CHOOSING
THE BETTER PART! (Luke 10:38-42)
Introduction: Americans, in general, are goal-driven and result oriented.
That makes them busy people. Do these words sound familiar? "Go faster. Do
more. Hustle! Hustle even more. In other words, we are a people of "Hustle
and Bustle." Slowing down doesn't come naturally to us. We boast in multi-tasking
and always seem to be preoccupied with the next thing.
Then came COVID-19, we can debate on
whether it is the mercy of God or the wrath of God, but in a matter of time literally,
almost everything in the USA and around the world came to a grinding halt. We
are forced to slow down. In the USA, we have been in lockdown mode for over a
month now. It is getting on our nerves, and we want to get back to normal
again.
One would think during this lockdown
phase; we would have more time to read God's Word, pray, and reflect on what
truly matters. But you and I know that is not what is happening with us, right?
Instead of slowing down, we have become busier than before, more preoccupied
with the daily news, and checking the Facebook posts.
Even Pastors have become overly
occupied with how to put up the art live streaming service. I didn't realize
how preoccupied I was until a couple of days ago when I was confronted by my
loving family, who were concerned about my non-involvement at home. Though I
was present physically, mentally, and emotionally, I was not available to them.
I became defensive and justified my
lack of presence by attributing to my busyness in sermon preparation and
getting ready for the Sunday service. Their gentle but firm confrontation made
me hit a pause button. What would please Jesus more? Does my spending more time
preparing a good sermon or being at the feet of Jesus and enjoy the time with
my family?
What would be a better choice? If
Jesus were to visit our lockdown homes today, I wonder what he would say of our
preoccupation with the concerns and worries of life? What would he say about
our troubled and crazily busy lives? Let's look at Jesus's visit to a Home.
Background: At the
beginning of Luke ten, Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples to preach the
gospel in the villages where he was about to go. He also told them wherever
they went, and in whomever home, they stayed, they were not to hesitate to
accept hospitality. The disciples were to go out and heal the sick and tell the
people that the Kingdom of God was at hand.
I. WHAT DOES TRULY MATTER? (Luke 10:16-20)
The seventy-two disciples kept themselves busy casting out
demons, healing the sick and preaching the good news of the gospel. Now it was
reporting time. They came back to Jesus with glowing reports, saying, "Lord,
even the demons obey us when we use your name." They must have been
genuinely excited about their new open doors and opportunities for ministry.
For the disciples, it was all about
what they could do for Jesus in His name. Jesus wants to bring the focus right
back to them, so he said, "Don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you;
rejoice because your names are registered in heaven." It was not to pour
water on their fire but to make them understand what matters in the end. For
Jesus, not so much what they did for Him, mattered but that they belonged to
Him. Jesus still cares for the same that we belong to Him.
Then he travels with them to Jerusalem.
As they came to Bethany, about two miles from Jerusalem, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. The
household of Mary, Martha, and their brother John were friends of Jesus. To offer hospitality to a famous teacher was considered an
honor in those days. Let's observe how both these sisters responded to Jesus'
visit to their home. Martha got busy putting up a big dinner on the table
according to their custom.
Whereas Mary sat at the Lord's feet.
Because women were expected to fulfill domestic
responsibilities, Martha got distracted by the cultural expectations. Martha
may have thought it was unfair for her to do all the work while her sister was
simply sitting at the feet of Jesus. That must have made Martha very upset, so
she came to Jesus and complained.
Vs. 40, "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." Marth might have thought, Jesus would scold my
sister Mary and put her in place. Instead, Jesus had exposed what truly was
going on in Martha's life.
II WHAT ARE YOU FUSSING OVER?
Vs. 41, "But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha,
you are worried and upset over all these details! "The Master said, "Martha,
dear Martha, you're fussing far too much, and getting yourself worked up over
nothing."(The Message). The Lord did not condemn Martha for her lavish
preparations that went into getting a great meal ready. But he addressed her
worry, upsetness, distractions, and her misplaced priorities. Do we have some
Marthas among us?
Martha, in this story, represents
all those who are overly busy, preoccupied, anxious over many things, and those
who are "fussing far too much and getting themselves worked up over
nothing." In other words, Martha was a prototype of a workaholic.
Isn't that what is true of many of
us? We take pride in what we do and how much we do, even it means what we do
for God. Whether you like it, or not we all can get wrapped up in what I call a
"Martha's Syndrome." Is that how God wants us to live the rest of our
lives, fussing over nothing? Or is there a better way to live our lives? It
looks like Mary chose the better part.
III CHOOSING THE BETTER PART Vs. 42
Vs.42 "There is only one thing worth being concerned
about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her."
but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen
what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (NIV). What a
powerful affirmation of our Lord over what Mary has chosen! Even better was
that what she has chosen will not be taken away from her. Two sisters, one
visitor, and two approaches to the same visitor. Martha may have sincerely
thought she could please the Lord with her excellent hospitality.
Mary, on the other hand, took up the
posture of a disciple who sits at the feet of his master and learns from Him. I
believe that should be the right posture of every believer of Christ.
In her preoccupation with putting
up a good meal for Jesus, Martha misses the opportunity to listen and learn
from the direct wisdom of Jesus.
Mary
simply chose to be with Jesus and sit at his feet and listen to his teachings.
For which the Lord commended her, saying, "Mary has chosen what is better,
and it will not be taken away from her." What was the better part for
Mary? It was to be with Jesus and listen to his life, giving words. She
couldn't get enough of the words of life; she desired more of Jesus.
From
this story, we can learn what truly matters. Being with Jesus matters more than
being busy for Jesus. King David pondered on God's love and reveled in his
presence. Psalm 36: 7-9, "How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All
humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. 8 You feed them from the
abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights. 9
For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see." Psalm 36:79
We
are living in tough times. I know this lockdown is getting on all our nerves.
Some of you may be reaching a breaking point; Jesus is inviting you to come and
hang out with Him. Make Jesus your quarantine buddy. He is asking you to drink
from the fountain of life and live.
What
are you anxious about and fussing over? What is hindering you from spending
quality time with Jesus? Some of you may need to stop checking your cellphone
constantly. Some of you may have to get out of Facebook and start reading the
Bible. Some of you may have to reduce your TV watching and spend time with
Jesus. You can either make this lockdown annoying and frustrating or turn it
into a blessed time of connecting with Jesus. The choice is yours. When we draw near to God, He has promised to
draw near to us. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away
from her, what will you choose? Amen!
