Delivered From the Destruction Of Distraction分心的破壞
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While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. 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.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”
他們走路的時候，耶穌進了一個村莊。有一個名叫馬大的女人，接他到家裡。她有一個妹妹，名叫馬利亞，坐在主的腳前聽道。馬大被許多要作的事，弄得心煩意亂，就上前來，說：「主啊，我妹妹讓我一個人侍候，你不理嗎？請吩咐她來幫助我。」主回答她：「馬大，馬大，你為許多事操心忙碌，但是最需要的只有一件，馬利亞已經選擇了那上好的分，是不能從她奪去的。」
Intro
Intro
Next season of church
attention billion of dollars
disciple is important no one tells you to live this way
Martha and Mary: important for us
BIG IDEA:
THE SETTING
THE SETTING
38 While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.他們走路的時候，耶穌進了一個村莊。有一個名叫馬大的女人，接他到家裡
Context: the 72 plus 12 were traveling with Jesus. They had just experienced an incredible ministry outing where they saw themselves doing the ministry of Jesus by the power of Jesus. They come to this village. the Bible uses the word village to describe how small a town it was. This was the type of town where everyone knows what is going on. I’m from a small town. You know you are from a small town when little news seems like big news. This is that kind of village. So Jesus, the Messiah, coming to town would have been huge. Everyone watches where Jesus and His disciples go. It says that in this village “Martha welcomed Him into her home”. We can easily read this quickly, but this is a really good thing. Welcoming Jesus and His disciples was a sign that Jesus pointed back to in 10:8. We see in 2 and 3 John that it is the job of Christians to show hospitality. In fact one of the expectations of elders in the church is that they are “hospitable”. So far Martha is doing it right. Hospitality in this culture was a big deal. Think like Taiwan. And Martha seems to have just had a ton of men walk into her home that she has host and prepare for. Culturally there would have been expectations with what she needed to do. Expectations of how to host, what to cook, ect. We all know what this is like. My wife will hear that someone is coming over and she will begin scrubbing the counter tops, sweeping the floors, cleaning the bathroom, my attitude is like “it’s just so and so, no big deal”, but we all have these personal and cultural expectations we put over us. Martha is no different. So while Martha is busy hosting the text says:
39 She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said.她有一個妹妹，名叫馬利亞，坐在主的腳前聽道。
This is interesting. Instead of Mary doing her cultural responsibilities she goes against culture and chooses to sit and listen to Jesus. When the Bible says “what He said” it literally means His message. Mary at this point says, Jesus’ message, His word is more important than me being a good host. Not only does she choose Jesus’ message above being a good host, but the text says that Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. When this phrase is used in the New Testament it is describing the posture of a disciple. However in Jewish culture women were not allowed to “sit at the Rabbi’s feet”. They were permitted to study the Torah but definitely not sit at the Rabbi’s feet in the posture of a disciple. So now, Mary isn’t just crossing a cultural boundary, she is crossing a religious boundary. Mary knows this isn’t okay. This is a “man-only” talk, and yet she says Jesus’ message, His words are more important than cultural and religious responsibilities that I have. We will go into this more later.
So the picture we have right now is Martha is being a good host, busy in the kitchen, Mary not being a good host but sitting at the feet of Jesus, waiting with anticipation every word that comes from Jesus’ mouth.
Verse 40:
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.”,馬大被許多要作的事，弄得心煩意亂，就上前來，說：「主啊，我妹妹讓我一個人侍候，你不理嗎？請吩咐她來幫助我。」
1. WE NEED TO BELIEVE THAT DISTRACTION IS DESTRUCTIVE分心會帶領破壞
1. WE NEED TO BELIEVE THAT DISTRACTION IS DESTRUCTIVE分心會帶領破壞
You would think that Mary’s sister would be pleased seeing Mary sit at Jesus’ feet right? Martha is in the kitchen working up a sweat smiling saying “wow I am so happy that my sister is in there listening to Jesus, soaking it all up!” WRONG! Mary’s choice of listening to Jesus created some friction in this relationship. Here is a side point, most of us realize that when we choose to obey Jesus, many times it creates more conflict in our relationships not less. It can create more conflict with your culture with your religious background not less. The same here.
EXPLANATION
Why wasn’t Martha in there with her sister? Why wasn’t she sitting at the feet of the Son of God, listening to His every word? the Bible says Martha was distracted.
What does this story that happened 2000 years ago in a small village have to do with our own culture. Distraction isn’t about the state of technology, but it is about the state of our hearts.
This word distracted means to “be pulled away”. You are being “pulled away from something by something”. What is Martha being pulled away from in this story? Receiving the words of Christ. Listening to His message. God’s Word. But what is pulling her away?
