023. Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There!

Let’s open our Bibles to page 1196 and read the story.  Page 1196, Luke chapter 10 and verses 38-42.  Today we’re going to see that spending time with Jesus is much more important than keeping the house, or meals or the yard or the car looking perfect.  P1196, Luke 10, and verse 38-42. Read verses.

Have you ever wondered how Jesus spent His nights? After His long, weary hours of ministry, have you ever wondered what Jesus did and where He went? Some of his disciples came to Him early on to ask about the fringe benefits of discipleship. Jesus told
them that the foxes had holes and the birds of the air had nests, but the Son of Man had no permanent place to put His head. So I gather that there were times in Jesus' life when He slept out in the field, with the sky for a blanket and a stone for a pillow.

But there were other times when Jesus enjoyed the warmth and hospitality of good friends. There was probably no home in all of Israel more valuable to Him than the home of Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus in the village of Bethany. During the closing hours of His life, when other hearts and homes were shut to Him, the door of this house in Bethany was always open. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus and his disciples are on their way to Jerusalem city for the last time. To get there, they have to go through the village of Bethany, about 3 or 4 km to the east of Jerusalem. And when Martha hears that the disciples and Jesus have hit town, she insists that they come to her home for dinner. She wants to extend warm hospitality. And she wants to show them, through her hospitality, how much
she loves them.

It's always a bit of a threat, I think, for a woman to have a preacher in her home for dinner. To have thirteen preachers sitting in the living room waiting for a meal would be pretty heavy duty!

I’m letting my imagination go a bit wild here.  ----  From where I sit out there in the living room, the whole meal thing seems like a bit of a miracle to me. As Martha was trying to pull off the miracle, it wasn't going very well. The stove was giving off more smoke than heat. The bread refused to rise. And pretty soon the whole thing smelled more like a burnt offering than a dinner. Finally, she looked around for her sister to help her. She glanced into the living room, and there was Mary, sitting at Jesus' feet.  Upset, Martha came back into the kitchen, and she was as burned up as the dinner. Then the volcano inside her exploded.

She stormed into the living room, went up to Jesus, and said: “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me.”

I'm sure she thought that Jesus would come to her defense and send Mary scurrying into the kitchen. But Jesus responds to Martha as a parent might respond to a fretting child. He says: Martha, Martha—one dish would have been enough. Mary has chosen the good part, and it will not be taken away from her.

You don't have to go to a Bible College to understand that story. You don't have to take a course in understanding the science of the Scriptures, to discover who gets the low marks and who gets the high marks in this story. We all know that Martha made the bad choice and that Mary made the good choice. That's just the way it is, and we all understand that. The difficulty is that after I come to that conclusion, my head and heart just don't agree.  What we need to see here is that Martha was not faulted for her service I can confess to you that I have a secret sympathy for Martha. Putting it bluntly, Martha is my kind of woman: She is realistic. She approaches life as it is, and she calls a spade a spade.

In John chapter 11, we read the story about Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus.   Jesus was four days late for his funeral. When he showed up, they took him out to the cemetery and He stood in front of the tomb. Then Jesus asked that the big stone that sealed the entrance to the tomb, be rolled away.  Martha, even though she was plunged in grief, said: “Lord, you'd better not do that. I mean, he's been dead for four days, and by this time, he stinks.”

A bit uncouth, but very realistic. Martha was that kind of woman. She was realistic enough to know that if you're going to get a dinner for more than a dozen people, somebody's got to go out there and work hard to get it. Sitting around at somebody’s feet won't get the food prepared.

When I read that, I don't get any help when I turn to the Bible commentaries. They stand up for Mary, the sweet sister who sits at Jesus' feet and listens to Him and reads the Bible and prays.  Martha comes through as a kind of a good-natured drone.

I have to say here though, that if it weren't for the Marthas of the world, nothing much would get done. Few sermons would get prepared and preached. Very few community outreach programmes would ever be undertaken. If it weren't for the Marthas of the world, you could put evangelism to bed. Any pastor with any sense is delighted to have some Marthas in the pew. Martha's my kind of woman.

I have sympathy for Martha. As you look at the story, you cannot give Martha low marks for serving. Jesus is not faulting her for that. If you look at the context, the previous story Luke has included is the story of the Good Samaritan. In that story, Jesus tells us that we should help our neighbor which means anyone in need. I think in this story, Martha is being a neighbor. She recognizes that Jesus and his men have been on the road for quite some time, and they are hungry. She has a gift of hospitality, and she wants to meet that need.

Quite frankly, I think that's the kind of woman that Martha was. I think that wherever she went, she did deeds of kindness and love that made life bearable for other hurting people. I think that acts of kindness and hospitality fell from her life like the falling snow—beautiful and quiet. I think Martha was the kind of person who when a child was ill would come by and sit with the sick child while the mother got some rest. If a family was sick, she was the one to bring over a pot of soup so that they'd have something to eat.

