#DailyDevotion You Are Anxious About So Many Things

Luk 10:38-42  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.”

Did Martha know what she was getting into when she invited Jesus into her house? She got not only Jesus but no doubt at the very least the twelve.  Then who else who may have followed them into the home to listen to Jesus. Now Martha is doing a good thing. She recognizes Jesus’ authority and teaching. He is a servant of the Lord, a prophet and she wants to do good to him and by doing so render a good thing to God. But if she wanted to do a good thing to God through Jesus, well there was the rest of retinue as well. She took upon herself quite a task.

Now she had a sister, Mary. When Jesus came into the house, he did not come to be served but to serve. He began to teach the crowd that was there and Mary plopped herself down at Jesus’ feet to listen to him teach. Now this in and of itself was quite something at the time. It just wasn’t heard of for women to sit at a rabbi’s feet to listen to him teach. They would normally just overhear what the men were being taught and they would later ask their husbands about it if they had any questions and they would learn from them.

Now I can really feel for Martha. Here she is doing all this work, making all this food for all these people she had invited into her home and there is Mary, her sister, just sitting there listening to Jesus and not helping out. Luke said she “was distracted with much serving.” Martha was distracted. What was she distracted from? Listening to Jesus. Jesus didn’t enter her house to be served by her but to serve her and her house with his teaching. She got caught up in worldly things when she should have been listening. There would be time for cooking and serving later. Jesus and the crowd didn’t have anywhere else to go or be any place following. But Martha was not happy with her sister Mary not helping and demanded Jesus to tell Mary to help her.

Well Jesus’ response no doubt throws a lot of people into a loop. “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.” Well isn’t that fine and dandy. But this is nothing new from Jesus. He has taught us, Mat 6:33-34 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  (34) Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Mary was seeking first the kingdom of God. Jesus here was inviting Martha to the same.” Jesus came to serve not to be served. Mary chose the one thing necessary. It was the good portion. It was to sit at Jesus’ feet and to learn from him. His word is eternal life. Everyone else could wait for worldly things. Now was the time for spiritual things.

How often we get carried away with worldly things, even at Church? We get wrapped up in serving our neighbor that we forget the one thing necessary. There is so much grasping for our attention that we forget about the good portion that God wants to give to us in Jesus. That one thing necessary, that good portion is Jesus’ teaching, his gifts that he gives at Church where the saints gather usually on Sunday morning. You have six days to serve others. Let Jesus serve you on the seventh.

Gracious and Merciful Father, we get so wrapped up in worldly things that we often forget how you desire to serve us with your word and sacrament. Forgive us our anxiousness and let us desire see you in your temple and listen to the words of your Son Jesus Christ that we may find rest in him and eternal life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.