Choosing What Matters

ENCOUNTERING JESUS

Week 6 — Choosing What Matters Most

Mary and Martha

Text: Luke 10:38–42

Big Idea: We can become so busy doing things for Jesus that we miss the blessing of simply being with Jesus.

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever been busy doing something good and still felt like something was wrong?

You can be busy all day and accomplish a lot, but at the end of the day realize you never really stopped.

There is a difference between being busy and being productive.

And there is also a difference between being busy for Jesus and actually being with Jesus.

Sometimes we can get so busy serving, working, planning, fixing, organizing, helping, and taking care of everybody else that we don't have time to sit at the feet of Jesus.

And here's the danger:

Good things can become distractions when they take the place of the most important thing.

That's exactly what happened in Luke 10.

Jesus comes into a home where two sisters live.

One sister is working.

The other is sitting.

One is serving.

The other is listening.

One is moving around the house.

The other is sitting at the feet of Jesus.

And Jesus teaches both of them—and us—a lesson about what matters most.

1. HER DISTRACTION

Martha Was Busy With Many Things

Luke 10:38–40 “38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.””

A. She Welcomed Jesus

Luke 10:38 says:

"While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home."

The first thing we need to recognize about Martha is that she did something good.

She welcomed Jesus.

She wanted Him in her home.

She opened her home to Him.

She wanted to serve Him.

There is nothing wrong with that.

In fact, Martha's desire to serve Jesus was a good thing.

Sometimes we can be too hard on Martha.

The Bible doesn't present her as an evil woman.

She wasn't trying to do something sinful.

She welcomed Jesus.

She wanted to serve Jesus.

Her heart was pointed in the right direction.

But something happened along the way.

Her service became a distraction.

B. She Worked for Jesus

Martha wasn't sitting around doing nothing.

She was working.

She was preparing.

She was serving.

She was taking care of the practical needs of having Jesus in her home.

And again, there is nothing wrong with serving.

The problem wasn't that she served.

The problem was what happened while she served.

Verse 40 says:

"But Martha was distracted by her many tasks..."

She had moved from serving Jesus to being consumed by the service.

And that's where this becomes personal for us.

We get busy with work.

We get busy with family.

We get busy with church.

We get busy with ministry.

We get busy taking care of everybody else.

And somewhere along the way, our relationship with Jesus gets pushed to the side.

We still love Jesus.

We still believe in Jesus.

We still come to church.

We still serve.

But we're no longer sitting at His feet.

We're working around Jesus without spending time with Jesus.

C. She Was Distracted While Serving Jesus

This is the key.

Martha wasn't distracted by something obviously sinful.

She was distracted while doing something good.

That's what makes this passage so relevant.

Sometimes Satan doesn't have to get us to do something bad.

Sometimes he simply has to get us so busy doing good things that we don't have time for the best thing.

You can be in church every Sunday and still be spiritually distracted.

You can teach Sunday school and still be spiritually distracted.

You can sing in the choir and still be spiritually distracted.

You can preach sermons and still be spiritually distracted.

You can serve Jesus and still miss Jesus.

Being busy for God is never a substitute for being close to God.

Martha's problem wasn't activity.

Martha's problem was misplaced priority.

2. HER FRUSTRATION

Martha Became Upset With Mary—and Jesus

Luke 10:40

Martha eventually reaches the point where her service turns into frustration.

Her distraction produces frustration.

And that frustration begins to affect the way she sees everyone around her.

A. She Compared Herself to Mary

Martha looks across the room and sees Mary sitting at Jesus' feet.

And you can almost hear what is happening in her mind:

"I'm doing all the work, and she's just sitting there."

Martha began comparing her service with Mary's response.

And comparison has a way of stealing our joy.

We start thinking:

"I'm doing more than they are."

"Nobody else is helping."

"Why am I the one carrying all of this?"

And when we start comparing ourselves to others, even our service can become a source of frustration.

Martha wasn't enjoying serving anymore.

She was keeping score.

