March, 2007
“Careful or Carefree Hospitality”
Luke 10:38-42
INTRODUCTION: In today’s scripture Martha invited Jesus and his disciples to her house so that He would have a place to teach. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived in the town of Bethany; and Martha the older sister, was the hostess. She genuinely wanted everything to be just right for Jesus--good food and everything to make her guests comfortable. Mary, on the other hand, sat at the “feet of Jesus” forgetting all about helping Martha with the preparations. Mary takes the place of a disciple by sitting at the feet of Jesus. It was unusual for a woman in first century Judaism to be accepted by a teacher as a disciple. From the custom of sitting “beneath” an instructor, the phase “sitting at one’s feet” came to mean being his disciple. Paul “sat at the feet” of Gamaliel in Acts 22. Martha may have found herself overwhelmed by the amount of work she had taken on to be the hostess that day for so many people. Maybe she hadn’t learned to delegate to other people. She became distracted by many things to the point where she was stressed out that day. It had become care-ful hospitality rather than care-free. How does this scripture speak to us today?
1. Losing Our Focus: We live in a world of Marthas. We value productivity. Martha wanted to make sure everything was just right for Jesus. She may have been the Martha Stewart of her day without all the extra help. In the process of doing something nice, however, she LOST HER FOCUS. Scripture says she was “care-ful_ or distracted by many things. She had many tasks to juggle that day and so do we in our 21st century lifestyle. What started out to be a joy became a demand--a lot of which she placed on herself. She started out to create a comfortable space for Jesus to teach in but she lost sight of her mission.
Sometimes Martha gets criticized for being the person who is “going and doing” and Mary gets the praise for “sitting and listening,” but I don’t think this is what Jesus was trying to point out in this scripture. Earlier in the chapter in the parable of the Good Samaritan He said, “go and do,” but in this chapter He is trying to teach also that it is necessary to also “sit and listen” as well. There needs to be a balance in our Martha lifestyles not only to “go and do” but to include Mary’s “sitting and listening.”
Jesus does not condemn her for being a good hostess. He tells her the problem is that she is becoming ANXIOUS and TROUBLED over all these things. She has lost her PERSPECTIVE of why she was serving in the first place. She missed out on hearing what Jesus had to say that day because she was focusing on the distractions and the CARES or Worries of the day.
APPLICATION: How often we do the same thing. Even our work FOR the Lord can cause us to be troubled and anxious. If so, we, too, have forgotten why we are serving.
When we become distracted, we become overwhelmed, frustrated, and worried. Martha was being pulled in a lot of directions that she became angry and resentful. She was losing her sense of peace and joy. Today you know people who have lost their peace. You know people who are agitated and churned up inside. Maybe it’s you. Have you become distracted and careful? Have you lost your focus?
Martha came to Jesus and blurted out, “Lord don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me.”
Even if Jesus had assigned 10 people to help her, that would not have gotten to the root of the problem. That was not the root problem. It wasn’t that she SERVED but that she had encumbered herself with MUCH SERVING--mostly unnecessary. She OVERDID IT. She had let things distract her, she lost her focus, she allowed stress to take over. Busy, doing many things, she didn’t have time for Jesus. He became crowded out in the cycle of busyness.
In what ways are you letting busyness crowd the Lord right out of your life?
STORY: An aunt who couldn’t go to church on Sunday because she had to stay home and cook dinner. Years went by and she didn’t go to church. Missed out on what the Lord could have said to her had she “sat at his feet” and listened.
What are our reasons for why we can’t serve the Lord wholeheartedly? Why can’t we come to church? Why can’t we study the Bible? Why can’t we seek the Lord?
Philippians 4:6 tells us “Be CAREFUL (anxious) for nothing--KJV
“Do not be anxious about anything”--NIV
“Don’t fret or worry” Message Bible
Are we living like Martha too much of the time, caught up in the middle of distractions--losing sight of what is really important? I think we are.
2. Jesus Answers Martha: This is what Jesus did for Martha. He had to slow her down to get her attention. He said calmly, “Martha, Martha...you are worried and upset about many things but only ONE THING is needed.
STORY: One of the tips I learned about getting a hyperactive dog settled down is to HOLD his front feet tightly and say his name and say SETTLE. So when Yooper gets hyperactive, I hold his front feet look him in the eyes and say, “Yooper, Settle...”
I don’t think that Jesus grabbed her wrists and yelled “Martha, Martha, SETTLE” but it was sort of like this. He did say, “Martha, Martha.” He did not condemn her. He knew her heart. He knew that she was a believer just like her sister, Mary. He spoke her name twice to pull her back into focus and to get her settled down. A lot of times in scripture he would say, “Verily, verily I say unto you... This time he said, “Martha, Martha...
STORY: There was a preacher named Preacher McGee who once said, “My frustrated and confused friend. When you are at that corner where you don’t know which way to turn, for goodness sakes, SIT DOWN. Sit at Jesus feet. Look into His Word and see what he has to say.”
This is what Jesus did for Martha. He said, “Martha, Martha...Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her. I don’t think he said this to ridicule her or to condemn her. Jesus doesn’t condemn us either, but he wants to tell us how we can get things back into focus. Martha was a believer too. Matthew Henry says, “Do not judge yourself to be an unbeliever because at times you act contrary to your profession.”
Jesus led Martha back to the “better” portion. He is leading us back to the better portion when we slow down, sit at his feet and hear his words. When we take time out to spend with the Lord this week you will begin to feel a greater peace and calmness come into your life.
When you start to become distracted by MANY things begin to refocus on what is really NEEDFUL.
STORY: English teacher once told us when you start to feel overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time, here’s some advice from scripture.
Philippians 3:13 “this ONE thing I do.”
Jesus is trying to pull Martha back from her task-driven life where she was making her work performance her mission and as a result she was unfulfilled. The ONE thing that was needful was the NOURISHING PRESENCE of the Lord.
I Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your CARES (worries and anxieties) on him because He cares for you.
3. The BETTER Part: Mary may have been a person who needed to work on some of the “Martha” skills in her life. It wasn’t that these were to be neglected, but they needed to be put in their proper perspective. How do we do this?
Matthew 6:33 tells us to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Do not worry about tomorrow...”
He is saying, “Do not let the CARES of your life have first place. The “better part” is when God has first place. If Jesus dropped in on you, what might he point out that distracts YOU from the really important things in life like spending time with him? What things have crowded him out this week?
Colossians 3:1 tells us, “Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”
How do we do this? It takes an act of our will, a DECISION and A DESIRE to want the “better part.” Do you want the “better part?” Many people have a longing for a deeper walk with the Lord but won’t commit the time to FOCUS on Him. Have other priorities. Too busy to sit at the feet of Jesus. Too busy to hear what he has to say. Mary didn’t want to catch a word now and then. She “sat at the feet of Jesus” which showed a readiness to receive His Word and be his disciple. How interested are we in receiving the “better part?”
CONCLUSION: Today, what kind of hospitality are you extending to Jesus--CARE-FUL or CARE-Free?--distracted or focused on Him?
Shall we pray:
