…
B. Her Priority of His Word
B. Her Priority of His Word
Mary “heard his word.” verse 39 tells us.
it wasn’t just her proximity, it was her priority!
She wasn’t distracted by the clatter of dishes or the movement of others.
Her ears were tuned to His truth.
Romans 10:17 reminds us,
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith grows in the same soil where the Word is planted.
You want more faith hear the word more — Listen to the Bible, read it out loud, listen to more sermons.
Your faith will grow.
If your faith feels weak, your hearing has likely grown faint.
Devotion is the doorway to discernment.
Mary’s secret was simple: she placed her heart where His words could reach it.
Do we come to church ready to hear from God?
Or are we just showing up because that is what we are supposed to do?
Come ready to hear from…have your heart ready and open so that God’s Word will reach it!
thirdly notice…
C. Her Peace in His Presence
C. Her Peace in His Presence
Mary was at rest, while Martha was in a rush.
One sat, the other scurried.
One listened, the other labored.
Isaiah 30:15 says,
15 For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: And ye would not.
Isaiah was telling the nation of Judah that they were a rebellious people who were going to be judged…it was futile to rely on themselves.
And only returning to God and resting in Him will they be saved.
Only in their quietness with Him and their and confidence in Him will they have strength.
Strength for service always comes from time in His presence.
Before Elijah called down fire, he stood still to hear the “still small voice.”
Before Jesus sent the apostles out, He first called them to be with Him (Mark 3:14).
14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
The power to go comes from the wisdom to sit and listen.
Martha’s service was admirable, but Mary’s stillness was commendable.
Now Jesus makes His approval known.
IV. The Reward of the Better Portion
IV. The Reward of the Better Portion
(vv. 41–42)
“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
The Lord never leaves us guessing about what pleases Him most.
In His response to Martha, Jesus gently draws a line between what is urgent and what is truly important.
Here we see…
A. The Clarification of Priorities
A. The Clarification of Priorities
Jesus gently repeats her name—“Martha, Martha.”
The double address shows love and concern.
He’s not scolding her; He’s shepherding her.
He said, “One thing is needful.”
Not ten things.
Not a dozen duties.
One thing—fellowship with Me.
We complicate Christianity when we multiply the “many things” and neglect the “one thing.”
Psalm 27:4 says,
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
The one thing God desires from you is the same thing He desired from Mary—your undivided attention.
And now we hear…
B. The Commendation of the Choice
B. The Commendation of the Choice
“Mary hath chosen that good part.”
Mary’s devotion was not default—it was deliberate.
She made a conscious decision to slow down and sit down.
Holiness is not accidental; it is intentional.
Each day offers competing voices and choices.
Colossians 3:2 commands,
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
You must choose the good part, or the urgent will always overtake the important.
And then we see a wonderful thing…
C. The Continuation of the Blessing
C. The Continuation of the Blessing
“…which shall not be taken away from her.”
Martha’s meal would be eaten and forgotten.
Mary’s moments would be remembered forever.
What we gain in time with Christ can never be taken away.
Positions can change, possessions can fade, but fellowship with Jesus is eternal.
1 Timothy 4:8 says,
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
The time you spend with Jesus today becomes treasure stored up for eternity.
Mary’s quiet heart became the pattern of true worship.
We later see her again in John 12, breaking the alabaster box and anointing Jesus’ feet with costly ointment.
That act of devotion was born from time spent at His feet.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This story is not about personality but priority.
Jesus never condemned Martha’s work; He corrected her worry.
He wants us to serve, but only after we’ve sat.
When our worship fuels our work, our service becomes joyful again.
When our serving replaces our sitting, even ministry becomes misery.
Dr. Helen Roseveare discovered that truth the hard way.
After years of overwork and exhaustion in the Congo, she said she finally realized that Jesus never asked her to be successful—He asked her to be faithful.
And faithfulness, she said, “begins at His feet.”
When she learned to rest in Him again, the peace she’d lost returned, and her service took on joy once more.
Her story reminds us that the strength to serve always flows from stillness with the Savior.
Mary of Bethany learned that same lesson.
She appears three times in Scripture—and every time, she’s at Jesus’ feet.
In Luke 10, she sits at His feet to hear His Word.
In John 11, she falls at His feet in sorrow.
In John 12, she anoints His feet in worship.
Everything in her life began and ended at His feet.
The question tonight is not how much you’re doing for Jesus, but how much time you’re spending with Jesus.
When was the last time you simply sat and listened—no agenda, no rush, no noise?
This week, choose the better part.
Schedule time to be still before God each day.
Ask the Lord to reorder your loves, refresh your priorities, and renew your spirit.
Because when we learn to sit at His feet, we’ll finally be ready to walk in His steps.