Was it sin? Is Martha being pulled away because she is going out to the bar and singing KTV all night? IS she being pulled away because there is a handsome Boaz(帥哥 outside her house?
What would distract someone from the words of Jesus? This man who has the words of eternal life.
It says, she is being “pulled away by her many tasks.” Literally her serving. A good thing, a godly thing. She is not being distracted by sin, but by a good thing. Here is where the tension begins to build, if you were there that day, if I were that day, you and I would say that Martha is the Proverbs 31 woman. She is the one doing all the right cultural things, and Mary is shirking that responsibility! We would all probably say, wait, Martha has made the right choice, not Mary!
Yet Jesus flips that on us. Let’s see why.
What begins to happen through Martha’s distraction? It says she distracted by “her tasks” basically her business, her priorities.
“Her fault was not that she served. The condition of a servant well becomes every Christian. Her fault was that she grew ‘cumbered with much serving,’ so that she forgot him and only remembered the service” In all of her serving, her focus became the serving instead of the One she was serving.
Self Pity(自憐)
It seems that when Martha wasn’t focused on Jesus anymore who did she begin to focus on? Herself. This is what distraction does to us. A life lived in distraction means we are no longer able to focus on Jesus but on ourselves.
Distraction has a way to being able to take our eyes and drive them inward, only able to focus on what we want.
“If the devil can’t make us sin he will make us busy如果撒旦不能讓你犯罪，他會讓你忙。” Corrie Ten Boom
And this “me focused” attitude resulted in what? What did Martha do next?
“Lord don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to serve?”!
Distraction(being pulled away from God’s word) has not only affected her vertical relationship with Jesus, but it has also pulled her away from her horizontal relationships with others. This is what happens when we are being pulled away from the words of Jesus. When we are distracted by whatever, even ministry, and being pulled away from the Word of God from the Gospel, it not only affects our vertical relationship with the Father, but it also affects our horizontal relationships with each other. We all know how this works.
Because she has been pulled away and distracted Martha now has an attitude of resentment(怨恨). Why doesn’t my sister care about my priorities as much as I do? It’s getting pretty ugly. Martha is in there beginning then she starts banging pots together, yelling from the kitchen(this sure is a lot of food to cook in here) and when no one response she gets resentful. Do we do this? Because we are pulled away, just lost in a sea of distraction, we become me focused, we begin to resent others who don’t care about our things as much as we do. Martha resents her sister right now. She’s not happy that Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus! But it gets even worse. Poor Martha. This resentment towards her sister, leads to what?
“Lord don’t you care?”
Questions Jesus’ Character. No one else seems to care, but you should! We do this don’t we? When we are pulled away from the word’s of Jesus we begin to have this filter where everything becomes personal and about us and we even begin to blame God. If you cared, if you were good, then you should be doing this right now! You should be upholding my standards over everyone else!
But then ultimately Martha reaches the bottom of the bottom. She says to Jesus “So tell her to give me a hand!” Instead of her being about God’s business, she tells God to be about her business. Instead of sitting and receiving Jesus’ words like a disciple, she is standing ordering Jesus around with her words.
YIKES!
How many of us right now don’t have the relationship with God we desire or with others because we’ve been pulled away? We’ve been living a life of distraction?
Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
所以，我們既然有這麼多的見證人，像雲彩圍繞著我們，就應該脫下各樣的拖累，和容易纏住我們的罪，以堅忍的心奔跑那擺在我們面前的賽程；專一注視耶穌，就是那位信心的創始者和完成者。他因為那擺在面前的喜樂，就忍受了十字架，輕看了羞辱，現在就坐在 神寶座的右邊。
APPLICATION
ILLUSTRATION
(Like the raft at Kenting, trying to swim, but it was cruising so quick in the current) Within no time it was right here then unreachable. This is the world we live in and I know you are faced with every day.)
The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things,
主回答她：「馬大，馬大，你為許多事操心忙碌，
2. WE NEED TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS ALONE IS ABLE TO DELIVER US FROM THIS DESTRUCTION唯有耶穌能夠救我們
2. WE NEED TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS ALONE IS ABLE TO DELIVER US FROM THIS DESTRUCTION唯有耶穌能夠救我們
Now think about this scene. Martha just interrupted Jesus’ teaching. Interrupted God Himself. Jesus has all of his disciples here, and they are some pretty passionate guys. I would imagine James and John are thinking, should we just call down fire right now on this lady, who does she think she is, interrupting Jesus, blaming Him for her problems, and then ordering Him around. How would you respond here? How would you think Jesus should respond?
