SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). The Place (vs 38)
(2). The People (vs 38-39)
(3). The Disagreement (vs 39-40)
(4). The Response (vs 41)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• Photographs can be very deceptive,
• Whoever said; “The camera never lies”,
• Never had a studio portrait done of themselves or their family.
• It is probably more accurate to say: “The camera never lies”,
• But the software does.
• Because a good software programme;
• Enables you to manipulate and change a bad photo into a good one!
Ill:
• Studio portrait are often perfect prints:
• Every hair is in place & people are told even how to stand in the most flattering way.
• Even the backdrop is designed to create the perfect picture.
• Yet in reality that family, that home may be the complete opposite of what’s portrayed.
• For the camera and for the public we show one side of ourselves,
• But in our homes we can often reveal another totally different side.
Ill:
Adrian Plass Poem: The Real Problem,
Sunday is a funny day,
It starts with lots of noise.
Mummy rushes round with socks,
And Daddy shouts, 'You boys!'
Then Mummy says, 'Now don't blame them,
You know you're just as bad,
You've only just got out of bed,
It really makes me mad!'
My mummy is a Christian,
My daddy is as well, .
My mummy says 'Oh, heavens!'
My daddy says 'Oh, well!'
And when we get to church at last,
It's really very strange,
Cos Mum and Dad stop arguing,
And suddenly they change.
At church my mum and dad are friends,
They get on very well,
But no one knows they've had a row,
And I'm not gonna tell.
People often come to them,
Because they seem so nice,
And Mum and Dad are very pleased
To give them some advice.
They tell them Christian freedom
Is worth an awful lot,
But I don't know what freedom means,
If freedom's what they've got.
Daddy loves the meetings,
He's always at them all,
He's learning how to understand
The letters of St Paul.
But Mummy says, 'I'm stuck at home
To lead my Christian life,
It's just as well for blinkin' Paul
He didn't have a wife.'
I once heard my mummy say
She'd walk out of his life,
I once heard Daddy say to her
He'd picked a rotten wife.
They really love each other,
I really think they do.
I think the people in the church
Would help them-if they knew.
• TRANSITION:
• In Luke chapter 10 we get a behind the scenes look into a ‘real’ home.
• Nothing is airbrushed or glossed over;
• We enter a real situation that contains some valuable lesson for us to learn.
Note: the context of these verses:
• Verses 1-24: Jesus sends out the seventy-two as his ambassadors.
• They were very busy going from place to place, they were busy in serving Christ.
• Verses 25-37: The story of the Good Samaritan.
• Once again there is an emphasis on doing, lending a helping hand,
• Now in our passage we have the story of somebody busy serving,
• Luke places this story here to teach us something.
• Following Jesus is not all about doing things, being busy serving Christ.
• That is obviously important and has its place.
• But we also need to be balanced;
• We all need to learn to enjoy Christ, to take time out and sit at his feet;
• To rest and enjoy the company of Jesus!
(1). The Place (vs 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.
Jesus and the twelve disciples were on a journey through Judea:
• Luke doesn’t tell us the name of the village;
• But he does tell us who lived there Martha.
• John in his gospel (chapter 11 verse1) fills in the blanks/details.
• Three people share the house (Martha, Mary & Lazarus).
• John in his gospel (chapter 11 verse1) also lets us know the name of the village - Bethany,
• The village is Bethany which is two miles or 3km from Jerusalem on the road to Jericho;
Note:
• The important thing about this home in Bethany was;
• For Jesus this was a place of rest and relaxation.
• For about two and a half years, Jesus has been on the road,
• Traveling around as an itinerant preacher teaching and healing in village after village.
• He is by now a well-known public and popular figure.
• Where Jesus goes the crowds are sure to follow.
• Not only do they follow but they make demands,
• There is always a constant stream of people wanting to be healed!
FOR JESUS BETHANY WAS A HOME NOT A HOUSE:
• A house is a dwelling place, a place where people live.
• But a home is somewhere where the heart is.
• A house contains furniture and all the essentials of living.
• But a home contains all your memories - the good and the bad!
