According To Luke: Busy, Burdened, and Burned Out: Martha’s Story

According To Luke: Busy, Burdened, and Burned Out: Martha’s Story

Opening Illustration:

In the mid to late 1990’s there was a particular type of artwork that gained popularity. The artwork is named “stereograms”. These works of art are pictures within pictures that give a three-dimensional representation of a solid object or surface. When viewed correctly, the hidden image in each Magic Eye illusion will appear in 3D.

Here are a couple of examples. The first one is black and white and apparently people can see a cat. At least I hope that you see a cat. If you see something unsavory then I ask your forgiveness. Here is another. Apparently there is a dinosaur in this one. I have no idea. I see a mess. 

When I was a kid I was told that in order to see these images within an image, I had to get up close to it and slowly pull the image back. My eyes were supposed to adjust so that I could see the background image. Some pieces of artwork required you to look at the image sideways. I don’t know, one of the great frustrations of my life is no matter what I did, I never saw anything. I just couldn’t focus my eyes correctly. 

The point of these artworks is not to get lost on the obvious, but to look deeper to find the real meaning. Sure, you see a bunch of black and white lines, but the artist really wants you to see the cat. Yes, you see leaves but the artist really wants you to see the dinosaur. That’s the most important thing. 

Point:

Life sometimes works like these stereograms. We get lost on the obvious. We lose the forest for the trees if you will. We get caught up in the business of the world: our schedules, the ball games, school work, work work, the grandkids, and we miss out on what God is trying to reveal to us. Sometimes, it is important to remove the clutter so that we can see Christ. 

Point:

One of the greatest problems that believers have is that their lives are out of focus. Sure, they are doing great work for Jesus, Kingdom work in fact, but they are missing Jesus. 

Answer this question for me this morning, is your life out of focus?

Is Your Life Out of Focus?

Background:

Jesus is continuing His march towards Jerusalem. Even though the Scripture in Luke does not tell us that He is in Bethany, we discover this from other Gospel stories. It was the tradition of the day that when a guest came to a home, the home would be opened, a meal would be served, and hospitality would be given. The guest took priority over everything else. You have to remember that this is in a day before reservations, call aheads, appointments, and cell phones. You can imagine that Martha was probably doing something else when Jesus and His guest arrived. She was frustrated and troubled by the visit and she hurries to make preparations. 

When Jesus comes to Bethany, Martha demonstrates hospitality by welcoming Jesus into the home she shares with her sister Mary. She then busies herself with the tasks of serving their guest (diakonian). Although we are not told precisely what those tasks are, a good guess is that she began preparing a meal.

Meanwhile her sister Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, listening to his words. Rather than assuming the role expected of women in her culture, she takes her place at the feet of Jesus. She assumes the posture of a student learning at the feet of a rabbi, a role traditionally reserved for men. If Martha, although hospitable, was put out by these visitors, you can imagine her anger when her helper sat down at Jesus’ feet. That’s where our story takes off today. Let’s read together. 

Scripture:

Luke 10:38-42 ESV

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.”

I. Jesus’ Intensity vs. 38-39

Luke 10:38-39 ESV

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.

A. Jesus Was Intensely Pointed

B. Jesus Was Intensely Personal

Point:

Jesus was a man on a mission. He is consistently seeking out new opportunities to teach, preach and engage with people. 

There are few things to remember about Jesus in this story. 

Point:

First, Jesus was pointed. He had direction in His life and He knew where He was going. He was a man driven by purpose. I love the fact that Jesus, even when He stops and heals, that He continues to keep His eyes on Jerusalem. Even when His disciples try to deter Him, He maintains His focus on getting to where He is trying to go. 

Do you know your purpose? Jesus did? Where do we discover our purpose in life? Jesus came to teach, preach, and eventually die for the sin of all mankind. Gratefully, God has not called us to dying for sin, but He has clearly called us to teach, preach, and spread the Gospel. Jesus Himself gives this direction to the disciples in Matthew. 

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Are you as focused as Jesus to committing this task? I know that I certainly get distracted. It is a good reminder this morning that we are to be about the Lord’s business. Loving people. Liberating people from sin. Leading people toward’s Christ. These are our objectives. This is our calling. 

