One Necessary Thing, Part 1 | Living for the Highest Priority

Luke 10:38-42

In our study of Luke’s Gospel, we, we have come here to a scene that puts the authenticity of Scripture on display. We see an older, very responsible sister, complaining about her younger sister. So no matter what period of time in history, no matter what culture, some things like sibling conflicts, well, they just don’t change, do they? So you’re going to find that section of Scripture recorded in Luke 10:38-42. This is an account by the way that is unique to Luke’s Gospel, the story of Martha and Mary, who are hosting the Lord Jesus Christ in their home.

Setting the conflict aside for a moment, these two sisters, we need to realize that they welcomed Jesus into their home. So transcending the details of the account, which we’re going to look at, we don’t want to lose sight of the fact that these two believing sisters, Martha and Mary, they show us how to receive the Lord Jesus Christ in humble worship and in obedient and receptive faith. In context, the author of this Gospel, Luke, he wants us to see how Martha and Mary’s receptivity to Christ, in the context here, stands in contrast to the proud lawyer. The one who stood up to challenge Jesus publicly and put him to the test.

If you look back, if you’re in Luke chapter 10, just look back to verse 25 for a moment, “Behold, a lawyer stood up to put him,” that is Jesus, “to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And he said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You’ve answered correctly; do this, and you will live.’ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?

So in answer to that self-justifying question, Jesus told the story about the Samaritan, who showed neighbor love. The lawyer completely bypassed the matter of loving God with all his heart and soul and strength and mind. Question is: Did he bypass the question because he believed he was already righteous in loving God in that way? Did he think that he had that down and there’s no question about that because obviously he loves God perfectly? Perhaps that’s true, but maybe he felt it was just easier for him to justify himself in public by getting Jesus to define the word neighbor.

So what does it look like to love the Lord God with all of our heart, all of our soul, strength, and mind? And to answer that most fundamental question, Luke has given us this story at the end of chapter 10, this account, he’s recorded this account of Mary and Martha. And the point that Luke is going to make, it’s one that his Gospel has already made repeatedly, the story of Mary and Martha just merely illustrates this. But to love God is to receive the one whom God has sent. To be more specific, to love God is to receive Christ, to receive Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord. To love God is to receive him. It really is that simple.

Back in Luke 9:48, Jesus told his disciples, “Whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” So whoever receives Jesus as Lord, Jesus Christ as Lord, he receives the God who sent his son into the world to save sinners. And that’s, that’s really what he’s saying here, which is why loving God is illustrated perfectly in this very precious little account. Take a look at Luke 10:38-42.

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. She went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’”

Let me ask you something. If Jesus showed up at your house this week, how would you receive him? What preparations would you make if you knew that was going to happen? How would you get the house ready? What do you think would make Jesus feel most welcome in your house? How would he feel most warmly received? What would your hospitality look like?

For some of you, if you really think that through, and if that were really happening to you, obviously your mind is going to be flooded with details. If you start to imagine that even now, you’re thinking, Oh no! What would I do? You’d probably even feel slightly overwhelmed. So let me simplify this for you and just give you the bottom line. Here is what being hospitable to Jesus Christ should look like. Here is how you receive him well, make him feel welcome.

You listen to him. You listen. And that is it. That is how you make Jesus feel received. You listen. That’s very simple. You listen to him and you listen intently. You hang on every word that he speaks. And that is simply said, obviously, but doing that is a whole other matter because listening is a profoundly intensive, deeply immersive discipline of the Christian life. It’s a discipline of attention. It’s a discipline of attentiveness. It’s a discipline, really, of thinking carefully. And that’s because biblically speaking, listening is not merely a function of your senses, that is the physiology of hearing.

When you consider all that goes into God’s gift of hearing, that we can hear and interpret, enjoy every single note of music, when we can understand words that are spoken to us and appreciate the meaning of each word, to enjoy sounds of nature, wind in the trees, the songs of birds, lowing of the cattle, and all the rest, what a miracle is the gift of hearing. When the Bible talks about hearing, when the Bible speaks of listening, it’s, it’s assuming that entire process of the physiology of hearing, but it goes further. Biblical listening involves moral reasoning. It involves spiritual processing because it deals with spiritual understanding. It deals with things like theological meaning and ethical application.