B. She Questioned Jesus' Care

Verse 40 says Martha came to Jesus and asked:

"Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone?"

Notice what happened.

Martha didn't just become frustrated with Mary.

She became frustrated with Jesus.

She essentially said:

"Lord, don't You care?"

That's a dangerous place to be.

When we become overwhelmed, we often start blaming other people.

"Nobody is helping me."

"Nobody appreciates what I do."

"Nobody understands how much I'm carrying."

And sometimes we even begin asking God:

"Lord, don't You care?"

Martha had moved from serving Jesus to questioning Jesus.

Why?

Because her activity had produced anxiety.

C. She Let Her Service Become a Burden

Serving Jesus should be a joy.

But Martha had allowed something good to become a burden.

And here's an important principle:

When good things become ultimate things, they eventually become burdens.

Serving is good.

Family is good.

Work is good.

Church is good.

Ministry is good.

But none of those things were designed to carry the weight that belongs only to Jesus.

When we make something other than Christ our ultimate priority, even good things can become exhausting.

The question isn't:

"Am I doing good things?"

The question is:

"Are these good things keeping me from the most important thing?"

3. HIS CORRECTION

Jesus Reminded Her What Matters Most

Luke 10:41–42

This is one of the most tender moments in the passage.

Jesus doesn't attack Martha.

He doesn't embarrass her.

He doesn't tell her that serving is wrong.

He simply says:

"Martha, Martha..."

There is tenderness in those words.

Jesus knew her heart.

He knew she wasn't trying to do something wrong.

She was overwhelmed.

She was anxious.

She was distracted.

And Jesus lovingly brings her back to what matters most.

A. Jesus Called Her by Name

"Martha, Martha..."

Jesus knew her.

He knew what was going on inside her.

He knew she was overwhelmed.

He knew she was trying to serve.

He knew she was carrying more than she needed to carry.

And sometimes that's what we need to remember.

Jesus knows us.

He knows when we're tired.

He knows when we're overwhelmed.

He knows when we're anxious.

He knows when we're trying to hold everything together.

And He isn't standing over us waiting to condemn us.

He calls us back to Himself.

B. Jesus Identified Her Worry

Jesus said:

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things..."

Jesus identified what was happening inside Martha.

She was worried.

She was upset.

She had allowed the many things around her to overwhelm the one thing in front of her.

And isn't that easy to do?

There are always many things.

Bills.

Family.

Work.

Schedules.

Responsibilities.

Problems.

Church.

Ministry.

People.

There will always be many things demanding our attention.

But Jesus reminds us that not everything deserves equal priority.

C. Jesus Redirected Her Attention

Then Jesus says:

"...but one thing is necessary."

One thing.

That's the answer.

Martha was focused on many things.

Jesus redirected her attention to one thing.

Mary was sitting at His feet.

She was listening to Him.

She had chosen what mattered most.

And this is where Jesus' words become personal.

Because He isn't just talking to Martha.

He's talking to us.

What has become more important to you than Jesus?

What gets your attention before Jesus does?

What consumes your thoughts?

What controls your schedule?

What determines whether you're at peace or anxious?

What are you so busy doing that you don't have time to sit at the feet of Jesus?

Sometimes the answer isn't a sinful thing.

Sometimes it's a good thing.

And that's what makes this so dangerous.

Satan doesn't always have to tempt us with something obviously evil.

Sometimes all he has to do is make us too busy for Jesus.

4. HER CHOICE

Mary Chose the Better Portion

Luke 10:42

Jesus says:

"Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her."

Mary made a choice.

She chose Jesus.

She chose His presence.

She chose His Word.

She chose to listen.

A. Mary Chose to Sit

Mary sat at the Lord's feet.

She stopped.

She positioned herself near Jesus.

She wasn't distracted by everything else that needed to be done.

There would always be things that needed to be done.

But in that moment, Mary understood:

Jesus was more important than the task.

There are moments when we need to stop.

Put down the phone.

Put down the schedule.

Put down the worries.

Put down the responsibilities.

