Luke 10:38-42
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Busyness
Busyness
Busyness has been called “the sin that no one criticizes.” In fact, we usually think of a busy person as being ambitious. We don’t want to be considered lazy, so we make ourselves so busy and give our selves a sense of pride when someone comments about us that we are hard workers.
Our lives are busy. Parents are busy. Children are busy. Families are in turn busy. Busy working. Busy communicating (talking on the phone, texting, etc.). Busy Facebooking. Busy going to sport practice. Busy going to games. Busy playing video games. Busy with friends. Busy with family. Busy cooking. Busy cleaning. Busy with school. Busy. Busy. Busy with everything.
But we should all recognize.
But busy doesn’t mean right. Busy doesn’t mean holy.
We will learn that today.
In this passage today we have the tale of two women.
This passage follows the parable of the Good Samaritan.
In that parable, Jesus explains through a story that the Samaritan man was a good neighbor where the religious men who passed on the other side of the road and ignored the man who had been robbed, were not good neighbors to him neighbors to him.
We find in these two passages, two prevailing truths and commands that we have as believers.
We are to love God and we are to love our neighbors.
I believe this is why Luke places this directly behind the parable of the good Samaritan.
Look at verse 38.
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
See the transition here. They are traveling along, and he enters a village. That is meant not only to give you context of what is about to happen, but it also serves as a transition from the parable. He’s no longer speaking a parable. Now, he is walking into a village.
And he goes on.
A woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
So far so good right?
This woman named Martha, welcomes the Lord Jesus into her home.
Sounds great right?
I mean. We just got through talking about being a good neighbor.
And this word here “welcomed” refers to the idea of welcoming with hospitality.
What better way of being a neighbor than welcoming someone into your home. Right?
In fact, Jesus had just sent 70 people out to proclaim that he was coming.
Look with me there for just a second.
Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. “Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. “Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ “If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. “Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. “Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ “But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’
In the first portion of this chapter, we learn that:
The house and cities that welcomed them were given blessings and pronouncements of peace.
But for the houses and cities that did not welcome them, there were curses that were pronounced upon them.
So Martha is doing the right thing.
So we know that it is the will of the Lord that she would be welcoming to Jesus. He is the substance this message of the kingdom of God because he is the King of the kingdom.
She should have welcome him. And this was a constant part of the life of our Lord.
Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Jesus’s kingdom was not of this world. His throne and home was in heaven. On this earth, He was a borrower. He borrowed a stable. He borrowed a donkey. He borrowed the homes of those who would welcome him. And Praise God for the fact that he borrowed a tomb. He would only need those things for a little while, so we Jesus had a healthy view of earthly possessions.
We should learn this truth. We do need these things for a little while. Beware of holding too tightly to earthly possessions. Be ready to give of yourself for others. Martha should be commended for this act of hospitality.
In fact, I believe all believers should be welcoming and hospitable people in general.
It’s one of my qualifications as pastor to be hospitable. We find that in 1 Timothy 3.
Goodness is a fruit of the Spirit. It implies hospitality.
We should be hospitable people. It’s a part of being a believer. We should be ready and willing to give of ourselves for the benefit of others.
Here we see where Martha was right.
Here we see where Martha was right.
She welcomed the Lord Jesus into her home and he came in.
And when he came in he began teaching.
We know this because of the next verse.
Look at verse 39.
She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.
Martha had a sister. Her name was Mary. And inside Martha’s home.
Something began to take place.
Jesus began to teach. He began to proclaim to Word of God.
Now, Jesus was no ordinary teacher.
Remember when he was only twelve years old, his teaching was such that it demanded the attention of those who had dedicated their lives to studying and memorizing and becoming experts of the Law and God’s Word.
When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
Then later on as he taught, again people were amazed at his teaching.
They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
His teaching was amazing. This is the Son of God. Can you imagine how great his teaching and preaching was?
There was nothing that he didn’t know.
On the road to Emmaus, the two disciples who listened to him said their heart burned as they listened to His teaching.
So this wasn’t just anyone in Martha’s home. The Lord Jesus is there.
And Mary takes advantage of this.
She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.
She sat at his feet and listened.
Jesus is speaking. Is there anything more important?
Its clear here that she give her undivided attention to the Lord Jesus.
At times, i wonder if we do this…ever.
With all the technology that we have, and the constant available information and differing things that constantly grab at us. . . Can any of us… ever… find ourselves in Mary’s position here?
Even if we have a devotion every, are we constantly checking to see when our time is up? Constantly checking for text messages or Facebook or Twitter?
Are we ever sitting at Jesus’s feet listening to his Word? Our attention solely on him?
My question for us today here is this:
Are we ever like Mary? I’m convinced that we are mostly not.
We are like Martha.
Look at verse 40
But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
The word here used is the word distracted.
