Disciplines for Life/Only One Thing is Needed

From Gospel Translations

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Had Martha known her temper tantrum would wind up in Luke’s Gospel, she probably would have kept a lid on it. But her embarrassment is our gain, for in Luke 10:38-42 we discover one of the most essential (and most neglected)keys to intimacy with God.

The story opens with Jesus and his disciples journeying through the town of Bethany, just two miles east of Jerusalem. It’s here, as Luke describes it, that “a woman named Martha opened her home to him.”

Now Luke doesn’t say, but I’m assuming that Martha opened her home to the disciples as well. Which means she had a minimum of 13 extra place settings to worry about. And it’s unlikely that she had an advance schedule of Jesus’ itinerary. Every indication is that this was a spontaneous, unexpected visit.

Put yourself in Martha’s sandals...Suppose your pastor and twelve of his buddies pulled into the driveway late one afternoon and said, “Jack! Betty! Good to see you! We were just driving by and thought we might stop in and have dinner with you.” How would you respond?

You would try to look enthusiastic. “What a privilege!” you’d say, a smile frozen on your face. As they came in you would start apologizing for the sink full of dirty dishes, the lawnmower parts spread out on the living room floor. At the same time you’d be mentally rummaging through the cupboards, wondering how you were going to stretch one box of Hamburger Helper into a full-scale banquet.

 Can you just see Martha? She’s not running a restaurant—she’s running a home. If the town of Bethany had a Chinese restaurant or Pizza Hut, she might have tactfully pointed Jesus and his disciples down the street. But that wasn’t an option. Martha now has an unexpected crowd for dinner. And though she probably had the best of intentions, it’s almost inevitable that some kind of struggle was going on inside her.

Being a sincere and industrious woman, Martha buckled down to make a serious meal. It’s a fair guess that she assumed her sister Mary—probably her younger sister—would join her in the kitchen. So imagine her reaction when she sees Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to him teach. Here’s Martha, sweating over this herculean task of hospitality, while her sister is relaxing, unaware and unaffected. Do you think that may have tested her attitude just a little?

By this point dinner wasn’t the only thing boiling in Martha’s kitchen. What began as a genuine act of kindness has taken an unexpected turn. She’s now angry, and doing her best to project guilt onto Mary.

“Lord,” she snaps, interrupting Jesus’ teaching, “don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Obviously, this was not a polite exchange, and Martha, of course, had no idea it would go on biblical record. But at this point she’s a frustrated lady, reacting sinfully to what she felt was real insensitivity. Martha’s reputation has suffered over the years, so let me add this in her defense. She learned from the Lord’s tactful and gentle correction, as later accounts in the Gospels make clear. Also, she is to be commended for serving. Serving is a theme emphasized throughout Scripture. It was her sinful attitude, not her serving, that got Martha in trouble. In seeing activity as a higher priority than listening to the Lord, Martha erred on three fronts.

1. She charged God. “Lord, don’t you care...?” To my regret, I have said or thought the same thing many times. If we fail to develop a lifestyle of listening, we inevitably begin to doubt God’s love. We become highly susceptible to false interpretations of our circumstances, and are likely to be governed by our emotions.

When we haven’t been waiting on God and listening to his voice, we easily become suspicious of his care. Yet few things grieve God more than being accused of not caring. Do you know why? Because there isn’t anyone who cares for us like God does. No one cares like the Lord. We will become aware of and secure in his constant care as we study Scripture and listen to his voice.

2. She became distracted. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “distracted” as “suffering conflicting emotions; distraught.” When we don’t make time to wait before God, we are easily distracted. Our perspective becomes distorted, our emotions churn, and anxiety begins to build. Martha couldn’t have fit that description any better.

And don’t think Martha is alone in this—everyone is well-acquainted with distraction and worry. Because when we stop listening, we start worrying, and worry is a seriousaffront to God. In effect, it says, “I don’t trust you, Lord.” But when we worship and wait on God, worry is rarely an issue, because in God’s presence we receive assurance of his sovereignty, wisdom, and care. Though circumstances may remain unchanged, we now have an eternal perspective which removes the worry from the heart and replaces it with peace.

3. She accused and condemned her sister. Failure to wait on God and listen to his voice often culminates in criticism of and comparison to others. We are often tempted to resent others, particularly if they appear “more spiritual.” But if we’re honest, we’ll admit that we sometimes react sinfully to others in exactly the same way Martha reacted to Mary. What this reveals, among other things, is that we haven’t been waiting on God.

I’m affected by the way Jesus responded to Martha. He might have stood up and declared, “Do you have any idea who you are talking to? How dare you command me! I created you!” Instead, he sat there, waited until she had finished exposing her sinful heart, and simply said “Martha, Martha.”

(By the way...if the Lord uses your name twice, brace yourself for a rebuke. It’s time for all seat backs to be placed forward and tray tables to be returned to their original, upright position.)

‘‘You are worried and upset about many things,” Jesus told about many things,” Jesus told her. “But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Please note that Jesus didn’t empathize with Martha. Despite the zeal with which she had served, he didn’t excuse her attitude in the slightest. For Martha’s activity, although zealous, was neither led by the Spirit nor motivated by God’s grace. Rather, it was a work of the flesh, which can snare the Christian in fruitless legalism and dead works. Quite often the result is self-induced frustration, anger, and discouragement.

Once we’ve been reconciled to God through the person and fin- ished work of Christ, it is important that we cultivate a relationship with God by practicing the spiritual disci- plines (worship, prayer, studying Scripture, etc.). In this, let us endeavor to imitate not Martha, but Mary, who in the words of Christ chose “what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” To imitate Mary in her devotion to the Lord is to choose not only the better thing, but the eternal.

A Radically Different Approach

What does it take to please God? To know him more intimately? To discern his will? To serve his purpose? First, it takes a listening heart, for discipleship begins with contemplation, not action.

If you are not regularly hearing God’s voice, ask yourself, “Am I regularly making time to listen?” If your schedule reveals that you haven’t made listening a priority,you shouldn’t be surprised that you are not having fresh, intimate encounters with God.

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