Sitting @ the Feet of Jesus: We are instructed!
Luke 10:38 – 42
There were two old geezers living in the backwoods of the Ozarks: Rufus and Clarence.
They lived on opposite sides of the river and they hated each other. Every morning, just after sunup, Rufus and Clarence would go down to their respective sides of the river and yell at each other.
"Rufus!" Clarence would shout, "You better thank your lucky stars that I can’t swim, er I’d swim this river and whup you!"
"Clarence!" Rufus would holler back, "You better thank YOUR lucky stars that I can’t swim, er I’d swim this river and whup YOU!"
Every morning. Everyday. For 20 years.
One day the Army Corps of Engineers came along and built a bridge. But the insults went on every morning. Everyday. Another five years.
Finally, Mr. Rufus’ wife had had enough. "Rufus!" she squallered one day, "I can’t take no more! Every day for 25 years you’ve been threatenin’ to whup Clarence. Well, thar’s the bridge! Have at it!"
Rufus thought for a moment. Chewed his bottom lip for another moment.
"Woman!" he declared, snapping his suspenders into place. "I’m gonna whup Clarence!"
He walked out the door, down to the river, along the river bank, came to the bridge, stepped up onto the bridge, walked about halfway over the bridge, then turned tail and ran screaming back to the house, slammed the door, bolted the windows, grabbed the shotgun and dove under the bed.
"Rufus!" cried the missus. "I thought you was gonna whup Clarence!"
"I was, woman, I was!" he whispered.
"What in tarnation is the matter?"
"Well," whispered the terror-stricken Rufus, "I walked halfway over the bridge and saw a sign that said, “’Clearance, 13 feet, 6 inches.’ He ain’t never looked that big from the other side of the river!"
Now that I have your attention, more anything this evening, I want us to understand that there is an opportunity that I don’t want you to miss out on. There is an opportunity so wonderful and grand, that if you were to enter into the door that has been opened up to you it will change your life. It is such an amazing opportunity, that many of you may be thinking it is too good to be true. Let us take a few moments to consider God’s word and the opportunity that He is offering up to all takers, to every man, woman, and child who will simply follow the example of one of the characters in our story this evening.
Luke 10:38-42
38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40But 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, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
As a minister was addressing a group of men, he took a large piece of paper and made a black spot in the center of it with a marking pen. Then he held the paper up before the group and asked them what they saw. One person quickly replied, "I see a black mark."
"Right," the preacher replied. "What else do you see?" Complete silence prevailed. "Don’t you see anything other than the black spot?" he asked. A chorus of "No" came from the audience. "I’m surprised," the speaker commented. "You have overlooked the most important thing of all - the sheet of paper."
Then he made the application.
a) In life we are often distracted by small disappointments, and we forget the innumerable blessings we receive from the Lord.
b) But, like the sheet of paper, the good things in life are overwhelmed by the adversities that monopolize our attention
1. Missed opportunity
a. Martha has invited Jesus and His disciples into her home.
i. It is important to note, that it was Martha who extended the invitation to Jesus, because of what ensues.
ii. Such an invitation is designed for fellowship and to learn about your guest.
iii. It is an opportunity to know your guest better and draw closer to them.
1. I truly believe that this was Martha’s intent.
2. She wanted the opportunity to draw closer to the Lord and to learn more about Him and from Him.
3. She has encountered the life and ministry of Jesus and wants to invite Him into her life.
a. An invitation into ones home is truly an invitation into one’s life.
b. You get to see how others live, what they do, and how they interact within their home setting.
c. We don’t do a lot of entertaining these days, and it is a shame, because we do not experience the level of fellowship we could with one another.
b. Jesus has graciously responded to Martha’s invitation.
i. He is in route to their home.
ii. Although Jesus was busy, He always found time for people.
1. We could learn a lot from Jesus and His openness to being with people amidst His busyness.
2. He found time for people, because people mattered to Jesus.
3. His life was dedicated to serving, ministering too, and dying for the needs of other people.
iii. I want to make something clear this evening as your pastor, many of you know that I am very busy as a pastor.
1. However, I am never too busy for you!
2. As a matter of fact you as a body of believers and individually is/are one of the primary reasons God has blessed me to minister among you.
