Only One Thing Is Necessary (Luke 10:38-42)
Rev. William L. Barron, February 18, 2018Part of the Morning Worship at North Greenville Church series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
It is easy to become distracted from our mission, from what is truly important. In the story of Mary and Martha, we know from John 11 that both women loved Jesus, and He loved them. Mary was a "head" type person; Martha was a "hands" type person. Martha was not chastised for what she was doing. Jesus did not take sides in the disagreement. Martha showed her care and love through her actions .She was exercising her gift of hospitality. We should not compare our deeds with those of others. Mary's love was no less, although culturally she was out of bounds by listening intently to a rabbi, especially while serving was going on. Possibly, Martha was engaging in some self-pity, but most assuredly worry, or anxiety about things. The right thing is always to place our trust in Jesus. Anxiety is putting our trust in the wrong place, and it yields a distracted heart. We must pray and seek to trust Jesus, and worries will go away. Focusing on the Gospel takes away all anxiety and distractions. Through this we can find a balance between worry and failure to serve.
| Earlier: | Same day: | Later: |
|---|---|---|
| « Rejoice That Your Name Is Recorded | None | Nothing Too Hard » |
Luke 10:38–42 (Listen)
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And 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.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
(ESV)