So that means that it involves in the will, volitional decision-making, which then produces the fruit of moral and ethical behavior, which is all defined by the standard of Holy Scripture. So biblically speaking, hearing from God must be combined with obedience to what you hear from God or else it’s called deafness, it’s called being deaf. Biblically hearing is not just a physiological function, hearing is a moral process. And good hearing is evidenced by outward behavior, which is righteous and compassionate, just, and merciful, really lining up with the standard that God has said in his Word.

And that is why Jesus said back in Luke 8:18, Take care, or take heed, how you listen. Jesus is calling us to think carefully about how we listen, to, to consider carefully how we’re processing and to see that it works its way out in obedience. Because everything, everything that’s important, everything in your life, as in your eternity, the fate of your mortal soul, everything that matters at all period. It all hinges on how you hear, on how you listen.

So for those who listen in faith, that kind of hearing brings a never-ending stream of life-giving truth into the heart, instructing the mind, giving blessing, giving eternal life. But for those who don’t listen well, for those who listen with doubt or suspicion or unbelief, that kind of hearing, it shuts off the truth, it silences the call of God’s saving grace and it ends in eternal death. And that’s exactly what Jesus meant, Luke 8:18, again. “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

So that’s what we see in the simple story before us here in Luke 10. Two sisters, and both of these sisters have ears to hear, which you can see because they both received Jesus with believing and receptive hearts. One sister becomes distracted. She comes into some element of danger here of losing sight of really what’s the best thing. And so Jesus has to gently correct her and redirect her, putting her focus back on the one thing that’s necessary.

So as we listen in to this scene, this conversation, we all get to learn a lesson from Jesus about the one necessary thing. And that is really my hope for all of you, that you really do think about this for yourself, that you refuse to become distracted in your life that you simplify what it means to be a Christian and to live as a Christian by listening well to Jesus Christ. Because that really is God’s intention for you is to receive his beloved Son and the way to receive Jesus Christ, as we just said, is to listen to him. And this story really does show us how to listen to him and to listen intently, exclusively, and devotedly. Receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior means you listen intently with rapt attention.

To see this, notice the believing reception here in verse 38. It says, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.” As they went on their way; Jesus entered a village. I mentioned that Luke is taking up the question that the lawyer neglected. Namely, what does loving God with all one’s heart, soul, strength, and mind look like? And as he introduces the story here, he’s connecting with the larger context of Luke 10. Back in verse 1 of Luke 10, the Lord appointed 72 others. He sent them on ahead of him, two-by-two into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

And now, here’s Jesus and his disciples, they’re on the move again. They’re going through Judea, cities, towns, villages, little tiny hamlets of people living cloistered together. He’s visiting any of those where the messengers were received whom he had sent before him. So what does a positive reception look like? Look back at Luke 10, verse 5 and this is what Jesus himself said about a positive reception. He says, “whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

So when Luke tells us here, “As they went on their way, Jesus entered a village,” he wants us to see the connection back here to this earlier part of Luke 10. This scene here of Martha and Mary, this is a receptive village. It’s an unnamed village at this point, but we know by comparing Scripture with Scripture this is the village of Bethany. It’s the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. It’s located about two miles east of Jerusalem, situated up on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.

Bethany was recently visited, evidently, by two of the 72 messengers that Jesus had sent out. We can tell it’s a receptive village. The home of Martha and Mary is a believing home. They listened to the Gospel that was proclaimed by the visiting missionaries. They believed it. And now they are about to receive an even greater honor, a personal visitation by the Messiah himself.

So as verse 38 continues, it says, “Jesus entered the village and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.” The name Martha is Aramaic. It means lady or mistress, and that is exactly here how she is portrayed. She is the mistress of the house. She is really acting as the head of the household here. She’s the one responsible for managing the affairs of the home. Most likely she is the older of the two sisters. She’s clearly a competent level-headed woman who knows how to manage things. She knows how to get things done.

So when Jesus arrives here with his entourage, she is the one responsible, then, for receiving them. She’s responsible for showing hospitality on behalf of the home. She’s responsible for preparing and serving the meals, taking care of the room and the board. And that is no small task when a dozen or more hungry men show up, some of them fishermen.