And simply sit at the feet of Jesus.

B. Mary Chose to Listen

Luke 10:39 says Mary was sitting at the Lord's feet and listening to what He said.

She wasn't just physically near Jesus.

She was paying attention to Jesus.

That's what we need.

It's possible to be around Jesus without listening to Jesus.

We can come to church and not listen.

We can read our Bible and not listen.

We can pray and never slow down long enough to hear from God's Word.

Mary chose to listen.

And if we're going to choose what matters most, we must make time to hear from God.

C. Mary Chose What Was Better

Jesus said Mary had chosen the better portion.

That doesn't mean Mary would never serve.

It doesn't mean Martha's work was worthless.

It means Mary understood something Martha had temporarily forgotten:

Jesus Himself was the priority.

Everything else in life is temporary.

Our jobs are temporary.

Our houses are temporary.

Our schedules are temporary.

Our accomplishments are temporary.

Even the things we spend so much time worrying about will eventually pass.

But what we do with Jesus matters forever.

So what does it mean to choose the better portion?

It means choosing Jesus over distraction.

It means choosing His Word over our worries.

It means choosing His presence over our productivity.

It means recognizing that before Jesus wants our hands to serve Him, He wants our hearts surrendered to Him.

WHAT DO I DO?

1. SLOW DOWN

You cannot hear Jesus if you never stop long enough to listen.

Make time for God's Word.

Make time for prayer.

Make time to sit quietly before Him.

Don't let your schedule become so full that Jesus gets whatever time is left over.

2. CHECK YOUR PRIORITIES

Ask yourself:

What gets my best time?

What gets my attention?

What gets my energy?

What gets my thoughts?

If Jesus only gets the leftovers, something is out of order.

3. DON'T CONFUSE SERVING WITH SPIRITUALITY

You can do a lot of things for Jesus without actually spending time with Jesus.

Serving is important.

But serving cannot replace surrender.

We don't serve Jesus in order to know Him.

We serve Him because we know Him.

4. CHOOSE THE BETTER PORTION

Every day we have choices.

We can choose distraction.

We can choose anxiety.

We can choose busyness.

Or we can choose Jesus.

The world will constantly tell us that we need to do more.

Jesus reminds us that we first need to be with Him.

CONCLUSION

Mary and Martha both loved Jesus.

Both welcomed Jesus.

Both were in the same house with Jesus.

But they responded to His presence differently.

Martha was busy doing.

Mary was busy listening.

And Jesus wasn't asking Martha to stop serving forever.

He was asking her to remember why she was serving in the first place.

That's the danger for every Christian.

We can become so busy working for Jesus that we forget to worship Jesus.

We can become so busy preparing the meal that we miss the One sitting at the table.

We can become so busy preparing the church that we miss the presence of Christ in the church.

We can become so busy raising our children, building our careers, taking care of our families, paying bills, solving problems, and helping everybody else that we never stop to sit at the feet of Jesus.

And one day we may look back and realize:

We were busy—but we weren't present.

Jesus is still inviting us to sit at His feet.

To listen.

To worship.

To know Him.

To choose the better portion.

Because when everything else is stripped away, there is one thing that matters most.

Jesus.

INVITATION

Maybe you're like Martha tonight.

You're tired.

You're carrying too much.

Your mind is racing.

You're worried about things you can't control.

You've been trying to hold everything together.

And maybe Jesus is saying to you:

"Slow down."

"Come sit at My feet."

Maybe you've been serving God but haven't been spending time with God.

Maybe you've been working for Jesus without actually walking with Jesus.

Maybe you've allowed something good to become more important than the Savior.

Today, choose the better portion.

And if you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, that's where it begins.

You don't need to clean yourself up first.

You don't need to fix everything first.

You need to come to Jesus.

The Christian life isn't primarily about doing more things for Jesus.

It begins with coming to Jesus.

And when we truly encounter Him, our lives begin to change.

Don't let the busyness of life cause you to miss the presence of Jesus.

Choose what matters most.

Choose Jesus.