Here, I think Martha wants to show her hospitality to Jesus and the disciples. Sure, she wanted to show them the kind of lavish meal they would never forget. She wanted to show them they were loved and cared for. I think what Martha's doing is being a good neighbour. And Jesus is not faulting her for that.

But here’s a thought. ---

Good service with a bad spirit is bad service.

The difficulty Jesus does seem to point out was not the service, but the spirit of the service.

Luke says that she was distracted by all the serving she was doing. When Jesus responded to her request, He said, "Martha, Martha, you're worried and upset about too many things." It was the spirit that Jesus pointed out. I think that if Martha had gone to her friendly psychologist and taken a battery of tests, she probably would have ended up as a type-A personality, kind of obsessive/compulsive. A lot of those types end up in Bible colleges. Most of them teach; a lot of them study. If you meet an obsessive/compulsive person, their life statement is, "If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well."

Over 40 years ago we were down in South Australia or somewhere, and I saw this sign in a shop window.  I asked where I could get one.  He gave it to me and I’ve still got it.  It was put out by Rotary and it reads,
“Pride of Workmanship,
Do it once, do it well.
Build a better Australia.”

I still think it’s a great motto.

But, I think that motto may have  destroyed as many people as it's motivated. ----  Martha's a woman who buys into that motto. She's going to show hospitality. She not only wants to prepare a lavish menu, but she does it in a sterile environment. She cleans the house as though they're going to have an operation in the living room. She dusts the doorjambs as though the company's going to come with a white glove and have an inspection. And if you'd ask her why in the world she goes to all this trouble, she says, "Well, if a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well."

I think Martha would have said that. But Jesus responds to Martha and says: “Martha, look— you're worried and upset about too many things. One dish would have been enough. That's all you really had to prepare.”

Some of us need to underline the lesson Jesus offers here. If a thing is worth doing, it may be worth doing  ---- ‘simply’. Certainly, it is a good thing to show hospitality. But if you are driven by hospitality to do super-human feats and your feelings get hurt, like Martha, you need to know that soup and buns will pass muster very well. Hospitality is worth doing, but it may be worth doing simply.

You meet your hurting neighbor on the street. It's certainly worth stopping to lend a hand. But that doesn't mean you have to launch the Hurting Neighbour Missionary Society. It doesn't mean that you have to serve on the board and attend all the meetings and become the chief operations officer. Sometimes, helping one neighbor is all you can handle, and it's worth doing simply. In fact, if you do it simply, you can probably help quite a lot more than just one.

Simplifying life can be a very important strategy. Good service should be done with a good spirit. The question is how to know when your life is not simple enough?

How do you know when you have pushed yourself beyond the limits? That differs for different people. But I think one answer is that when what you do has driven you to distraction—when you seem to be going around in circles not getting anywhere --- when you are upset,
anxious, irritable and hard to get along with—that's a good clue that you may need to simplify things. The problem is that we can spoil our good service by the way we do it. Good service, done with a bad spirit, doesn't do anybody any good.

There’s an old saying, "Misery loves company."  That is certainly true.  Some people have made a personal decision to dwell on the negatives instead of the positives in life.  People who are feeling negative like to attract to themselves, a negative friend or two, so they can have a pity party together.  And it doesn’t -- help  -- anybody!  It brings them down – it brings their friends down. It also brings unhappiness, sickness, and a shortened life.  All because of a choice of attitude!

One thing is certain:  misery spoils the company and the party for everybody else. That happened here. Martha's irritation spoiled the party for Mary at least. Can you imagine how she felt? Martha’s upset.  She doesn't tiptoe to the door and whisper, (quiet) "Mary, could you come and help me?"  No, she makes a very public statement. She moves into that living room, and she doesn't even speak to Mary. She goes up to Jesus and says: “Jesus, don't you care that my sister has left me to get the meal by myself? Tell her to come and help me.”

Can you imagine how Mary must have felt? If she's the sensitive soul I think she is, she's embarrassed. This lovely evening with Jesus is spoiled. When you're irritable, you spoil it for everybody. Martha spoiled it for the disciples. Have you ever gone to a home, and before you got there, the host couple was sort of "at each other"? They might have been doing it when the doorbell rang. They put a smile on their faces and greet you. Have you ever  to a home where the doorbell didn't stop it? You get to the table, and they're still upset with one
another.  I don't care what the menu is or how lavish the meal; it's covered with a gravy of irritation. All you want to do is leave early.

Irritation spoils the party for everybody.  Martha's irritation spoiled her relationship with Jesus. This was going to be a great evening in her life. Here in her home is the One who, by her own admission, was the Messiah of God. She was going to entertain Him, but now, because of her irritation, she's angry with Him. She comes into the living room and says: “Lord, don't you care about me? I've got to get this meal by myself.”