• Any building can become your house,
• But only one place is ever really your home!
Now for Jesus Bethany was not just a house but a home,
• It was an oasis, a hideaway, somewhere to go and relax!
• Here he can switch off and unwind, ‘recharge his batteries’.
• A place he was able to go to and share the company of three special friends:
• Friends who won’t demand miracles or ask leading questions.
• But just want to enjoy him and his company.
• It’s a home where He knows He is loved and accepted,
• Where He knows He can rest.
Ill:
• Somebody has written a parody of Psalm 23;
• For the workaholic.
The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me into deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy, for activities sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task, I will never get it all done,
For my ideal is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines,
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressures shall follow me
All the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration
Forever
• TRANSITION: Jesus was not a workaholic;
• He knew the importance of taking a break, of time-out!
• Bethany was to him an oasis, a hideaway, somewhere to go and relax!
• Here he can switch off and unwind, ‘recharge his batteries’.
(2). The People (vs 38-39):
• A house is a place;
• A home is more, often it is the people.
• The people who make this a home are Mary, Martha and Lazarus
• Although Lazarus will not appear in the story.
• Lazarus was the bachelor brother and a very good friend to Jesus.
• Three times in John 11 we are told that Jesus loved Lazarus.
• But he will not get a name check in this story – the focus is on the sisters.
Note:
• Martha was thought to have been a widow:
• She is named as the house owner, before Lazarus the male.
• Mary was her unmarried sister;
• Quote Ivor Powell: a spinster or rather an unclaimed treasure!
• You have probably noted that Martha and Mary are always closely linked in the gospels:
• So much so that it is difficult to think of one apart from the other.
They appear together in three graphic and moving situations.
Ill:
• Luke chapter 10:
• Martha dominates this first account - she is the hostess in her own home.
• John chapter 11:
• Here they are fused together in their grief over the death of their brother.
• John chapter 12:
• Mary dominates the narrative by her costly act of devotion towards Jesus.
These two sisters seem to be very different in their personalities:
(A). MARTHA:
• We would probably describe Martha as energetic, she is so eager to serve.
• The first to roll up her sleeves and pitch in to help.
• She is probably the first one up in the morning,
• Making preparations for the day.
• And probably the last one to bed at night.
• Making sure every dish is cleaned and put away and everything is in its right place.
• You get the impression with Martha;
• The dinner is never overcooked.
• She is the perfect hostess.
(B). MARY:
• Mary seems to be a more a reflective person,
• We get three glimpses of her in the Gospels,
• And on each occasion, she is in the same place:
• At the feet of Jesus.
Ill:
• Luke chapter 10 verse 39:
• She sat at His feet and listened to His Word.
• John chapter 11 verse 32:
• At the death of her brother Lazarus, she fell at His feet and shared her sorrows.
• John chapter 12 verse 32:
• She knelt at His feet and poured perfume or poured out her worship.
Ill:
• Worth noting that in each of these instances, there is some kind of fragrance:
• In Luke 10, it is food; in John 11, it is death, and in John 12, it is perfume.
We would probably describe Mary as perceptive:
• A woman who asks few but thoughtful questions.
• She is a good listener. Sensitive and calm.
We will note that the two sisters have very dissimilar temperaments:
• When Jesus arrives both sisters are delighted to see him.
• But take note on how they will express their enthusiasm,
• It will be in very different ways.
(3). The Disagreement (vs 39-40):
Notice that Luke first of all tells us about Mary (vs 39).
“She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.”
• Mary is focused; she clears her mind of all the incidentals,
• And makes room for the essential, spending time with Jesus.
• She is content to listen to and be in the presence of Jesus.
• She is happy “not doing anything”.
Notice the contrast with Martha (vs 40).
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
• ‘Distracted’ here means literally, ‘not knowing which way to turn’,
• We would say rushed off her feet.
Notice the two very different reactions:
• Mary sees Jesus and thinks,
• “The Lord, I must go and chat!”
• Martha sees Jesus and thinks,
• “The Lord, I must look after him, i.e. prepare a meal!”
