Early one morning, I was awakened by a coworker whose vehicle had broken down. As a manager, this required me to get up quite a bit earlier than intended to rescue the other person. As you can imagine, this unplanned event disrupted what I had been planning on doing that day. But it was necessary to help the other person, so I did it. As you go through your day, do you ever consider whether something is actually necessary before you do it? Or are you so bound to your schedule that nothing can pry you away from it? Perhaps our Scripture passage will help us to discover what is really necessary for each of us.
- What does it say? (Luke 10:38-42)
Something happened as Jesus traveled to a certain village. A woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. While Jesus was there, her sister Mary sat at His feet and listened to what He said. But Martha was very distracted by serving people. She was a bit perturbed and asked Jesus why He didn’t care that Mary had left her to do all the work. She wanted Him to tell her sister to get up and help her. Jesus responded by saying her name twice. He then told her that a lot of things were bothering her, but there was one thing that was necessary. Mary had chosen that and it would not be taken away from her. - What does it mean?
When Jesus traveled from city to city, where would He stay? We have record of him eating at the home of a Pharisee and a tax collector. He stayed at Peter’s house at one point and also at Martha’s house. It must have been very interesting to eat with and talk with Jesus in such an informal setting. In this passage, we see that Jesus was doing more than small talk. He seems to have been teaching those who were there. So, how did the people in the house respond? We shall see.
Mary was focused on listening to Jesus (Luke 10:39).
As Jesus spoke, Mary sat down by Jesus’ feet and listened to what He was saying. When we have people over to the house, we allow them to sit in chairs. So, it may seem strange for this woman to have sat by Jesus’ feet as she listened to Him. Was this a symbol of her humility? Or was it the way that students listened to their teachers back then? I don’t know. But as she sat by His feet, she listened to everything He was saying. And being so focused on His teaching, she could think of nothing else. Her sister Martha noticed this.
Martha was focused on serving people (Luke 10:40).
As Jesus spoke, Martha was busy doing something different. She was distracted by her responsibilities of serving her guests. Perhaps dinner was being served or the table was being set. Whatever the case, Martha was too distracted to listen to what Jesus was saying. Why was she so distracted? The only people mentioned in the passage are Mary, Martha, and Jesus. However, the fact that she was distracted from listening and wanted her sister to help her indicates that there were others in the house who required her attention. With so much to do, she was irked that Mary was sitting down, listening to Jesus, and not helping her serve. This led her to ask why Jesus didn’t care that she had been left alone to serve. She wanted Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Being so focused on serving, she was unable to focus on what Jesus was teaching.
Jesus made it clear which one was necessary (Luke 10:41-42).
Jesus’ response makes us smile. He mentioned her name twice and you can imagine how he said. He probably smiled and said, “Martha, Martha…”. This was His way of gently correcting her focus. She was so focused on all the things needing to be done that she became anxious and bothered. And that came out in her complaint against Jesus and Mary. So, He corrected her by saying that one thing was necessary. Of all the things that could be done right at that moment, there was only one that was really necessary. And that was the thing that Mary had chosen to do. She was listening to what Jesus was teaching and He refused to take that privilege away from her. Martha and Mary had been focused on things that were important, but only one was truly necessary. That was listening to what Jesus said and learning from Him. - How does it apply?
What is it that you tend to focus on?
Martha was focused on something that was good. She was serving the people whom she had welcomed into her home. That wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, it was good for her to cook a meal, set the table, sweep the living room, and prepare the guest room. The problem was that she made that more important than what was truly necessary at the moment. She should have been focused on what was necessary and left the others to be completed at another time.
Whether you are an aspiring politician with a busy schedule, a mother with young children, or a retired person, there are always things that seem to hold our attention. A politician is focused on getting his message out in many campaigns. A mother is constantly multi-tasking trying to keep the children inline and housework done. A retired person may be constantly thinking about the family and the future. In any case, Jesus wants us to make sure to focus on the things that really matter. And because of that, we should guard ourselves against becoming anxious and bothered about things that aren’t quite as important as we are led to believe.
What is truly necessary for you to focus on?
Martha wanted Mary to get up and start helping her with serving their guests. But Jesus said that Mary was already doing what was necessary. It wasn’t just better to do that. It was necessary. So, what did Jesus consider to be necessary? It was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to what He said. We aren’t told what Jesus was talking about. But He considered what He was teaching and what Mary was hearing to be necessary. Listening to what Jesus taught was a necessity at that moment.
Sometimes, like Martha, we get into a busy mode that makes certain things seem very necessary. But during those times, we need to focus on what is truly necessary. Do you make reading the Bible a necessity during your day? Do you think that preaching and teaching are necessary for you? From what Jesus said to Mary and Martha, we ought to make learning from Him one of the necessary parts of each day. That may require removing some things from your daily schedule to make room for what is necessary. And it may take some time to make it a habit. But only you can make it become a necessity for your daily walk with God. Will you?
Conclusion
After hearing this message tonight, we will be thrust back into our daily schedule. Let’s make sure that we focus on what is necessary for our daily, spiritual growth. As we spend time reading the Bible, meditating on it, and applying it to our lives, we will see how right Jesus was. We need to learn from Jesus. So, be sure to make the study of God’s truth as revealed in the Bible to be a necessary part of your life.
Bibliography
Geldenhuys, Norval, The Gospel of Luke, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.
Martin, John A., “Luke,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1983.