Out of her irritation, she's upset with Jesus. When irritation is part of your service, it spoils the service. You are over-extended when good works are done with a bad attitude. When that happens, you'd better hear the word of Christ. Keep hospitality simple. Simple food is enough. It's great to have a seven-course meal, but one simple course would have done it. If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing simply.

Now, don't misunderstand. This is not a plea for slovenliness. Certainly there are times in life when you have to reach to your best effort. Blessed is the woman or man who knows the difference between those times and other times. And if you can prepare a seven-course meal and do it with great delight and warm hospitality, I'd like to come to your house. I prefer good meals to soup and buns. But if I have to choose between a good meal with a bad spirit and a simple meal with a good spirit, I'll take the soup and buns any day.

Here comes an important point:

Allow Christ to serve you before you serve others. Some of us must understand that if a thing's worth doing, it may be worth doing simply. But that's not the end of it, is it? Often when we cut back to what we call a simpler life, we leave greater things for lesser things. We have not improved anything if we have turned away from the greater things of Christian service and spending time in God’s Word and in prayer, so that we can spend more time on lesser things like watching television.  Not good!

Notice another thing in the story. Jesus says that, “Mary has chosen the better part; it will not be taken away from her.”  Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. The question is: What in the world does that mean?

The previous story of the Good Samaritan was introduced by a conflict between Jesus and a theologian. That theologian knew the Bible well. He could quote the great verses like: “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and soul and strength and mind and your neighbour as yourself.”

In the story, two of the chief actors were important church men, a priest and a Levite. Before they left home in the morning, they could quote those two great verses. Obviously, the verses had no impact on what happened that day on the Jericho Road. Knowing the Bible is important, but that's not what it means to sit at Jesus' feet and hear His word. To hear His word is to allow Him to minister to you.

You allow Him to do something in you, before you do something for Him.

The following passage, in chapter 11, indicates that it involves prayer, and thought, and the ministry of God to us. Jesus says that Mary chose the better part because a ministry to our mind and attitude must go before a ministry to others.  Jesus said that ---

“The first command is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. The second is like the first: you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” It’s a summary of the Ten Commandments ---  1-4  love God and 6-10  love fellowman ---  “Law of Love”.

These commands are always in that order. If you get them turned around, it will destroy you. If you put your first focus in life on loving your neighbor, that gets to be a pretty gritty business. Trying to go out and love your neighbor is like trying to drain the Pacific Ocean. You dip and dip and dip in that ocean of trying to love your neighbor all day long. When the day is over, and you get out of the ocean, all you have is a puddle at your feet, and the ocean of need is still there.

If you first give yourself to neighbour-love, you'll find that it will destroy your spirit. You'll find that you'll burn out. You'll discover you can't stay with it. Only neighbour-love growing out of a love for our God and Jesus Christ has staying power. Before you become involved in service for others, you must allow Jesus Christ to serve you. And believe it or not, that's what Jesus wants to do for you. He didn't bring you to Himself to make you a slave. He brought you to Himself to make you a friend. The Majesty of the universe enjoys fellowship with us. Mary chose the good part because that's what Jesus wanted when He came to their home that evening. 

In conclusion, I want to tell you a true story about a mother and her son. The father had died when the boy was young. The mother and son had a very special relationship. This was back before television, and folks would spend evenings listening to the radio or reading to each other. They both enjoyed listening to good music. They had a wonderful relationship.

In his early twenties, he met a young woman at the church, fell in love with her, and they decided to be married. Back then, during World War II, housing in our large cities was very difficult to get. The mother, knowing they wanted to be married, said, "We have a two-story house. I can make an apartment for myself on the top floor. You and your bride can live on the bottom floor. The only thing I ask is that we get a chance to spend some time together because I'm going to miss the reading and the music." Her son said, "Mother, you can be sure of that. It's too important to me."

The young couple married. For a while, life continued with the son stopping by a couple of times a week to spend some quality time with his mother. He was busy, and eventually days and actually weeks went by with only a ‘hello Mum’ call from downstairs or a brief glimpse. The relationship was not what it had been.

On the mother's birthday, the young man bought his mother a lovely dress. He brought it to her, and said, "Happy birthday, Mother." She opened the package and looked at the dress. "Oh, Son, thank you. I appreciate so much what you've done." He said, "Mother, you don't like it." She said, "Oh, yes, I do. It's my color. Thank you." He said, "Mother, I have the sales slip. They tell me I can take it back." She said, "No, it is a lovely dress." He said, "Mother, you don't fool me. We've been together too long. What's wrong?" The woman turned and opened her clothes cupboard. She said, "Son, I have enough dresses there to last me for the rest of my life. I guess all I want to say is that I don't want your dress. I want you."

Out of this little story of long ago, I hear God saying that to you and to me. With all of our busyness, we had better simplify our lives, because God wants to spend more time – with us. Stand and pray.