Work and Worship [Luke 10:38-42]
Notes
Transcript
I.Intro:
I.Intro:
The Truth about Jesus Series Luke 1:3-4
3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.
Last Week review:
Lawyer asks about Eternal Life.
Lawyer response with the Great Commandment.
Lawyer asks about His neighbor.
Jesus teaches the Good Samaritan.
In the flow of Luke’s writing we are told that he is giving a consecutive and exact [Luke 1:3] account about the truth about Jesus. Leading up to today’s passage we are given the key to eternal life and are only told about the latter part (Being a good Neighbor), but what about the former part, Loving the Lord God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind? This is why I believe Luke includes this brief account concerning Mary and Martha. For in it we are given a brief yet significant truth about worshipping Jesus with everything we are and this is the “better part.”
38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 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.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
NOTICE: A theme of “Traveling.”
Just to provide some evidence for the reason why I believe Luke is continuing the conversation about the Greatest Commandment, notice the theme of traveling:
- A man “going down” v.30
- A Priest “going down” v.31
- A Levite “came to the place” v.32
- Samaritan “who was on a journey” v.33
- They were traveling along, He entered a village...” v.38
I believe that Luke is tying this account of Martha and Mary to the question: How to received eternal life, which is revealed in the law by Loving God and being a neighbor. Jesus gives us a parable about being a good neighbor and here Luke is giving us an account of Loving God.
Observations:
- Martha Welcoming.
- Mary seated and listening.
- Martha “Distracted” and “Complains”.
- Jesus informs us that Martha is “worried and bothered” with so many things.
- Only one thing is needed- Jesus.
- The good part is what Mary is doing: Sitting and Listening.
IV. Worship [The Point].
IV. Worship [The Point].
1. Worship and the Word.
1. Worship and the Word.
Work, indeed, is not a bad thing. Martha doesn’t get corrected for her service of hospitality, but only the heart in which she is trying to accomplish it. Jesus points out that Mary, who is sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to His word, has chosen the “better part” between them. Instead of helping serve and assisting Martha, She is helping herself to her Lord and His Word. If Martha is preparing food and Mary is filling her heart with His word I cannot help but believe Jesus’ words to be more true:
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
Notice, also, the state in which Martha is in as she is distracted from Jesus:
Asking for help (as she is serving alone).
Worried
Bothered
Many things
Is it coincidence that anxiety and frustration comes to the one who is not sitting at the feet of Jesus. How much of our lives are filled with needless anxiety and frustration because we have not been sitting at the feet of Jesus. Our intentions need to be made pure by the word of Jesus and our Spirits renewed by sitting at His feet and having the Spirit work on our hearts to have the patience to tend to the work we face. It is interesting how I often hear, and experience myself, that when I spend time with Jesus my attitude is better aligned, my tolerance of situations are more easily endured, and more peace comes even in the midst of trial.
The Truth about Jesus is that He values and honors your time with Him more than He does your time in “many things”. The Truth about Jesus is that He sees work as worship and if we are not worshipping when we work than we are not taking hold of the first part of the Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind- which involves everything we do. Working isn’t bad but it needs to be done is such a way that you are offering God in all your do Glory and honor. We were mandated to work in the garden, and this was our act of worshipping the one who created us. The truth about Jesus he is reordering Martha’s work to be like the worship of Mary.
2. Worship and Work.
2. Worship and Work.
Work is where we offer our skills but worship is offering our service to God. Paul tells us to offer our whole selves as a spiritual act of worship to God [Romans 12:1]. He also tells us to do all things for the Glory of God [1 Corinthians 10:31]. Therefore work is meant to be worship.
As christians we are called to worship with our lives while those who do not serve God work in their lives. We must do all we do as an act of worship to God. We may still call this work but it is ultimately worship. Our work should be done in such a way to bring worship to God; this is what Liturgy means “work of the people in worship” the actions of our heart, mind, and body are engaged in worship so that all of us worship God with everything we have and we worship Him in ways that bring honor and rightness in worshiping Him.
We are more than a soup kitchen, a social organization, a humanitarian institution. We are the church that does everything by, through, and in Jesus. If we only did work without mentioning a word, we would be confused as an Uber offering a free ride, a salon just offering a pedicure, a soup kitchen offering just a meal. All these things are good but they do not save. If we work and do not accompany it with the word about Jesus and worship, then those we serve are left still in their sins but at least they will go to hell with clean feet and a full belly.