So they hadn’t come without notice, hadn’t shown up without any warning because as we just said, Jesus sent out the 72 as an advanced party to allow people to prepare to receive him. So ever since those missionaries departed and they understand their place on Jesus’ itinerary, Martha’s going to be busy at that point in making plans and preparations and getting ready and all the rest. So Martha here received Jesus, head of the household, she welcomed him into her home and that is not just hospitality.

We need to understand that in context, this is describing faith. She is a woman who believed. Martha is a true believer, and she has received Jesus, not just being polite in Middle Eastern hospitality, but she has received Jesus as the coming Messiah. She’s listened to the missionaries. She has believed the Gospel of the coming kingdom of God and she has received him as her king. In fact, we should probably see here that Martha is leading, led her whole household in faith. In verse 39, it says, “Martha had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” So here’s Martha’s younger sister, Mary, who’s also a believer, as well as their brother Lazarus. He’s not in the scene here, but we understand this from other texts, John 11 especially. Lazarus, as well, a believer. This is a believing home and they’re all worshipers of Jesus as the promised Messiah.

You’re not going to see this in your ESV translations and probably some other translations, as well, in English. But the Greek text of verse 39, it has a conjunction in the sentence there that’s not translated in, in a number of English translations. So the literal reading there in, in the, according to the Greek is, “Martha had a sister called Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet.” So Mary also sat at Jesus’ feet. So we’d say also, in addition to whom? Mary sat at Jesus’ feet also listening to him teach along with her older sister, Martha.

So both sisters are really pictured here in believing devotion to Christ. And it, it really is important to see that because we need to see Martha in the proper light. I think a lot of times I’ve read and heard sermons preached on this text. Martha kind of gets a, a bum deal. She’s the, she’s the distracted one and Mary’s the devoted one. And you know, so we talk about two contrasts there, distraction, devotion and we just make nice, easy, broad lines between the two and say, don’t be a Martha, be a Mary. And that preaches really well.

But I think we need to see a little bit more nuance here because Luke is really trying to tell us here, he’s very clear saying that both Martha and Mary are both devoted to the Lord. They’re both sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning, as, as disciples. Both are listening to him teach. Martha and Mary, they are disciples. They’re worshipers and it’s evident in their posture here. And it, Luke is clear to point out that they’re sitting at the feet of Jesus. And that’s, that’s almost like code language for Luke when he says, “They’re sitting at the feet,” he’s telling us that they’re acknowledging his Lordship. We see this over and over in the Gospels and particularly in Luke that people who are falling at Jesus’ feet, they are worshiping him. And he accepts their worship, too. He, he lets them fall at his feet and worship. He does not deny that. He does not push them away like, you or I would do.

So to take a place at the feet of Jesus, to humbly listen to him, to quietly worship at his feet, that is what God intends for us to do. It really is the proper response to the Lord of glory, to worship him by falling down at his feet. Christ died to bring us to God. Christ died to make us worshipers, true worshipers, worship, worshiping God in Spirit and Truth. That’s what you see here. That’s what we see Martha and Mary doing here is worshiping.

And yet, we are about to see a difference between the two of them, between the more active Martha and the more meditative Mary. When Luke tells us that “Mary listened to his teaching,” the verb tense tells us that she is continually listening. It’s continuous action. In other words, Mary kept on listening. She’s pushing away, disregarding all distraction. That’s Mary. Not Martha. Martha doesn’t have that, such a verb used of her. By contrast Martha becomes distracted. She loses focus. She starts to miss the point.

And that takes us to a second point: Receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, receiving him as the Christ means we listen to him intently. That’s point one. And then point two, it means also we listen exclusively without any distraction. Point number two, we, when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, it means we listen to him exclusively without any distraction. This is illustrated for us by contrast in verse 40. “But Martha was distracted with much serving.” Interesting verb there. The word distracted, it’s perispao, and it literally means to be pulled around. It means to be dragged all over the place. You ever felt like that? Can you understand what it’s like to perispao-ed, to be dragged all over the place? You’re serving a house full of guests. Have you ever felt pulled from one corner of the house to the other.