At this point in the narrative, preachers often give Martha a bashing for her response:
• But be honest would we have reacted much differently?
• We all know what unplanned visits are like.
• And if the disciples are with Jesus too,
• She has at least 15 maybe 16 people to cook for!
• No wonder Martha is flustered.
Ill:
Martha’s room:
• Story told of a visiting preacher who spoke on this passage,
• He really hammered Martha and tore her off a trip.
• Being a visiting preacher,
• He was taken back to his hosts house.
• When they arrived at the house he was shown into the living room and left,
• No-one came in and offered him a cup of tea,
• It was a gloomy, cold winters day,
• No-one put the fire on, no one even switched the light on to brighten up the room.
• The preacher sat and waited patiently, he waited and waited and waited,
• No-one came into the room.
He decided he would go and find his hosts and hint at a possible cup of tea:
• As he went into the room next door,
• He noticed the fire on, the light was on.
• People had a hot cake and a biscuit,
• And the whole atmosphere of the room was warm and welcoming.
• “Come on in” said the host,
• “This is Martha’s room!”
• TRANSITION: I think the preacher got the point:
• We owe a lot to the Martha’s of the world.
• Without them, nothing would ever get done.
The Danger in this passage:
• Is to contrasted Mary and Martha as though each believer must make a choice:
• Be a worker like Martha, or a worshiper like Mary.
• Certainly our personalities and gifts are different,
• But that does not mean that the Christian life is an either/or situation.
Quote: Charles Wesley said it perfectly in one of his hymns:
“Faithful to my Lord’s commands,
I still would choose the better part;
Serve with careful Martha’s hands,
And loving Mary’s heart”.
The key thing for each of us is:
• To imitate Mary in our worship and Martha in our work.
• As someone has said; “Blessed are the balanced!”
• Interesting to note that Jesus did not chide Martha,
• For being of a practical rather than a devotional turn of mind.
• The correction comes because Martha makes,
• Three foolish mistakes.
Note: Martha makes three important mistakes:
(a) She rebuked the Lord (vs 40);.
• There is more than just the oven heating up in Martha’s kitchen,
• Martha has been slowly coming to the boil, and in verse 40 she explodes!
“Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
Ill:
• Now use your imagination:
• As she is cooking, imagine the thoughts running through Martha’s head:
• “I can’t believe Mary isn’t in here helping, she thinks”.
• Martha pushes a fist into the dough.
• “She should be in here. Another fist into the dough”.
• We could get this done in half the time. Another fist into the dough.
• “I too, would like to hear what Jesus has to say, but somebody’s got to fix dinner”.
• Another fist into the dough.
• “They could at least come in here while they talk.”
• Another fist into the dough.
• “I can’t believe she has the nerve to just sit there. And why is Jesus letting her do it?”
• Another fist into the dough.
• “Here I am in the kitchen, sweating, working my fingers to the bone, doesn’t Jesus care?”
• Another fist into the dough.
Martha has allowed her emotions to simmer, she is hot and getting hotter:
• Until her anger explodes and she comes boiling out of the kitchen,
• Red-faced and furious.
Verse 40:
“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!”
Notice: She doesn’t even call Mary by name.
• Through clenched teeth, she says, “my sister,” and accuses her of skiving.
• Unthinkingly, she also takes a stab at Jesus, accusing of lacking concern.
• Martha’s rash response illustrates what happens,
• When the peculiarities of our temperament get the best of us.
• Martha’s strengths had become her liabilities.
• And she is completely wrong in focus, attitude and language.
In the next few hours, days, weeks and months:
• How Martha must have regretted those words, “Don’t you care?”
• But she let her undisciplined temperament express itself in unrestrained temper.
• Because of her uncontrolled angry, caused by her sisters actions,
• She took it out, she expresses that anger on the Lord.
Ill:
• Too many of us do that
• Somebody annoys or upsets us.
• And we let that anger burn within us that eventually we take it out on someone else.
• Often it is someone we love who then gets the short end of the stick.
• (Aren’t you glad the Bible shows us real people, people just like us)>
(b) She misjudged her sister.
