Only one thing is needed

Luke 10:38-42 “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Michael Zigarelli from the Charleston Southern University School of Business conducted the Obstacles to Growth Survey of over 20,000 Christians across the globe and identified busyness as a major distraction from spiritual life. Listen carefully to his hypothesis:

“It may be the case that (1) Christians are assimilating to a culture of busyness, hurry and overload, which leads to (2) God becoming more marginalized in Christians’ lives, which leads to (3) a deteriorating relationship with God, which leads to (4) Christians becoming even more vulnerable to adopting secular assumptions about how to live, which leads to (5) more conformity to a culture of busyness, hurry and overload. And then the cycle begins again.”

I read this in John Mark Comer’s, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.” I’m a big fan of the book and I am trying to practice it and that’s because personally and observationally I think it is spot on.

The world is in a hurry and it is distracting us from God! Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline said, "In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds.  If he can keep us engaged in 'muchness' and 'manyness,' he will rest satisfied.  Psychiatrist Carl Jung once remarked, 'Hurry is not of the Devil; it is the Devil.'"

“Hurry is the death of prayer. To walk with Jesus is to walk at a slow, unhurried pace.” (W.F. Adams).

Jesus teaches us this in this account from Luke’s Gospel

Context:

To comment on the text itself...

Luke 10:38. - Jesus and His disciples frequently travelled the long journey to Jerusalem. They had friends along the way and one of their best and most influential was Lazarus, Mary and Martha.

They lived in a village nearby to the East of the city in a place called Bethany - John 11:1 and 12:1–3

Whilst there on this particular visit, Martha responded in the typical host’s way: fulfilling her social obligations. Luke 10:39. shows however that her sister Mary responded in a different way, sitting at the feet of Jesus!

For any first century reader this is quite shocking, an abrogation of her feminine responsibility! The rabbis had taught people to listen to wise men or teachers but not to talk much with women. Jesus, however, welcomed Mary to his audience of learners, showing His readiness to break with social conventions so that people could achieve the “only thing that is needed”, to sit at Jesus’ feet.

Luke 10:40 reveals that the pressure of social obligations finally got the best of Martha,

An exasperated Martha, chose not to quietly have a word with her sister, but instead spoke directly to Jesus instead, to try and get him onside and compel her sister to work.

“It wasn’t long before the gracious hostess in Martha collapsed and the Queen of Hearts took over, pointing fingers and screaming, “Off with their heads! Off with everyone’s head!”― Joanna Weaver, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy With God in the Busyness of Life

Martha, felt irritated because her sister did not think and act like herself.

She measured her sister’s conduct by her own expectations and hence her rash reflection on Mary’s choices.

We can all be a bit like that as Joanna Weaver suggests in this prayer...

“Lord, you know better than I know myself that I am growing older and will someday be old. Keep me from getting talkative, particularly from the fatal habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all, but you know, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end. Keep my mind from the recital of endless details—give me wings to come to the point. I ask for grace enough to listen to the tales of others’ pains. Seal my lips on my own aches and pains—they are increasing, and my love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. Help me to endure them with patience. I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally it is possible that I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not want to be a saint—some of them are so hard to live with—but a sour old woman is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people. And give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.”― Joanna Weaver, At the Feet of Jesus: Daily Devotions to Nurture a Mary Heart

Unfortunately for Martha, she found that Jesus did not side with her on this occasion! Luke 10:41–42. Jesus, who was constantly meeting the needs of others, for once did not give Martha what she wanted. Why? Because her need was out of focus and misplaced.

Martha wanted to be a better host, Mary wanted to be a better follower of Jesus!

Martha wanted to sit Jesus down at her table and serve Him; Mary wanted to sit at Jesus feet and be served by Him!

Joanna Weaver wrote a book entitled, “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.” She asks “Have you ever felt overworked and underappreciated? I know I have. Feeling as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders is difficult, especially when no one seems inclined to share the load. The frustration Martha felt that day in Luke 10:38–42 is definitely not a foreign emotion to me! In fact, I’ve earned frequent-flyer elite-plus status when it comes to the emotional miles I’ve wasted on self-pity. Aren’t you glad we have a Savior who knows our human weaknesses yet loves us anyway? When Martha came barging into the living room and poured out her complaint to Jesus, she was on the right track. “Trust in him at all times, O people,” the psalmist tells us in Psalm 62:8, “pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” There is no better place to go than to Jesus with our troubles, our frustrations, and our perceived injustices. But be sure to stick around for the answer.”

What was the answer? - “only one thing is needed.”

“only one thing is needed.”