3. I want you to know that any time you need me, or want to talk with me.
c. Martha is so consumed with hosting that she neglects the guest.
i. Martha has an awesome opportunity as Jesus and His disciples are coming to her home.
1. God in the flesh is coming to her home.
2. Who could ask for more???
ii. She has good intentions but poor follow through.
iii. In her heart of hearts she is seeking to do the right thing for the right reason.
iv. Her desire is to be a gracious host, but through all that she does she missed the mark.
1. Martha’s busyness is easily explained as she has invited 13 guests into her home.
2. This means that there is a lot to do.
a. There is a meal to prepare, there needs to be enough food and beverage for thirteen men, who have been traveling by foot on dry dirt roadways.
b. More than likely they would need to make seating arrangements most folks are not readily prepared to host an additional 13 people into their home.
c. Martha is consumed by the many things that need to be done in order to be a gracious hostess to Jesus.
i. Many of us have experienced similar situations around the holidays as we invite friends and family members to our home.
ii. We have been on both ends of this situation we have been the host and the guest.
1. As a guest or host, I enjoy the meal that has been shared as much as anyone else, as you can tell.
2. However, my greatest joy is the time spent conversing and catching up with those I love, whether I am the guest or the host.
d. Martha’s missed opportunities
i. She missed out on time with Christ.
ii. She missed out on the opportunity to hear from the Lord
1. Jesus was an engaging speaker, in all that He taught and all that He said.
2. This was an opportunity to for Martha to hear directly from the Lord what He might say to her.
a. Words of encouragement – to go a little further in her walk with Him.
b. Words of challenge – to commit more fully to Him and His teachings.
c. Words of instruction – for her life and how it could become a greater witness and example for those about her.
d. Words of care – Jesus always spoke words that demonstrated His love for those He conversed with, even when He confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees it was to correct their attitudes or behavior so that they might draw closer to God.
iii. She missed out on the opportunity to draw closer to Him.
1. She was in proximity to Christ.
2. When she could have drawn closer to Christ.
iv. She missed out on the opportunity to fellowship with Him.
1. To break bread with Jesus, what a day that will be.
2. However, Martha had the opportunity and missed it.
In stark contrast to Martha we have Mary who….
2. Seized opportunity
a. Mary saw this moment as a once in a lifetime opportunity.
i. It would not be every day that she would be able to host Jesus in her home.
ii. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and she was not going to miss it.
iii. She was going to have a front row seat, sitting at the feet of Jesus.
1. As we have seen over the course of the last several weeks what has happened in the lives of those who have humbly sat at the feet of Jesus.
Those who sat at the feet of Jesus
a. Found healing
b. Found comfort
c. Found mercy
d. Found grace
e. Found instruction
As we continue on in this series we will see that others who sat at the feet of Jesus…
f. Found hope
g. Experience the wonder of His presence
2. Makes you wonder why anyone would miss out on the opportunity to sit at the feet of Jesus.
a. Makes me wonder what each of us have found as we have humbly entered into the presence of Christ.
i. If you are a believer tonight you have experienced the love, forgiveness and grace of God.
ii. Many of you tonight can testify to God’s mercy, healing, and the hope you have because of Him.
b. We have only scratched the surface of what we can experience in the presence of the Lord as we come to Him in humility ready to receive what He has for us.
b. Mary saw this as an opportunity to engage and interact with Jesus.
i. Not only could she hear what Jesus was saying, she could ask questions and interject her understandings along the way.
ii. She would have the opportunity to respond to all that He was saying and doing in her midst.
c. Mary saw this as an opportunity to keep Jesus at the center of attention as her guest.
i. As she sat at the feet of Jesus it was clear to Him and those about Her that He was the center of her attention.
ii. Sure there were other things that she could be doing.
1. After all this was her home too, and she could have felt the pressure to entertain as well.
2. She could have felt the compulsion to be extravagant as a host and do more than was expected or anticipated.
3. She could have fallen into the trap of imitating her sister and all that she was engaged in.
4. But instead Mary chose to do what was most essential for her life and spiritual growth.
a. She wanted to know more about who Jesus was, what He taught, and the difference He could make in her life.
b. She wanted to enter into His presence and allow Him to minister to her through what He would say and what He would do.
d. Mary saw this as an opportunity to simply be in the presence of the one she loved and served.
i. There is something about being in the presence of those we love.