• She interpreted Mary’s devotion to Christ as selfishness, as laziness,
• And she despised her for her impractical dreaminess.
One reason we misjudge, or get angry with people we know, or misjudge things:
• Is overwork and tiredness.
• We all need to rest!
Quote:
“Jesus said, come aside and rest a while,
if we don’t rest a while, we will just come apart”.
Ill:
• On our summer camps that we run,
• Many problems that appear are often resolved by sending someone to bed.
• After a good night’s sleep, the problem is not so great.
Martha’s harsh words:
• Accusing Jesus of not caring.
• Accusing her sister of being lazy and selfish.
• Is because she is over anxious, overworked, overtired and over-worried.
• She was worried inside and busy outside.
(c) She had wrong priorities.
• She placed her own agenda over Christ’s.
• She became so obsessed with preparing a special meal for her guests,
• The priority for Jesus is rest, encouragement and fellowship.
• An elaborate meal with all the trimmings is Martha’s idea not his.
• Certainly a meal was in order, but what we do with Christ,
• Is far more important than what we do for Christ.
• She pays too much attention to the things that don’t matter
• And not enough to the things that do.
• From the moment Christ came in the door,
• She has been distracted with the incidentals connected with being the perfect hostess.
• She is busy-too busy.
• And it isn’t long before those incidentals begin grating on her.
(4). The Response (vs 41):
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,
• Jesus tames Martha’s aggressive attitude,
• By lovingly reassuring her, twice he uses her name, “Martha, Martha”.
• Of course he cares about her, more than she realizes:
• He understands her temperament and wants to help her;
• And so gently and caringly helps her to see the real issue.
• Jesus would much rather have a simple meal with her company,
• Than have a lavish feast and see very little of her.
Verse 42:
• “Only one thing is needed”
• There are two thoughts on what that phrase means.
• (1st). Jesus was referring to the single dish:
• Just one dish would have provided an adequate meal,
• And left Martha enough time to join Mary at His feet.
• A little economy in food and labour,
• Would have paid handsome spiritual dividends.
• (2nd): “Only one thing is needed”
• Is not referring to food or drink, but to Mary’s example.
• One thing I want from you is not food but for you to come and sit down!
“…….Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
• Either interpretation is valid:
• The important thing is spending time in the presence of Jesus.
• Jesus knows moments of quiet like these are few and far between.
• He also knows he has precious little time left on earth,
• And Jesus wants Martha to realize that this moment may never come again:
• And she has chosen set the table, to prepare, prepare, prepare, to bake bread,
• Instead of enjoying her Savior.
quote: Charles Wesley summed up this story in his hymn “O Love Divine”.
“Oh, that I could for ever sit
With Mary at the Masters feet!
Be this my happy choice.
My only care, delight, and bliss,
My joy, my heaven on earth, be this,
To hear the bridegrooms voice”.
In Conclusion:
LET US LEARN FROM MARY TO MAKE JESUS LORD.
• Did you notice that three times that title is used for Jesus:
• Verses 39, 40 and 41.
• Also Mary’s posture is ‘at his feet’
• This position emphasizes the authority of Jesus as teacher.
• For a Jewish woman in this culture and at this time in history;
• It was unheard of (it was even scandalous) for women to sit at a Rabbi’s feet.
• Yet Jesus invites both Mary & Martha to do this!
LET US LEARN FROM MARTHA TO PRIORITISE .
• Service is good and important;
• No Church can do without hard workers!
Ill:
• So often the Church is like a football game.
• You have a small percentage involved and running their socks off;
• While the majority look on from the side-lines!
• But busy people must learn to slow down and prioritise!
• Many things distract us - Jesus said;
• "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed."
• This week let us not get so distracted by work…by… you fill in the blanks;
• That we do not find time to sit at the feet of Jesus!
• Don't allow the good to become the enemy of the best.
• Jesus desires our fellowship.
sermon audio:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=8UrscYknnsZrrywm8bqMO0GY2Y7EkgBn&forceSave=Mary_%26_Martha_-_Luke_10v38-42_-_sermon_by_Gordon_Curley.mp3