The great thing about this passage is that both the woman in this passage are good, godly woman. True, devoted followers of Jesus.

They represent us in one way or other; and they represent the two potential extremes of our Christian devotion - one of constant hustle and bustle and the other of contemplative, sitting at the feet of Jesus!

“One thing is needed” - The passage puts before us a choice. We can follow Jesus, even work hard for Jesus and fail to sit at His feet or we can follow Jesus and choose to sit at His feet!

Jesus challenges us to choose “what is better”, to choose deliberately to be in intimate communion with Him. This is the “one thing…needed”!

1. BRING YOUR WORK, WORRIES AND UPSETS TO JESUS AND SIT AT HIS FEET:

Jesus observed that Martha was concerned about “many things”, so much so that she felt harassed and worried by them, so here “Jesus is saying that Martha is worried over too many things. Life has few real necessities and at need we can do without much on which we lavish time.”(Leon Morris)

And what were the “many things” (Greek τὰ πολλὰ). These are the ordinary things of life. The every day stuff that has to be done and has its place but IS NOT the most important thing!

Yes your work; your hobbies; your stuff, your responsibilities are important but they are not the most important thing in life!

So, Jesus “makes the point that waiting quietly on the Lord is more important than bustling busy-ness”(Leon Morris). Indeed, He is calling us...

“Its been said that worry is like a rocking chair—it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere...He's calling us to the Great Exchange--the one where we can never lose. As we trade the "many things" that make us anxious, He gives us the "one thing" that calms our hearts. Himself.”― Joanna Weaver

2. BE INTENTIONALLY DETERMINED TO DEDICATE YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE TO THE PRACTICE OF SITTING AT JESUS FEET:

The passage speaks to us of the importance of dedication to spending time with Jesus in the daily round of everyday life.

Dedication to Jesus means He takes precedence over all other responsibilities and obligations.

Think from Martha’s Perspective....

It’s important to understand that “Martha need not be criticized for her ambitious behavior. For her actions reveal her loyalty to the Lord Jesus. Her true character is displayed in her honesty and steadfast faith” (Gardner 1995:444).

There is nothing wrong with serving in and of itself and certainly Jesus does not reprove her for it. It’s just that Martha was too stressed out about earthly things to really see what the most important thing in life really is!

Think of it, Martha has a rare and unique opportunity to sit at Jesus feet and she chose the everyday mundane and ordinary! She was missing out on something vital by choosing to do something that was optional! And this to the detriment of her own soul. That is sad!

The hosting stuff could wait! This opportunity would not come along again! When the moment to meet with Jesus comes along don’t pass it up - (Remember Martin Shackleton: Pass me not O Gentle Saviour - “He made as if He would have passed them by”!).

So, this is not Jesus talking about the whole of life just the rare opportunities when He is available to us and we can sit at His feet!

The challenge is not just to our pursuit of unnecessary things and definitely not just sinful things but to those things which are legitimate but also get in the way of our relationship with Jesus.

We are not being called to ignore the responsibilities of the everyday, necessary things of life but rather to not allow them to take first place in our hearts.

We are to see that there are times and opportunities in life where Jesus makes Himself available to us and we should not pass by that opportunity to be with Him!

It is so very important in life to listen to Jesus - “The life and health and growth of our souls are tied to how well we listen.”(Tony Reinke).

“Whatever happens let us not be too busy to sit at Jesus’ feet.” (W. H. Aitken, M.A.)

Think from Mary’s Perspective....

Mary made the right choice. Jesus would not take away from her the blessing and opportunity.

Why is this? Because Mary loved Jesus and put Him first in her affections. Her devotion to Him was such that John tells us that “Jesus loved her” (John 11:5). Mary, treasuring up every word of Christ, is not an act of idleness.

Let us learn that contemplation, worship, and growth in grace are not unimportant. You are not losing time while you are feeding the soul. Mary was filling up, listening and learning, feeding, edifying, loving, and growing strong

LEARN...

At the crossroads of decision making, Martha had opted for worldly expectation and social obligation; Mary, for hearing Christ’s Word.

Martha needed to change her priorities. Her desire to serve her Lord was commendable but service must not come before devotion.

We must learn to imitate Mary and to sit at Jesus’ feet, and in silence and stillness of soul to hear His words.

No amount of service will make up for the loss of this inward and secret fellowship of the soul with Christ—this hidden life of love, in which Christ and the consecrated heart are bound together in a certain holy intimacy and familiarity

So the question for us today, is how do we fulfil this obligation, given that Jesus is not physically present with us as He was with Mary and Martha?

