Meditations on Luke 10:38-42
In my previous post I made the case that the solution to our busy lives is not “balance”, it is rather “prioritizing”. As promised, this blog post will dive deeper into the task of prioritizing. What does Jesus say about this?
The Word of God provides a great example for us to meditate on in the book of Luke chapter ten. Here we have two sisters, Martha and Mary, who are both believers in Jesus (John 11:21, 27, 32). Meditate with me through Luke 10:38-42 as we draw our attention to Martha’s story and the lesson that Jesus gave her about prioritizing the things in her life.
The Welcome
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.
Luke 10:38 (ESV)
Martha opened up her home to Jesus. She willingly and gladly welcomed him and his disciples as well as others who were with them. That wasn’t a small task. According to verse 40, there was “much serving”. We don’t know from the text if the sisters had previous encounters with Jesus, but we get the sense that having Jesus in Martha’s home was a big deal to her, and she wanted everything to be perfect.
The Complaint
And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.
Luke 10:39-40 (ESV)
Martha had great intentions of honoring her guest. However, Martha’s heart became distracted by all the tasks of serving. Seeing her sister sitting at the Lord’s feet turned her joy at the opportunity to serve Jesus into bitterness, self-pity, and anger. Out from that heart, Martha filed her complaint with the Lord even questioning His concern for her and what she was trying to do. Distracted in her heart, her serving the Lord Jesus quickly became about her and not about Him.
The Choice
But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41-42 (ESV)
Jesus graciously provided Martha an answer for questioning His concern. He pointed out the state of her heart: anxious and troubled. He cared deeply and knew exactly what was going on deep down inside. He instructed Martha that in the midst of “many things” only one thing was absolutely essential. In fact, Mary had chosen the good portion. That was to learn at the Lord Jesus’ feet. This, He said, brings lasting benefit in life that nothing, even the “many things”, will be able to take away. The choice was hers.
Conclusion
As women of God, we genuinely welcome His presence in our homes, in our workplaces, in our relationships, and in our secret places. We desire to honor Jesus in every way possible in all these areas of our lives.
As mothers and wives and working women, the distractions of all we have to do every day is able to turn good things into burdens over which bitterness and self-pity take root and suffocate our purposes in life. We live joylessly, complain to God, and even question God’s care for us. Whether we admit it or not, the good things we do such as caring for our families, serving the needs of our communities, and spreading the Gospel message slowly become about us and not about Jesus.
We know that we have strayed away from the Lord when we start to get anxious and troubled, when we start to get angry about others not doing what we want them to do, and when we start to doubt God’s concern for us.
Sisters, in the midst of our “many things”, stay learning at His feet. First schedule time to read His Word before saying “yes” to the demands of life and practice being in His presence daily. Choose to go to Jesus first in prayer before your friends. Choose to live in His wisdom every moment of the day. Make Him the first thought as you wake up and last thought as you lay down for the night’s rest. Love Him deeply through obedience. Cling to Jesus as if your life depended on it because it does. (Psalm 63:5-8) We have a choice to make.
As more than conquerors in Christ, let this story be a reminder that God gave us the very best and necessary portion: His Son, the source of all wisdom and life (Colossians 2:3; 1 John 5:20). He is the true light of life (John 1:4, 9). He saved your life from hell; surely, He can save you from the troubles of today.
Father, thank you for giving us Your Son. He is the living Word, a lamp to our feet and light to our path. In the midst of all our “many things”, give us wisdom to prioritize Jesus in our lives and lift our burdens!
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