Over the last few weeks, God has been teaching me how intimacy with Christ is the gateway to a full and satisfying relationship with Him. One of the passages I have been meditating on is Luke 10:38-42.
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
While it’s obvious that every Christian would like to see themselves as Mary in the story, all too frequently we find ourselves in Martha’s shoes. Let’s examine this passage to get God’s advice on how to combat a Martha-like lifestyle and mentality so that we can align ourselves with what Mary discovered.
Here are three truths this passage teaches us.
1. It is possible to be distracted from God while doing things for God.
Martha’s decision to welcome Jesus into her home and make Him dinner was an honorable and loving thing to do. But during her dinner preparations, she became distracted from God with the circumstances she believed were unfair (Mary not helping her). When Martha took her mind off of Jesus and the joy of serving him, she slipped into a negative attitude and let her heart become filled with bitterness towards Mary. Furthermore, Martha’s bad attitude led her to overthink the dinner, worry about the elaborate details, and complain about her sister.
Martha’s problem wasn’t that she was serving Jesus, but rather that she let her heart and mind become distracted in her serving. Let’s remember that the kind of serving Jesus loves is one of thanksgiving, joy, and praise. Psalm 100:2 tells us to serve the Lord with gladness!
Let’s all be truly focused on God in our serving and radiate His love and joy to others through our serving.
2. The one thing worth being concerned about is God’s presence.
Mary discovered that being in God’s presence was the single greatest reality in the world. Jesus confirms this when he said that her finding was of such importance that it [would never] be taken away from her. That is amazing.
Like Mary, God’s presence is available to us. Through Jesus’ perfect life, substitutionary death, and glorious resurrection, we have access to the fullness of God’s presence. What exactly, though, is God’s presence? This passage reveals that God’s presence is two primary things: (1) sitting at the Lord’s feet, and (2) listening to what he (Jesus) taught. In other words, God’s presence is (1) his person and (2) his voice. Only if we dwell in God’s presence can we truly receive His love, power, and direction in our lives.
Just like Mary, King David understood that the one thing worth being concerned about was God’s presence:
The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple (Psalm 27:4).
To David, the one thing he asked God to give him was more of Himself. Wow. Is this the cry of your heart?
Let’s all live in God’s presence, giving constant attention to his person and an ear to his voice.
3. Intimacy with Jesus leads to transformation.
Mary is a good example of how an intimate relationship with Jesus can dramatically transform someone's life. In all four biographies of Jesus’ life, the same Mary is found anointing Jesus with expensive perfume and wiping his feet with her hair. In this story, Mary, who realized her sinfulness, came to Jesus with a heart of repentance and received his forgiveness and grace.
So, when we find Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to his teaching, we know that the intimacy Mary previously experienced with Jesus caused a huge transformation in her life. Mary’s heart changed in such a profound way that all she wanted was more of Him.
When we soak in God’s presence and grow in intimacy with Christ, we too will see real transformation in our lives.
Let’s all surrender to God and allow Him to transform us so that His love, truth, and mission would pour out from our hearts.
Final Thoughts
We could spend our lives trying to become a brilliant Bible scholar, activist for a great cause, or a thoughtful and nice person to others, but miss the one thing that is necessary. Satan wants to do everything he can to get you distracted with good things so that you forget about the greatest thing: God Himself. Let’s not give into that temptation like Martha did. Instead, let’s pursue God’s presence, share His love with others, and watch the world change for His glory.
Love,
Freed Sailors