Point:

Jesus was pointed and focused. That’s for sure. But Jesus was also personal. I love the fact that even though Jesus was heading to Jerusalem, He still stopped in the small places of the Middle East. There was nothing very special about Bethany. Just everyday people living everyday lives. There was no royalty in Bethany. 

Yet Jesus makes Bethany very special. Remember, Mary and Martha were siblings of Lazarus. Bethany is where Jesus performs, outside of His resurrection, His most profound miracle. He raises Lazarus from the dead. Bethany is also where Jesus meets Simon the Leper and heals him. That’s the thing with Jesus, He takes the mundane and makes it massive. 

Jesus does not go to the temple, He does not go to a wealthy nobleman’s home. No! He goes back to Mary and Martha’s home. A family that He loves and cares a great deal for. I love the fact that He does that. If Jesus goes to the small this means that He can come to me as well. If Jesus will go to Mary and Martha’s home, then He will come into your heart. If Jesus know’s Mary and Martha’s name, He knows yours as well. 

Remember that Martha and Mary are living out Revelation 3:20. Jesus is at their door knocking and they opened it. Jesus is standing at your door too. Will you open it and invite Him in?

Revelation 3:20 NLT

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 

II. Martha’s Difficultly vs. 40

Luke 10:40

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.” 

Point:

This past week I was super sick. Man it has been a long time since I felt that bad. High fevers, chills, sweats. You know the drill. During the week, I went to the doctor and was reminded about how busy those folks can be. It reminded me of a funny story that I heard a long time ago.

Illustration:

One fella walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had. "Shingles," he said. So she took down his name, address and medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.

Fifteen minutes later a nurse’s aid came out and asked him what he had. "Shingles," he said. So she took down his height, weight, complete medical history and told him to wait in the examining room.

A half-hour later a nurse came in and asked him what he had. "Shingles," he said. So she gave him a blood test, a blood pressure test and an electrocardiogram. Then she told him to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.

An hour later the doctor came in and asked him what he had. "Shingles," he said. The doctor said, "Where?"

He said, "Outside in the truck. Where do you want them?"

Point:

Obviously, sometimes it good to slow down, ask some questions, and get the real story. 

Point:

So Martha has welcomed Jesus into her home. This is the same Jesus that raised her brother from the dead. No doubt she was feeling some pressure to show and adequate amount of appreciation for what Jesus had done for her family. Certainly the town was buzzing about having Jesus near, so I am sure that Martha was feeling eyeballs on her home as she entertained Him. We know that Martha was caught off guard by Jesus’ visit because she was behind in her preparations. 

Inside, Martha is fuming. All these guests, a great deal of cooking, setting the low table where her guest will be seated. Too much to do! Dinner will be late unless she can get help. But where is her lazy sister Mary? Sitting outside with the men rather than inside doing the work that needs to get done. How irresponsible! I can't understand why she thinks she can be out there when there's so much to do to get ready for dinner. A woman's place isn't sitting around when there is work to be done. A woman's place is preparing for her guests.

The word translated "distracted" is Greek perispao, "1. 'be pulled or dragged away.' 2. 'become or be distracted, quite busy, overburdened."[11] You probably know exactly the kind of resentment and indignation Martha is feeling. The verb is in the imperfect tense, indicating a continued action in the past. Her distraction has been going on for some time. The implication is that Martha wished to hear Jesus but was prevented from doing so by the pressure of providing hospitality.

Martha was busy, burdened and feeling burned out!

Although what Martha was doing was not wrong, her focus was on those things and not on Jesus. She was caught up in entertaining Jesus that she did not engage with Jesus. For the record, this happens to us even today. Many people can get so caught up in doing church and completely forget about Jesus. Fixing things, making sure everything is ok, cooking, etc... They're not bad things, but when you leave Jesus aside, you are leaving the relationship aside. We must seek Him first, everything else will be added on. This is what Mary did. That’s where Martha failed. 