1. We can stay in touch with them through letters, e-mails, and on our phones.
2. Yet there is nothing like being with them.
a. To see their faces
b. To express our love
c. It is that one on one time that allows us to draw closer to them and to develop an even stronger relationship with them.
ii. Mary, knew that this may truly be one of the only times she would be able to encounter Christ in such an intimate setting.
1. She could hear His voice.
2. Express her love by hugging His neck.
e. No matter what her sister or anyone else felt or thought she was not going to miss out on this opportunity.
i. Her sister’s frustrations and complaints would not stop her.
ii. The cultural norms of hosting a guest would not stop her.
iii. No, this was an opportunity to encounter Christ and she was not going to miss it.
Jesus’ opportunity to be Martha’s guest becomes an …
3. Opportunity for instruction
41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Listen to the instruction of Christ as He handles Martha’s complaints.
a. Martha you are worried about many things.
i. The overwhelming pressure of hosting such a large crowd.
ii. The overwhelming expectations of being a hostess to such a distinguished guest.
iii. The overwhelming frustration that as she is diligent working to be a good hostess, her sister is doing nothing.
1. She asks Jesus to tell her sister to help her.
2. She feels that Mary’s actions are both unfair and selfish.
b. Only one thing was needed
i. To make Jesus welcome!
1. By keeping Him at the center of attention.
a. Mary does this by focusing on Him and what He might say or do.
b. Mary does this by humbly sitting at His feet and making Him the center of her life at that moment.
2. Mary simply went through the motions.
a. Sure it would be nice to enjoy a nice meal and something to drink.
b. Yet, there was so much more to making Jesus feel like a guest in one’s home and life, as we have seen.
ii. Keeping Jesus at the center of all that she was doing was the most important thing.
1. As believers in Jesus Christ, we need to keep Jesus at the center of all that we are doing.
a. I want you to know that as I meet with the dream team to develop a vision for this church our desire is to keep Christ at the center of all we seek to accomplish.
b. What good is it to be busy, if Jesus is not at the center of what we are doing?
i. We are simply going through the motions.
ii. We are simply doing what others expect.
iii. We are simply missing out on what is best for our lives and God’s church when do not keep Jesus at the center of all of our activity.
c. Mary chose what was best!
i. You’ve have probably heard me say we can be doing good things, and still not be doing God’s things.
ii. In our story this evening this is what I see, I see Martha doing good things, while Mary is doing God’s things.
1. She has entered into the presence of Jesus desiring more of Him in her life.
2. She has allowed the distractions and concerns of this life to fade away as she focuses on all that Christ would say or do.
3. She has given us an example of devotion and dedication amidst all the distractions.
I believe it would be a travesty to miss out on how this story relates to you and me as believers
Today so let us take a few minutes to consider how this text relates to our lives as believers.
I believe that every time we gather together as God’s church we are given an incredible opportunities, opportunities that can be seized or opportunities that can be missed depending on what we do with them.
Today as we have come to this place of worship, we have been given many opportunities. Opportunities to….
• Engage God
o Through song and worship
o Through prayer and testimony
o Through our opportunities to be ministering agents of who He is (Ministry is always about keeping God at the center of our lives and doing His will)
• Encounter God
o With humble and open hearts.
o With ears that hear and eyes that see
o With minds that have tuned out the distractions, and focused upon Him alone.
• Hear from God
o Words of encouragement, instruction, rebuke, and correction so that our lives may become all that He desires.
o Words that allow us to know that He wants to speak to our lives and our every need.
• Express our love
o By focusing on Jesus, and allowing Him to be at the center of this moment and time in our lives.
o By expressing our gratitude for all He has done through our every action (singing, prayer, listening, responding, etc…).
In closing, when was the last time you saw coming to this place of worship as an opportunity?
When was the last time you came, and were able to rid your mind and heart of all of the distractions and focus solely on Jesus? As you look to your coming to church, is Jesus at the center of your life and what you are doing as you come to this place?
Jesus told His disciples that those who come seeking will find, the opportunity is here, for you to encounter, engage, and experience Christ, yet each of us must come seeking the opportunities He has afforded us in these moments. Only one thing is needed as you have entered into this place, have you chosen that one thing, or have you missed the mark???
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and being! - is simply a matter of this one thing! Is your life demonstrative of this today?
