Jesus Desires Us Over Our Service
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Recap of last week
Recap of last week
Look at me, watch what I’m doing. Know me.
Just when things are getting good with God, Satan wants to mess it up.
Wednesday night...
Please be alert today, God has word for our body, but Satan is going to try and distract you. He doesn’t want you to understand the truths he has for you today.
Jesus didn’t argue with the lawyer.
Jesus disarmed the lawyer.
Jesus moves the conversation from theology into personal reflection.
As we move into new understanding, it is going to create opportunities for us to share that new experience with those that God has placed in our lives.
God involves others in our abiding cycle and allows them to experience God too.
It’s like a roundabout.
Jesus uses a known event to communicate truth. He talked about something that the lawyer would have been emotionally connected with.
Jesus was gentle as he changed what the lawyer thought about what it meant to serve and love God.
It is my goal today to look at what Jesus says to Martha and Mary about serving and loving Jesus.
Let’s pray as we begin.
Intro
Intro
Just like last week, I want to ask you to join me in setting aside what you think you know and understand about this passage.
Allow yourself to have a fresh look at what Jesus is doing and how he is responding to both of these ladies.
Most of the times that I have heard the passage taught, the presenter had a tendency to villainies Martha.
My goal today is for us to find ourselves in this story and apply what we learn about who Jesus is to who we are choosing to be.
Let’s jump in here and see what we can learn about Jesus.
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.
40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”
41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,
42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Let’s examine the scene:
He was just outside of Jerusalem and had just celebrated with the disciples.
He and his crew stopped at Martha’s house.
Because of how Jesus went about ministry, and Martha’s actions, I believe that Martha didn’t know he was coming.
Consider his instructions to the 12 and 72 when he sent them out.
English Standard Version Chapter 10
Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.
Consider how you would respond if 13 men showed up unannounced.
You know that they need to eat and a place to sleep for the night.
Now, we are beginning to understand Martha and her frustration with Mary.
Why did he stop in Bethany?
4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.
5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’
6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.
7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.
8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.
What is Martha doing?
What is Martha doing?
Consider how you would respond if 13 men showed up unannounced.
You know that they need to eat and a place to sleep for the night.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not even sure how I would sleep 13 men in my house.
I could probably round up enough food, but it wouldn’t be anything quick.
This scene reminds me of the scene from Twister. The one where they are eating eggs and steak at Aunt Meg’s house. “You gotta a lot of beef Aunt Meg. Where did you get all this beef?” “did you see the cow out back?” “No, Oh...”
There were 11 people in that scene besides Aunt Meg.
Now, are we beginning to understand Martha and her frustration with Mary.
I’ll have to admit, I often just glazed over this passage, judged Martha’s audacity to fuss at Mary and moved on.
Martha is serving our of necessity.
Jesus Needed a
Jesus and the disciples needed a meal and a place to sleep for the night. (They were also going to need breakfast in the morning.)
Ministry simply means to meet needs.
The need here is for food and a place to sleep.
We aren’t told what all Martha is doing, but we know that food has to be prepared (two meals worth) and she has to figure out where to put all these men to sleep.
Martha is ministering to Jesus and the disciples.
What is Mary doing?
What is Mary doing?
39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.
Luke
“listened” - ἀκούω (aku-o) - to listen with intention.
Jesus shows up to stay the night.
He and his boys are talking, about what we don’t know, but whatever it is Mary wants to hear it.
Imagine being at your siblings house and Jesus shows up.
What’s your initial reaction?
Visit with him or cook supper?
I’m in the cook supper camp.
To me, there is no better way to invite someone in than with a good meal.
Bethany and I remodeled our kitchen so we can visit and cook at the same time. :)
Mary was in the visit camp.
Mary wants to just spend time with Jesus and soak up whatever she can.
Also, this wasn’t Mary’s house. She too was visiting.
What is Jesus doing?
What is Jesus doing?
The scripture doesn’t say exactly what is taking place with Jesus and the others.
I think it is safe to assume that Jesus and the disciples are sitting down and discussing the day and the conversation that Jesus just had with the lawyer.
Regardless of the topic, it is clear that Jesus is teaching and that Mary is listening.
Jesus is probably just trying to relax for a minute.
Don’t blame Jesus for allowing yourself to be distracted.
Culture will put requirements on us that Jesus does not.
Culture will put requirements on us that Jesus does not.
We, like Martha, become distracted by “good”, culturally relevant or culturally required activities.
Personal realm- We must learn the difference between “setting the table for Jesus” and setting the table for ourselves. I’m gonna share some personal examples of things that distract me. See if any of these resonate with you. coffee (I’m talking about Mr. Coffee drip stuff, we not even gonna get into the perfectly ground, packed, and poured stuff.), the right notebook/journal/device, the correct pen, music, place, etc.