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

III. Mary’s Intimacy 

Luke 10: 39 and 42

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Point:

By the way, it was very abnormal for a woman to sit at the feet of a Rabbi. Very unusual indeed. This is probably why Martha was upset with Mary. She was not only not helping her with the preparations, but she was also breaking with the tradition of the day. Rabbinical teaching was reserved for men only. Men would then go home and tell their wives what they heard. Jesus welcome Mary to listen to Him directly. 

Jesus never really cared much for the man made traditions of the day. He cared first and foremost about people. 

While Martha labored, Mary listened. While Martha worked, Mary witnessed Jesus in action. I think you get the point. Mary did what was right and Martha chose wrongly. In some ways we see this story reflected in the story of Cain and Abel. God was not pleased with Cain’s act of worship much in the same way that Jesus was not please with Martha’s work. Rather God chose Abel’s worship because it was a sacrificially act of offering. The same holds true with Jesus and Mary. Mary sat, she listened, she worshipped. 

Mary choose intimacy over the immediacy of work.  

Why was Mary’s sitting at Jesus’ feet significant? 

1. Mary Wanted To Hear From Jesus Directly

In the ancient world, sitting at the feet of anyone meant that you wanted to learn from them. Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet meant that she was ready to learn from Him. She laid aside her ideas, preconceived notions, even thoughts that she thought were true, so that she could learn from Christ. How do we sit at the feet of Christ today? Well, you sit at the feet of Christ when you read and memorize God’s Word. The Bible! It is the primary source of discovering God’s will for our lives. Next, coming to church. Clearly coming to church is an important aspect of a growing relationship with Christ. Engage in a small group, Sunday School class, or Life Group. Bouncing ideas and having good doctrinal discussions with friends who are Biblically minded helps us solidify our faith and challenge bad theology. 

2. Mary Wanted To Recognize Jesus For Who He Was…And Is

The act of being at a person’s feet in the gospels has a special significance. In many instances, a person falls at Jesus’ feet.

In Luke 17:16, the Samaritan leper falls at Jesus’ feet in gratitude after Jesus heals him. The demoniac known as Legion also falls at Jesus’ feet begging for mercy. Later, he is sitting at Jesus’ feet when he is clothed and in his right mind.

In many instances where we encounter Mary of Bethany, we find her at the feet of Jesus. Not only here in Luke 10, but also in John 11. There she says “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Immediately she falls at his feet, even though she does not confess the same hope as Martha. Later, in John 12, we find Mary anointing Jesus’ feet.

Being at Jesus’ feet represents an act of worship and giving Him the same honor reserved for God. It is an open acknowledgement that a person recognizes who Jesus is, and that there is something special about Him.

3. Mary Wanted To Trust Jesus

Not only does being at Jesus’ feet show that we acknowledges who He is, but it also demonstrates a sense of trust.

Although Mary didn’t make the same declaration of faith that Martha did in John 11, the fact that she fell at Jesus’ feet would’ve had a similar effect. It would also have shown that she trusted that Jesus would be able to work in the situation even though Lazarus was dead.

When she sat at Jesus’ feet in Luke 10, there was a similar sense of quiet trust. She rested in Jesus’ presence and did not worry about all these other things, like her sister Martha.

As Martha became more distracted with all the preparations she had to make, she ended up irritated with her sister Mary for not helping. To make matters worse, she took her anger out on Jesus and demanded that He tell Mary to help her. The very reason Jesus had come to visit her today was to spend time with her, but she ended up missing the point of that.

Jesus acknowledged that Martha was concerned by all these things. Even if Mary had helped her out, it is likely that Martha may still have worried. She was allowing the task of serving to overwhelm her. Jesus said that one thing was needed. 

Sit. Listen. Worship. Trust.

Point:

Friends, everything else will fall into line if we do these things. Serving Christ should be fueled by our relationship with Him. If we are serving out of duty, then eventually we will be burnt out. Mary choose intimacy and trust with Christ. 

What about you, are you missing the point? Are you the Martha or Mary in this story? Are you working or witnessing?  

Today, let me encourage you to be Mary! Sit at Christ’s feet today!  Trust in Him. I promise your life will be fueled and your joy will be everlasting. 

Psalm 95:6 ESV

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

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