Empowered By Listening

Introduction: Today’s sermon has been prepared by Pastor Richard, who is currently recovering from Covid.

Opening Prayer: Loving Lord, we thank You that You are constantly talking to us. Help us to have open ears and hearts to hear and receive from You. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

Today we heard a familiar story from Jesus.

The story of Martha and Mary.

As you listen again to the story, I invite you to think about who do you most identify with? Martha, Mary or one of those who are with Jesus.

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Now from the beginning I want to clarify a misunderstanding of this story that sometimes occurs.

Sometimes people paint Martha, the active one, as the bad person and Mary, the one sitting with and listening to Jesus, as the good person. But that is not what Jesus is doing here.

For a start, just last week we heard, Jesus, in sharing the parable of the Good Samaritan,

Jesus encourages people to be active, to help people they see in need, regardless of who they are.

And in fact, the parable highlights he is quite critical of those, like the Levite and the Priest, who use their responsibilities as an excuse not to be active in helping people,

And as Jesus says at the end of the parable, “we are to go and do likewise.”

And this idea of doing, being active continues throughout the New Testament.

In Acts 6 we have the story of how the church continues to serve people in need, with the choosing of seven people full of the spirit to serve widows.

And in James 2:14-18 we hear the following:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

So, this story is not an attack on Martha and being an active Christian.

Instead, the key to understanding this story is found in verse 42 where Jesus says:

“but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

But few things are needed – or indeed only one….

What is this one thing?

Well from the Old Testament, Psalm 27:4 we hear

One thing I ask from the LORD,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD

and to seek him in his temple.

And from some other interactions Jesus has with people such as in Luke 18:22

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Both of these are pointing to what is often called an eternal life.

The most important thing for our life is our relationship with God who loves us, who was prepared to suffer and die for us, and who gives us a life that will outlast anything on this earth.

And in today’s story, this is what Mary is focussed on….

When we hear Mary sitting at Jesus feet, this is code for Mary is listening to Jesus’ teaching.

She is focussed on Jesus…. not to serve Him, not to prove she is anything great,

But to learn from Him

To be shaped by Him

To be loved by Him

To be guided by Him

To be shown that she is loved and guaranteed life with God forever.

And this is the blessing of listening to Jesus.