3. Worship and Faith.
3. Worship and Faith.
Sometimes our desires fail us, our attitudes expose our lack of focus, and we don’t want to worship or aren’t in the mood. But this is why we must live by faith- trusting in God to produce in us the right motives, intentions, and desires that bring worship from our actions and not just work. It isn’t about us. It is about the Spirit working in us to produce what is right for our lives in which we were created to live.
4. There is a time to serve and a time to be served.
4. There is a time to serve and a time to be served.
Which is better to be hosting Jesus or Jesus hosting us? Which of those options puts Jesus at the center of our lives? What might be confusing here is that Martha thought she was to fill Jesus with bread from her oven; when Jesus was actually intending to fill them with the bread of life- from which we will never hunger or thirst again!
What we offer pales in comparison to what Jesus offers us. If we are ever to offer our selves rightly to God then we must be given rightness by Jesus through the Spirit. God doesn’t want filthy rags, he deserves more honor and glory than that which Jesus has and gives to us to worship God.
[Growing up as a child, I had no money, and if I did it was in loose change. But when the offering plate came around, my grandparents would give me the money that they had made and I cast it into the plate. Jesus does this when it comes to our spiritual acts of worship. He gives us the righteousness through and His sacrifice that we then bring into worship and present to God.]
Notice: Jesus doesn’t discourage Martha or even impose wrongdoing upon her. He is simply showing her what is better and of greater value; which is what Jesus points her to see in the position and posture of Mary. We need to be careful to promote disparity upon those who haven’t done any wrongdoing. Let’s not make others feel they are wrong if they have not sinned but if they need to be steered towards the better things, then let us so by encouragement.
A gentle hand, a shepherd brings,
to steer his flock to better things,
to greener grass and flowing streams,
build up and encourage those to better things.
. When gathered together
We must make every occasion an occasion to listen to Jesus. If we be feasting together, may we feast upon the bread of life, if we are thinking may we think about the things of God [Phil 4:8]. May we always find ourselves at the feet of Jesus wherever we are and whatever home we are asked into. Bring Jesus through the front door not the back door or leave him outside. Bring him in. [Bringing Jesus through the front door of youth ministry]
5. When what you need isn’t obvious
5. When what you need isn’t obvious
Jesus calls to Martha in love as she complains that she needs help. She sought the Lords help to get her sister to do what she wants. What Martha was in need of was not obvious to her which was to be doing what God wants. Sometimes we are oblivious to what GOD wants us to do because we are distracted by what WE want to do. When you sense a lack of support from the Lord or others, consider if there is something better that you ought to be doing that you have not consider. You might find that support for your thing isn’t what you need; what you need is for your will to be conformed to God’s will for you. “If the Lord wills we will do such and such” [James 4:15]
6. When Jesus is present.
6. When Jesus is present.
Jesus has come to visit and would you, like Martha, miss out on such an occasion to be filled with the love and wisdom of Jesus? What else could their be. And if you agree that Jesus’ visitation is most prized, then what of a gathering of two or more where Jesus promises to make a visitation? If Jesus makes his intentions known to schedule a visit with you what would keep you from meeting up with Him? Will you tend to Jesus or your work on the day of visitation. Let me be clear. Can anyone here argue that Jesus doesn’t meet weekly with His people in His church? Sure there may be more to this but not less than this. Then what may prevent you from sitting at the feet of Jesus if He tells you where to find him? Even if you commune with Jesus in prayer and reading throughout the week do you not see that what is better is being among both Jesus and His people as we worship Him and as He speaks to us. There is something about gathering. When missionaries give the gospel to those who who have never heard it and they believe, their next actions tend to be sharing about Jesus, and then forming a church to worship with all those who believe. It is a mark of genuine faith to be gathered in the church and to be hosted by Jesus in His house that he built by His our blood, sweet, tears, and word.
7. A Foot fetish
7. A Foot fetish
Martha would have imposed her distraction upon Mary which would keep her from the one whom Mary’s heart longs for. Each time we see Mary we see her at Jesus’ feet:[ Luke 10:39] [John 11:32][John 12:3]. Her love for Jesus is unashamed, visible, hungering, thirsting for Him, and we are told by Jesus himself that she will be remembered wherever the gospel is told [Matthew 26:13]. The Truth about Mary is that she will not be distracted or carried away from her love for the Lord. Mary will always be found at the feet of Jesus worshiping Him and feasting on His Word.
Mary is obsessed with the feet of Jesus. What Mary believed about the feet of Jesus, Paul wrote about in Romans 10:14-15
14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
In your endeavors are you preventing others from coming to Jesus. Imposing your will upon them, stealing them away from their true love.
Do you love Jesus like Mary? Is your devotion obvious? Does is lack? If so, then Jesus’ call is for you to pursue the better things of which is in Him.