The One Thing Needed
A Sermon on Luke 10:38-42
Today, we hear about Mary and Martha, two sisters who lived in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. When Martha found out that Christ and his disciples were passing through her village, she opened up her home to them.
Martha graciously invites everyone over for dinner. She begins the task of preparing a big meal for everyone. She is hard at work. There is a lot to do. Her sister, Mary, however, is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to him teach. Martha is left all alone to do all the work. Martha is working; Mary is listening.
Martha was probably waiting for her sister to realize that she needed help. No doubt, she waited and waited for Mary to get up and assist her. You know what that is like. You are doing all the work by yourself and everyone else is standing around, doing nothing to help.
Finally, Martha lost her patience. She walked over and spoke directly to Jesus. “Lord, don’t you even care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Picture the scene: Martha is standing there, yelling at Jesus, angry and out of breath. Her patience has reached its end. She has worked herself up into a frenzy. She was single-handedly trying to do all the work, but no one even noticed her effort.
Can you identify with that? Can you identify with the frustration and anger that Martha was experiencing? “Hey! Don’t you care about my situation here? Aren’t you going to help me?” But watch what happens now. Jesus turns and speaks to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is best and it will not be taken away from her.”
What Jesus means is this: What Mary was doing was the most important thing we can ever do. This should be our top priority in life. Listening to the Word of God always comes first. Hearing the Word is what it’s all about. The Word of God is how the Holy Spirit creates saving faith.
Paul says, “Faith comes by hearing the message and the message is heard through the Word of God.” He says, “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by observing the law or by believing what you heard? Does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? Therefore, by faith we receive the promise of the Spirit.”
Hearing the Word of God and believing the message of Christ are essential. It’s what it’s all about. It is the one thing needed.
Now, to be fair to Martha, what she was doing was important, too. Her busy activity was prompted by her love for the Lord. She was serving Jesus and honoring him with her effort. However, Martha was not the only one serving the Lord on that day.
Mary was also honoring the Lord Jesus by listening to his Word. And what she was doing was something Christ considered the better of the two activities. Listening to the Word of God ranks as the highest service in God’s kingdom. If you really want to serve God, then first listen to his Word. Then, you can do your work.
The hearing of God’s Word must always come first – not only in church, but also at home. At home and in our daily life is where we most need to hear the gospel speak to us. We need to listen to the message of Christ every day, especially in our homes.
Yet, our daily life is often the last place where the gospel takes top priority. I mean, do you actually read the Bible every day? Are you in the Word of God? Jesus brought the Word directly into Martha’s home, but she was too busy to listen. She was distracted by everything that had to be done. Jesus came right into her living room, but she was too distracted and upset by her circumstances.
This happens to us, too. We are so distracted by everything that needs to be done. We are so busy and overwhelmed. We just don’t have time for God’s Word. We don’t read the Scriptures. We don’t hear the Word. We don’t believe God’s message.
Because of this, we end up just like Martha. We become angry and resentful. The stress gets to us. We start blaming others. We get angry, frustrated, and unhappy with our lot in life. Look again at Martha’s situation. From her viewpoint, Mary was the problem. Mary was the cause of all of her troubles. Mary was the one not helping. Her sister was the cause of all of her frustration and anxiety. Therefore, Martha blames Mary.
However, it was really Martha who was creating her own problems. She was allowing herself to become angry and frustrated. She let herself lose control. She was to blame for her problems and no one else.
Listen: Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation over which we have no control. The only thing we can control is ourselves. We then face the choice of becoming increasingly angry at what we cannot change, or we can turn to the Word of God for help and deliverance.
If we turn to the Word, we will find that it has the power to change us. It can change us from frustrated and angry people into people who have confidence and hope. As Jesus says, “It is the one thing needed.”
That is a very bold statement for Christ to make. It sounds unrealistic. After all, we have busy lives. We have problems to solve and things that have to be done. Yet, Christ says to us, “Don’t get upset by all these things. There is only one thing needed. Put my Word first in your life and the rest will follow. Trust in me and believe my Word. Then, you will receive the Holy Spirit and he will give you the help you need.”
Jesus is telling us to turn our attention away from our problems and to redirect it towards him and his Word. If we trust in Christ and have faith in his Word, we will find that although our situation may not have changed, we will be changed. We are truly changed by God’s Word. We will discover that things in our life can begin to change for the better. We can stop being so anxious and troubled. We can stop blaming others. We can stop being so angry all the time.
Our problems and headaches may not go away, but now they no longer control us so much. They no longer determine how we act. Our outlook on life now becomes Christ-centered. Christ is the key to it all.
Such is the power of God’s Word. The Word declares that for the sake of Christ, your sins are forgiven. God declares, “I love you. I forgive you. I accept you as my very own. You belong to me forevermore!” The Word declares a powerful message of hope. It proclaims there is abundant mercy for lost sinners. There is hope and there is help. There is a power available to you, which is beyond your comprehension.
This is the power of God at work through the message of the cross and resurrection of our Lord. Paul says, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” He says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by his Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit teaches us God’s wisdom. He shows us the power of God’s love. The Holy Spirit reveals to us how God is in control of all things. God has a purpose and plan for each of us. The Lord God is at work in your life today. He is teaching you, guiding you, helping you, correcting you and leading you to repentance and faith.
God’s Word is powerful and dynamic. It has the capability to change our life forever. It can make us to be different people, people who gladly sit at the feet of Jesus to listen to him teach. Like Mary, we can discover the one thing needed.
The Word of God has a way of speaking directly to our deepest need. It can show us the truth we need to hear. It can lift up our heart and give us courage and strength. The Living Lord comes right into our home with his Word. He enters our daily life with a message of grace and hope. He sits right in our living room each day and declares, “I love you. You are mine. I am with you each day, and I will never leave you or forsake you.”
My challenge to you today is this: Be in the Word. Sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to his teaching. Read the Bible every day. Read the Gospel of Luke. Read Genesis. Read Colossians. Read the Psalms. Spend about ten minutes each day reading the Word. Go slow and think about the message God is communicating to you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach you. Read, mark and inwardly digest the Holy Scriptures.
Be in the Word and you will be richly blessed. God will help you to understand his Word. Go home today, get out your Bible and begin to read. Be in the Word and grow in your faith. The Lord is coming to your home today. Serve him by listening to his Word. It is the one thing needed. Amen!
All pictures today are of Long Island Sound.