Yet Jesus responds how? How does Jesus respond to this ugly reality of sin and distraction in the life of Martha? “Martha, Martha.” Let’s stop there. Don’t read past this. In this language, you use someone’s name twice it was a gesture of affection and intimacy. Jesus stops, looks at Martha in all of her feelings, all up in her feelings, and responds with grace and peace and gentleness “Martha, Martha.” I know you. I know what is in your heart. You are worried and upset about many things. Martha you aren’t just worried but you are upset about them. These worries in your heart have bubbled to the surface and have come out in anger. You are driven about in her life by many things. Many things are ruling your heart in this moment. Many things have take 1st place in your life. Many things have pulled away from your relationship with God and with others. This is not a pretty moment for Martha! This is a really low moment for her, yet Jesus comes and says “Child, I know your heart. I know the idols that you are holding onto that have led you to react and respond this way.”
Jesus does the same for you today.
Comes to her in the midst of her idols. In the midst of her weariness in the midst of her mess. This is not Martha’s best moment right now.
He doesn’t shy away from our idols, He calls them out, so we might be saved from them.
IF you don’t hear anything else this afternoon family, hear this: if you are in Christ, The Father through Jesus responds to your anxiety, to your fears, to your distracted life, not in anger or rejection, but in compassion and kindness. The Father comes near to you right now, knowing all of your idols and mine, and says to us: “child, child”. Many of us have grown up believing that when we are good God is happy and when we are bad God is mad. But the Gospel declares that in Christ, if you are in Christ, God has only delight, grace, mercy, and His kindness for you.
42 but one thing is necessary., Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”但是最需要的只有一件，馬利亞已經選擇了那上好的分，是不能從她奪去的。」
Jesus boils Martha’s life down from many things to one thing. He is right in the middle of her many things, and He calls her to one thing. What is this one thing?
Explanation:
Why do people need this text: Most of us start out by asking the question, I need to DO SOMETHING. My relationship with Jesus starts with ME doing something. Discipleship is about me DOING SOMETHING FOR JESUS. This is how all other religions usually work. You need to do something for the gods. But the Gospel is so fundamentally different. Jesus says that Mary made the right choice: not because she chose to have a quiet time instead of doing household work, not because she is focusing on “being” rather on “doing” but instead of focusing on what she could do FOR Jesus, her main focus was on what HE could do FOR HER.
Listen what Jesus is saying here: Jesus is saying to Martha and to you, the one thing that is necessary for your life, the one thing that is above all things IS NOT about WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR JESUS, BUT IT IS RECEIVING WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR YOU!
We can easily read this story and say, “okay I need to have a longer quiet time” Instead of just being busy, I need to have more time in the word, which is a good thing! But pretty soon our quiet times just become another check off the box, another thing we do FOR God. Jesus is not a task to be completed, He is a Savior, a RESCUER to be received!
Look at the story of the bible: Creation, Abraham, Israel, Peter’s response to Jesus when He was washing his feet. “No Jesus don’t wash my feet! I’m zealous, I’m going to do these things FOR YOU, I’m not going to deny you, I should be washing your feet!” How many of us feel this way? Yet Jesus’ response to Peter? “Unless you let me do this for you! Unless you receive the work that I will do on your behalf, you will have no part of me!”
Your defense against being pulled away from a life of distraction is not just simply serving more! Becoming more busy! Jesus is very clear, our hope, our defense against the destruction of distraction is a Deliverer, Jesus, and the Gospel!
Press into the kingdom.
Mary chose to receive what Jesus could do for her despite what her culture said, her religion said, she said above all things I choose to sit and receive you Jesus! You are my portion you are my meal!
Friends have you only being focusing your life on what you can do for Jesus rather than on receiving what He has done for you?
Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.
聖經新譯本（繁體•神字版） 詩篇卷16
耶和華是我的產業，是我杯中的分；
我所得的業分，你親自為我持守。
「我是真葡萄樹，我父是培植的人。所有屬我而不結果子的枝子，他就剪去；所有結果子的，他就修剪乾淨，讓它結更多的果子。現在你們因著我對你們所講的道，已經乾淨了。你們要住在我裡面，我也就住在你們裡面。枝子若不連在葡萄樹上，自己就不能結果子；你們若不住在我裡面，也是這樣。我是葡萄樹，你們是枝子。住在我裡面的，我也住在他裡面，他就結出很多果子；因為離開了我，你們就不能作甚麼。
There is only one way to live the Christian life in an age of distraction, and that is Jesus living that life through you.
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
我已經與基督同釘十字架；現在活著的，不再是我，而是基督活在我裡面；如今在肉身中活著的我，是因信 神的兒子而活的；他愛我，為我捨己。
pride can’t receive.
CONCLUSION
WHAT: Luke is telling us that
This is what it means to be a disciple. Do we do things for God yes! But not at the expense of receiving from Him. Luke isn’t making a contrast between working and being. For example: not healthy if I go lock myself in my room all day at the expense of work that needs to be done.