Are some of these things important? Yes, are they all necessary for me to sit at Jesus feet and listen with intention? No.
If you spent more time making your cup of coffee then you did with Jesus you did it wrong.
i.e. coffee, the right notebook/journal, pen, music, place, etc.
If you spent more time prepping for your time with Jesus, than you did with Jesus, you’re doing it wrong.
I think that sometimes we don’t consider how much time we spend setting the table versus how long we spend at the table.
Social realm - There are other big things in our lives that our culture puts on us that Jesus doesn’t.
Having the “right” house in the “right” location.
Oh, we can’t host a life group, our house is too small or too far away.
Having your kids in the right activities.
Lawn maintenance.
if you come to my house, you will see that I’m over
Jesus is showing us that we need to learn the difference between what is necessary and what is needed.
Martha was struggling between cultural obligations to be a proper host and wanting to be with Jesus too. There is no doubt in my mind that if the circumstances had been different Martha would be next to Jesus too.
ter cultural obligations to be a proper host and wanting to be with Jesus too. There is no doubt in my mind that if the circumstances had been different Martha would be next to Jesus too.
She went too far by moving beyond what was necessary into what nice.
She wanted everything to be just right so that her guest enjoyed their visit.
Culture mandated that, not Jesus.
All Jesus required was that something was provided. “eating and drinking what they provide”
The take away here is that Jesus doesn’t require much from us, if anything, in order for us to sit at his feet.
We put requirements on others that Jesus does not.
We put requirements on others that Jesus does not.
Martha wanted Mary’s actions to Mirror her own.
Martha wanted Mary’s actions to Mirror her own.
Martha wanted some help. There is nothing necessarily wrong with that except she wanted Mary to leave Jesus’ feet to help her.
Just because someone isn’t do something just like you would doesn't mean they’re doing it wrong.
Just because someone isn’t do something just like you would doesn't mean they’re doing it wrong.
I’m gonna wait and let that sink in. Go ahead, take a minute.
Wranglerstar’s use of the word “proper” and why it irritates me.
There is more that one way to skin a cat.
If you want me to show you after service I can. Hehe
It irritates me because it assumes that the person using the word is the sole authority on the subject and to me it just comes off as self-righteous.
Martha was upset with Mary for not fulfilling her cultural obligations of being a “proper” host.
Is there value in being a good host? YES, and Tylitha can help you with that if you need. Seriously, she wrote a manual. I think.
This is where we have to watch for legalism slipping in. If we aren’t careful we will turn cultural expectations into religious requirements.
This is where we have to watch for legalism slipping in.
Martha was doing all those things because she felt that she “had too”.
How often do we do things because we are “supposed to” and get upset when others around us don’t follow suit?
How often do we do things because we are “supposed to” and get upset when others around us don’t follow suit?
Satan is so good at distracting us with the “ought too’s” and then encouraging our anger.
Martha petitions Jesus to get Mary’s help.
Have you ever complained to God because someone else wasn’t doing what you thought they ought too?
Just because Jesus has called you to do something doesn’t mean everyone is.
Just because you have the skill set to do a certain task doesn’t mean you’re supposed to.
Story about David Knuckles (DON’T SAY HIS NAME)
Sometimes we do things that God hasn’t called us to do and we’re miserable and then we complain to God that were miserable and He’s like, HEY, I never told you to do that!
Here’s the deal, they needed to eat. Most of us, in America, don’t cook like they did back then.
You couldn't just go run to the grocery store.
There weren’t any hot pockets in the freezer.
There was no Macaroni in the pantry.
Literally everything was made from scratch.
you gonna serve bread? make some dough and it’s got to have time to rise or you’re having flat bread.
Have you ever cooked for 13 grown men, plus whoever else happened to be there that aren’t named in the story.
Martha did have a lot of work to do. Even if she choose the simplest of things to make, it was still going to be work.
She assumed, based on culture, that Mary was required to help her,
She assumed, based on the fact that Mary was her sister that she would be required to help her.
Jesus responds with gentleness and empathy.
Jesus responds with gentleness and empathy.
41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,
42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke
Jesus understands why Martha is doing what she’s doing and why she feels the way she does.
Jesus didn’t get angry or upset with Martha
He addressed her feelings. He says her name twice to show tenderness and compassion.
When we bring something to Jesus, he isn’t just taking in the information and making a judgement.
He acknowledges how we feel about what we have brought before him.
He understands how we feel.
He says, look, you’re worried about all these things, but all we need is to eat and sleep.
