Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Luke 10:38-42
Pastor: Pastor Schlicht
Sermon Date:  July 17, 2022

It’s amazing how fast things become useless, that we once thought absolutely necessary. For instance, I remember a doctor who said he’d have a pager on his hip until the day he died. Or I think about when the must-have ipod came out and everyone needed to have one. And it isn’t just tech either. How about that spot on the team or that role in the musical that you would have died to get? How about that someone that you used to lay awake dreaming about, and now you don’t even know where they are or what they’re doing with their lives? It’s interesting how what we think we need changes. If you had to write a list of the things most needed in your life right now, how would it compare to the list you would have written ten years ago? How about twenty? Thirty? Perhaps we need a different definition of necessary! That’s what our Savior gives us today in Luke 10 as he speaks in the house of Mary and Martha.

The account of Mary and Martha naturally leads us to compare the two sisters. But before we do that I’d like to take a moment and look at their similarities. Firstly, Mary and Martha were both strong believers. They were both women with whom our Savior had a special relationship. He often chose to stay at their house when he traveled through Bethany. And in our story today, they both actively show love for their Savior. I bring this up because the story of Mary and Martha is often told as though Mary was a saint while Martha was this busy body who didn’t make time for Jesus. But that is not the case. Martha was serving her Lord. That’s important to keep in mind if we are truly going to benefit from this Scripture today. This account certainly speaks to all people, but it isn’t aimed at those who are too busy and can’t find time for God. This story speaks to the kind of people who come to church often and try to prioritize their lives according to God’s will. It speaks directly to us here today.

Now then, let’s take a look at Martha. The text says that Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. Martha was the owner of the house, and, therefore, we assume that she was also the oldest sister. So when Jesus and his disciples came to Bethany on this occasion, Martha felt responsible to provide for them. She couldn’t just grab something out of the fridge or order up a few pizzas. Everything was done from scratch. I mean if she wanted to serve them meat she had to go out back and kill an animal. And Jesus didn’t text ahead to let her know he and the disciples were on the way. Imagine 13 men show up at your house unannounced. Martha had a lot to do and she did it willingly for her Savior. Her first thought when she sees Jesus is, “Here is my Lord, who has no place to lay his head, but here in my house, he will have a hot meal and a warm bed.” What I’m getting at here is all that Martha did to prepare for Jesus was good in and of itself. 

Where she went wrong was when she became certain that her service was more needed than his service. She naturally assumed that she and Mary, as the keepers of the house, should be preparing the meal. There might be other times for Mary to sit around and listen to Jesus, but not right now! They were hosting for 13 people! I can understand her frustration, can’t you? There’s no doubt in my mind that Martha would have loved to sit at Jesus’ feet like Mary, but she didn’t feel that she could! She had to get ready! She was so upset that she ended up getting frustrated not only with Mary but with Jesus himself! Listen to verse 40, “But Martha was distracted with all her serving. She came over and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.” Luke says she was distracted with her serving. Do you catch the irony? She thought that Mary was the one distracted! Martha seems to be the only one focused on what needs to get done. But in reality, in God’s eyes, she is the distracted one. Although there was much to do, Jesus was speaking. And there is no task or service that she could perform more needed than simply listening to his words. 

Do you ever make Martha’s mistake? Are you so focused on what you need to do to serve God and others, that you forget to let him serve you with his Word first? Are you ever distracted by the good, important things in your life that you don’t think it’s possible to take some time and sit at Jesus’ feet in personal devotion? Are you ever so used to giving other people advice, that you forget that it isn’t your place to tell God what to do? Are you ever so wrapped up in temporary, earthly things, that you treat eternal things as optional? Oh, we are distracted too, aren’t we?

But now listen to how Jesus so patiently and lovingly answers Martha, “The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is needed. In fact, Mary has chosen that better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (vs. 41-42) Only one thing is needed. Mary wasn’t foolish, she knew how important it was to help her sister, but with Jesus in front of her she couldn’t help but sit down at his feet because his service to her was more needed than her service to him. And she wasn’t just listening, she believed his words. Jesus said that she had chosen the better part which would “not be taken away from her.” And this is such a profound statement. “Not be taken away from her”, as in, he would not tell her to stop listening to his Word so that she could help in the kitchen. And “not be taken away from her,” as in, “heaven and earth shall pass away but the Word of the Lord endures forever.”

This understanding of what is needed changes how we live. We understand that while many things are important, only one thing is needed. You’ll remember that Jesus didn’t condemn Martha for preparing the house and he doesn’t want us to stop doing things that are important here on earth, like serving him and others! But anything that we do for him must be subordinate to his service to us. What I’m getting at is that Jesus shouldn’t be vying for the top position on our priority list. Sitting at our Savior’s feet shouldn’t even be on the list because it is fundamentally, categorically different; it is needed and all other things are not. God’s service to us through his Word isn’t on the priority list which changes based on circumstances and situations, because it ought to be the brain that determines our actions.

And if it is, sometimes we will choose to do things that may seem very unnecessary in the eyes of others. After sitting at Jesus’ feet that day in Bethany, Mary began to understand what Jesus would later do in Jerusalem. And she understood this perhaps even better than many of the Twelve. It was Mary, who went into Jerusalem and broke the jar of pure nard over Jesus’ head and wiped his feet with her hair. That nard was a special spice that the gospel of John says was worth 300 denarii, which is by today’s standard about $50,000. And she broke the jar over his head. It wasn’t a screw top; it was a one-time use. Many of the disciples were outraged, saying that it was a waste of money. It made no sense to them. It was one thing for her to be sitting around by Jesus when she should have been helping in the kitchen, at least Jesus was able to turn that into a teachable moment, but this is $50,000 dollars down the drain. Was that really necessary?! But Jesus said, “Leave her alone…She has done a beautiful thing to me.” (Mark 14:6). If you truly understand the one thing needed, then there will be times when you will recognize opportunities in your life to step up and do something seemingly unnecessary for your Savior. It might not seem financially prudent, many people may not understand it, you may be ridiculed, but you might also do something that your Savior considers beautiful. And what greater purpose could we have in our short days than to give glory and witness to Christ as the one thing necessary? 

If you need a little motivation in this, just consider Jesus himself. Jesus was followed around by tens of thousands of people. He had power beyond imagination to heal and perform miracles. He could have ruled the world, honestly. And yet he decided to let himself be crucified as the lowest criminal. The apostle Peter said, “Lord this shall never be!” Pontius Pilate said, “I find no fault with this man.” Women wept for him in the streets as he carried the cross to Golgotha. Wasn’t there any other way? “Jesus, is this really necessary?!” For our sake, yes, yes it was. It was one thing needed to pay for our sins and give us salvation. And his Word, which strengthens us in this Gospel, is one thing needed for us here on earth and forever in eternity.

Today’s lesson isn’t about making time for God in your life. That’s thinking too small.  Jesus says to us, “Christian, Christian, you are worried and upset by many things, but one thing is needed.” He wants us to make a distinction between the many things which are important and the one thing which is needed. He tells us to choose the better part: to sit and rest in his Word. He reminds us that one day we will not look back and thank him that we had just a little bit cleaner house, or a little bit thinner body, or a little bit more money. But rather, we will thank him for these sweet hours in his house, for quiet moments in his Word, for the rest and satisfaction he gave to us when we were willing to listen. My friends, let go of the distractions. Let go of the hyper-focus on what you have to do. Let go of the expectations of what some consider to be a productive life and do something unreasonable. Sit down and listen because your Savior is speaking. 

Amen.