3. PRAYER WILL BRING YOU TO JESUS’ FEET!

Well its interesting that what immediately follows this in Luke’s Gospel is Jesus’ teaching on prayer. Luke 11:1-12.

Giving priority to God in your life; trusting Him and seeking His glory and being persistent in seeking Him when faced with great need and challenge, this is our calling and the way in which we keep on sitting at His feet.

When we become disciples, we enter into “the school of prayer” as Andrew Murray put it.

“Prayer [is] the quiet, persistent living of our life of desire and faith in the presence of our God.”

“We seek God's gifts; God wants to give Himself to us first. We think of prayer as the power to draw good gifts from heaven and Jesus as the means to draw ourselves to God. We want to stand at the door and cry; Jesus wants us to enter first and realize that we are friends and children.”

4. CHOOSE TO SIT AT THE FEET OF JESUS!

Note also the words “Mary has chosen...”

We need to make this a very deliberate choice to choose the life of contemplation.

John Bunyan in Pilgrim’s Progress describes what happened to Christian, when the interpreter took him up to the door of an elegant and well-furnished palace, within which were men and women taking their ease and in the enjoyment of all happiness; and at the door of the palace, and all round the entrance of it, there stood a body of armed men to withstand every one who would enter. Many come up to the palace but they dare not go forward and enter for fear of the conflict and the danger. At last one bold man is described as coming up to the gate, saying to the person who had charge of the palace, “Set down my name, Sir,” and, putting a helmet on his head, and a sword in his hand, forcing his way through the armed men, when he hears a pleasant voice saying— “Come in, come in; Eternal glory thou shalt win.”

Such a man is a model, an example, to every one who would be a faithful soldier of Christ, laying hold on eternal life, fighting a good fight, warring a good warfare—to choose boldly and act decidedly—to go straight forward, not fearing any opposition that he may have to meet with. To deliberately CHOOSE Jesus and His way and will for your life!

And to do this we really have to get to KNOW HIM better as Paul puts in in Philippians 3:10 and we get to know Him better by getting into the Word of God, sitting at His feet as we invite the Holy Spirit to teach us all about Him

That’s what He promised He would do in John 16:13-14 “when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”

The Spirit and the Word bring us to the feet of Jesus - “Many do not understand this union of the teaching of the Word and the Spirit, so there is a twofold difficulty in knowing what God's will may be. Some seek the will of God in an inner feeling or conviction and would have the Spirit lead them without the Word. Others seek it in the Word without the leading of the Holy Spirit. The two must be united - the Word and the Spirit - because only in these can we know for sure the will of God and learn to pray according to it. In the heart, the Word and the Spirit must meet; it is only by such indwelling that we can experience their teaching.” ― Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer

Read the Gospels; read them Lectio Davina style, slowly; prayerfully and contemplatively not to learn about Jesus but to learn of Him - to get to know Him better!

“We all have aspects of Mary and Martha within us. Perhaps our modern, active church life more closely resembles that of Martha than Mary. We tend to be ‘distracted with much serving’ today, and only rarely spend time sitting at our Lord’s feet and hearing his word.”(Opening up Luke’s Gospel - Gavin Childress),

5. NO TIME SITTING AT THE FEET OF JESUS IS WASTED TIME!

Note what Jesus said, “She hath chosen the good part.”

That “good part” was the good of her everlasting soul; a knowledge of God, as revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.

And note “that good part which shall not be taken away from her.”

The favour of God which Mary sought, that peace of God which Mary longed for, that indwelling of the Holy Spirit which Mary craved, that spiritual wisdom after which Mary hungered and thirsted—all these abide for ever; he that has them shall never lose them; they are riches and treasures that shall never fade.

There is “one thing needful” -

Philip Henry the father of Matthew Henry was a Church of England minister ejected from his parish for refusing to sign the 1662 Act of Conformity

When Philip Henry’s mother lay dying of the consumption which took her on the 6th March 1645, she said to those around her, ‘My head is in heaven, and my heart is in heaven; it is but one step more, and I shall be there too.’ It was a sentiment well expressed, and one that was to characterize the Henry household, especially, perhaps, her godly son Philip, and to no less a degree his son Matthew. She taught them how to die well!

In Philip Henry’s will he wrote the following important passage:

“I have now disposed of all my property to my family; there is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is, the Christian religion. If they had that, and I had not given them one shilling, they would be rich; and if they had not that, and I had given them all the world, they would be poor.”

“One thing needed”! Christ, eternal life and it “shall not be taken from you”!

“The world clamors, "Do more! Be all that you can be!" But our Father whispers, "Be still and know that I am God.”― Joanna Weaver