Now, the context tells us what she was distracted from and its Jesus’s teaching.
Now that word here translated distracted means several things that speak to what was really going on with Martha.
It means to be drawn away from.
To be troubled. Anxious.
It carries with it the idea of being concerned with everything around except for what you should be.
The verse tells us. She was distracted with all her preparations.
And you can imagine the stress of this.
Imagine for a moment if Jesus was coming to your house, ladies.
Certainly, you would mop the floor. Clean the table. You would wash the clothes. You would clean out that closet you’ve been meaning to clean out on the off chance he might open that door by accident.
You would make sure every hair was in place with your children.
Your husbands honey do list would have even more items for consideration on there, and you will make sure he gets around to doing them this time.
We can all feel Martha’s pain here. Everything has to be perfect!!
But in her pursuit of perfection, she’s forgotten that she isn’t and He is.
She’s distracted.
In her business of what she thinks is important, she has forgotten the most important thing.
Ladies, I want to ask you today. Are you distracted from what’s really important?
In your pursuit of perfection, have you forgotten that you aren’t and that Jesus is.
In your business of what you think is the most important, have you forgotten what actually is the most important.
Let me remind you today.
Your house will never be perfect. Not as long as you are in an imperfect world.
Your food can always be better. People will always ask for salt.
Your children are little sinners who aren’t ever going to be perfect.
There will always be something to clean. Always Something to wash. Always Hair out of place. Always little noses to wipe.
And here is the reality today in this passage.
You can either devote your full undivided attention to things that will never be perfect, or you can devote your attention to only one who is. Jesus Christ.
Mother’s/ Grandmother’s let me ask you a question today.
What do you want your children/grandchildren to remember about you?
That your house was the cleanest? That you were always busy busy busy doing everything little thing that you never had time for the big thing.
Don’t hear me wrong here. I know the little things have to get done. I know the clothes have to be washed and folded. I know the floor needs to be mopped. I know the nose needs to be wiped, the diapers have to be changed, but never forget that those things are little things and they do not compare to your constant daily need to sit at the feet of Jesus.
So often we may become so busy doing, that you neglect sitting, listening, learning, worshipping.
Warren Wiersbe here says that “Blessed are the balanced.”
And Martha is to the point where she gets angry that every one else isn’t doing what she is doing.
Look what she says in verse 40
But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
She feels like she is the only one doing anything.
The problem isn’t her desire to serve and work for Christ. The problem is lack of desire for communion with Christ.
God has not called you to do everything. He has called you to be obedient to his will.
Jesus didn’t need her food. On the contrary, she needed the food he offered.
Men, ladies, teens, children.
If I were to ask you about your Christian walk today:
Would you begin talking about all the things you do for the Lord? Or Would you begin with all the things you have found him to be through careful deliberate ongoing walking with him in His Word?
How’s your devotional life?
Not how many positions do you serve in at church?
How many times did you feast on God’s Word this week?
Well you say, Pastor, I’m so busy. I’m busy with doing everything to give my children what they need.
Hear this today:
More than anything else, your children need to see you at the feet of Jesus. They need to see you in His Word. They need to see it as the priority of your life. More than service, they need to see you worship.
Listen to what the Lord says.
But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
Insert your name there. and then listen to what Jesus says in verse 42.
but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
One thing is necessary and its not physical food. People will eat and forget about that.
Its not money or possession. Thats going to all burn up one day.
Elsewhere in John 6, Jesus gives this command.
“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”
Don’t look to gain from your doing. Look to the one who has done all thats necessary and learn from him.
but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
The differences between Martha And Mary in this passage are clear.
Martha is serving
Mary is worshipping
Neither one of those are wrong until they become divided.
What God desires is service that flows from the heart of Worship.
Martha is busy, bitter, and talkative.
Mary is sitting, peaceful, and listening.
We would all do well, to sit and listen to Christ.
Mother’s learn of Christ. Dwell on the Gospel.
Grow. Learn.
Your children need that more than they need new clothes.
They need Christ. They need salvation from sin.
We are all imperfect. We are all sinners. We need the good news of Jesus. We need the cross.
He doesn’t need your business or your work.
He wants your attention and your heart.
3. In the final analysis, Martha’s work and busyness will all be for nothing.
Sure people will eat the food.
Sure her home will have been clean.
But did she spend time with the Lord of all creation?
One thing matters. One thing last.
Jesus tells Mary.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 10
Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
What Mary learned from Jesus Christ, cannot be taken away from her.
Martha chose to be busy.
Mary chose to sit at Jesus’s feet.
What have you chosen?
Busyness- or Worshipfulness.
Mother’s you may sitting there today thinking I just don’t have the time. You don’t have time not to.
Airplane- Secure your mask first before helping others. Why? Because you can’t help them live if you aren’t alive.