ὀλίγων (oligone) - few
One of the Greek words, oligone, doesn’t make it directly over in the ESV translation. It means few. What Jesus is saying is, You’re worried about all these things, but few are necessary, and really, only one is needed.
He explained to her where she had “missed it”.
When Jesus calls us into correction, that needs to be the end of it.
Jesus calls us into correction for our own benefit.
Martha doesn’t walk away grumbling about how she is being mistreated.
He wanted Martha to have the same opportunity as Mary.
She takes his correction and moves on.
Luke makes a point to say that she is anxious (that word also means moody) and he doesn’t
Only a few things are needed, but one is the most important.
Jesus understands why Martha is doing what she’s doing and why she feels the way she does.
Jesus recognizes that there are things that need to be done.
He knows that the meal has to be prepared. His correction isn’t so much about the meal preparation, as it was about Martha’s attitude toward Mary’s desire to be with Jesus.
He tells her that while there are needs, none of them trump her need to sit at his feet and he is not going to ask her to give that up.
Jesus will defend our desire to sit at his fit.
Jesus will defend our desire to sit at his fit.
Our religious culture has placed a huge emphasis on service.
The Grace New Testament Commentary M. Two Women Help Illustrate the Preferred Posture for the Interadvent Age (10:38–42)
Martha wanted Mary’s actions to mirror her own.
Evangelical Commentary on the Bible A. The Journey Begins (9:51–13:21)
The story is significant because Jesus, in contrast to most Jewish teachers of the day, encouraged learning among women. Sitting at a teacher’s feet (v. 39) is the usual posture of a student, indicating that Mary was one of his pupils.
While service is needed at times, it is not the most important thing.
Evangelical Commentary on the Bible A. The Journey Begins (9:51–13:21)
Martha complains to Jesus about Mary’s failure to help with the meal preparations. In fact, Martha seems to be blaming Jesus (“Lord, don’t you care,” v. 40) since Mary was not helping because she was listening to Jesus teach
If we do not learn to sit at Jesus feet, our lives are going to be full of activity, void of any real rest, and empty.
Ok Jesus, we got all these people here, make something happen.
Mary has chosen “the good portion” - reference to food points to Martha’s business being about the meal she is preparing.
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
Mary has placed her opportunity to sit as Jesus feet over the need for a fancy meal.
Consider this: If Jesus had asked Mary for anything, would she have hesitated to get it?
There is a time to serve. It is always AFTER Jesus shows us the need for it.
There is a time to serve. It is always AFTER Jesus shows us the need for it.
Jesus does want us to serve him, but not until we have spent time with him.
How will we know how to serve if we haven’t asked him what he wants or paid attention to what he is doing so we can join in?
Story of helping Dad as a kid: When I was about my boys age I went to work with my dad at a gas station that was having some issues. There were a number of other Petron employees that were there working with us. Dad was working in the electrical panel rewiring some things. Now, my whole life I had been working with my dad. I knew the expectations. As dad was working I would hand him the tools he needed as he needed them. One of the other guys was watching us and noticed that dad never took his eyes off the panel or said a word. He would just reach his hand out and I’d place the right tool in it. dad would use it and then reach for the next thing he needed and I’d hand it to him. all this with no verbal communication. The other guy asked dad later that day how we were able to do that. Dad asked him what he was talking about. He said, “how did your little boy know what you needed without you asking?” Dad’s reply was, “He was paying attention to what I was doing. I didn’t have to tell him what I need, he knew.” Now, at 8 years old there was a lot i didn’t know and the only way I learned what I knew was because I spent a lot of time with my dad and asked a lot of questions.
This is how our relationship with God should work! If I had just run around the job site doing random things it would have driven my dad crazy. But more importantly, I had no concept of what the end goal was for the project.
If we are running around just doing stuff we aren’t doing ourselves or God any good.
God doesn’t need us to do all the things. He needs us to do what he ask us to do.
We learn
It is only by sitting at Jesus’s feet that we learn.
It is only by sitting at Jesus’s feet that we know what he wants.
Closing:
Closing:
People in our lives who haven’t learned to listen to Jesus or, who have learned, but aren’t are going to try and convince or manipulate us into doing what they think is right. DON’T LET THEM!
Culture is going to try and dictate the way we handle life. DON’T LET IT!
Jesus want’s us to sit at his feet, to know him, and to join in with what he is doing.
Jesus doesn’t want us just wandering around aimlessly doing things and then getting frustrated when he doesn’t join us in our work or praise us for how hard we tried.
He would much rather spend time with us and love on us and out of that relationship we serve Him based on what we know and experience.
Jesus desires for us to walk with him daily, in constant communication, abiding in him. As we abide in him we will know exactly what to do and when to do it.