You’re going from one place to another trying to put out all the fires, to pick up spilled plants, and all the rest, right? You’re caught in serving this, you’re caught between several sets of competing expectations. You’re, you’re like a pinball bounced all over your own house. Smashed from pillar to post. That’s the verb that’s used there. And the word serving, is the verb, or the word diakonia, which is where we get the word, deacon, from. And it refers to service in general, it can refer to that, or ministry. Here in this household context, though, it has the more limited or specific meaning of meal preparation. Diakonia is like meal serving, serving meals, serving tables. This is a reference to table service, to hospitality, to preparing and then serving food to hungry guests.

So the problem we need to see here is not in the fact that Martha is serving, that she is doing the deacon work, you know, of serving tables. Serving guests had to be done. Martha’s responsible for that. That’s not a problem. The problem here, though, is two-fold. First problem, in being distracted and second, by much serving, by much serving. So being distracted on the one hand, and much serving on the other one.

Service without distraction, service without too much expectation is not only possible, but it’s right and righteous and good. So Martha, you need to understand, she has kind of brought this upon herself, this state of being distracted with much serving. She has planned way too elaborate of a meal, way too many details, too many expectations. She’s set too high of a standard for herself.

Can any one of you admit doing this? You bring stuff upon yourself because you just planned way too much and now everybody in your life is going to feel your anxiety, right? Martha has driven herself, here, to distraction, and now she is thoroughly intent on dragging everybody else into it. Martha’s self-imposed expectations, they’re all for a good cause, right? She wants to show honor and respect to the visiting Messiah. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But with these self-imposed expectations and they’re all churning on the inside of her, she’s become a driven woman.

So Martha leaves her place at Jesus’ feet. And she starts hustling and bustling about. She’s making sure everything is happening just so. She’s following the preset plans that she has in her head, the expectations that she’s already set in her mind and she is no longer at peace in her heart. She’s no longer quietly listening. She’s no longer there receiving Jesus’ life-giving teaching. You can just imagine how this goes.

Martha gets up to execute her carefully laid plans. Mary stays put. She’s still there sitting among the disciples. She’s there hearing the blessed truths of the Gospel, the kingdom of God, namely, she’s hearing how God is holy and Israel has not been holy. She knows that this is the Jewish Messiah, the One promised of Isaiah and all the prophets that, that would come to save his people from their sins.

And God has repeatedly called out to Israel graciously giving Israel the law of Moses, a standard of grace and, and favor that they can follow and, and serve him. And yet, they’ve abandoned the law. They’ve become like all the other nations around them. They’ve committed sin upon sin upon sin. God sent prophets. God sent prophets. They said, Kill the prophets. Get them away from us. Prophesy peace to us. Don’t ever prophesy in that sin stuff anymore. And so God has finally, after they’ve killed all his prophets, he’s finally sent his own Son. And they’re getting ready to kill, as well.

But that is going to be the very act that God uses to save his people from their sins. As Jesus the sinless Messiah, the sinless Christ is put upon the cross, and he takes upon himself the sins of all who would ever believe. All who would ever trust in him. He takes upon himself in his own body those sins and God punishes him instead of all of his people, all of his believing people. And he pours out his wrath. And he expends all of his wrath for those sins.

And then, Jesus dies, bearing the penalty for, the just penalty for all those sins. He’s buried in the ground. He’s raised from the dead, third, three days later. He’s ascended into heaven bodily, where now he makes intercession for his people. This is the message, something along these lines, weaving together prophecy upon prophecy upon prophecy from the Old Testament.

That’s what Mary’s hearing. She’s hearing the most gracious, glorious fulfillment truth of the kingdom of God and she is with rapt attention she’s listening. She cannot peal herself away, not to serve a bunch of sandwiches to a bunch of fishermen. Those who repent and believe, they are those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and they’re seeing and hearing what prophets and kings long to hear, long to see, as it says in Luke 10:24. But in the unfolding plan of God through history, they were not privileged to see and hear.

And Mary, though, just a small believer, little tiny believer in the middle of this massive redemptive plan, she is hearing what prophets and kings wanted to see and didn’t, didn’t see, wanted to hear, didn’t hear. So she’s hearing this good news. She’s privileged that she’s sitting here with this Messiah right in front of her. And she realizes according to Luke 10:20, that her name as been written in heaven. She is a registered citizen of the kingdom of God. Her name has been permanently engraved in the stone of the eternal record.