Needful Things
Luke 10:38-42
Text: Verse 42
This chapter, like every other chapter in the life of the Lord Jesus, is overflowing with activity. Everywhere He went there where multitudes of people calling for His attention. His ministry was teeming with activity. He had to stay up into the wee small hours of the morning so that He could spend some time alone with God the Father. This was His normal day. Here in chapter 10, it is no different.
In the passage before us, Jesus has entered into a small village and into the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. A meal is being prepared for Jesus and His disciples. The house is busy with all the activities associated with preparing a large meal. In these verses two sisters are highlighted and even contrasted. No doubt we are familiar with this passage and perhaps we have heard numerous messages on them. But there is a tremendous lesson here for us to learn. In fact, I would go so far to say that the lessons presented here has the potential to revolutionize our churches, our life and approach to Christianity as a whole.
Everyone of us here needs to learn the art of time management. It is doesn’t matter what station in life you may have. We all have something or someone calling for our attention. We all live busy lives and trying to manage it all can become overwhelming.
*Illustration of the commercial with the lady walking and juggling her responsibilities of life: kids, husband, work, home and recreation.
This is life. We are all busy trying to keep everything in the air, everything moving and everything in control. So it was Martha. She was busy. She was juggling all the activities of the day, setting the table, preparing the food, attending to the guests –she is overwhelmed with all that is happening. Perhaps there are many of us here who can identify with this.
Today as we look at this passage, I want you to notice, the lessons that we learn. As we think about Needful Things, I want you to take note of Consideration that must be made.
1. Consideration: There is multiple Choice
In our Christian life we have many options of where we can invest our time, talent and resources. In and of themselves, they are not bad things, especially when you look at this chapter as a whole. I want you walk through this chapter with me and make special note of the multiple possibilities of where we can invest our time and energy. This is a multiple that every child of God must choose from.
Consider the first option of:
Commissioned Ambassadors verses 1-24. (read verses 1,2). The first 24 verses of this chapter are dedicated to the topic of being commissioned ambassadors. This is a wonderful task to be involved in. What a tremendous privilege is ours –we are able to partner with God in the work of reaching a lost and dying world. To us has been committed the ministry of reconciliation. What a wonderful work to invest our time and energies into! It calls for our attention.
Compassionate Servant verses 29-37. In response to the questions of a lawyer the Lord Jesus gives us the beautiful parable of a Good Samaritan. Friend, this too is a glorious work to be involved in. Not only should we give ourselves to reaching the lost, we ought to be people who are quick to show the love of Christ to hurting people in our communities –to care for them and minister to them in Christ’s stead. Ladies and gentlemen, that takes time. That requires much energy. But it is a worthy work to be invested in.
Consistent Workers verses38-40, we are reminded of the need for men and women who will get involved and serve. Every church needs more workers. Every church is in need of those who seek out a place to serve so that the work of the church can move forward, grow and reach farther into the local community. Every church needs workers, and it is a great activity to take part in. It is a wonderful thing to give ourselves to -to be a faithful consistent worker.
Contented Worshippers verse 39, we also see another option. This is a contented worshipper: at the feet of Jesus, listening to all that He had to say, musing upon His holiness. That is the contented worshipper and my how we need them too.
In this chapter alone, there are 4 needful things presented -Each of them worthy of our attention; each of them noble in their activity. All of these take time. All of these cry out for all of our attention. Like I said, each of them are worthy of our attention. We need commissioned ambassadors. We need compassionate servants. We need consistent workers. We need contented worshippers. We need those who will sit at Jesus’ feet and pray for the work of the ministry. All of these are needed.
Each of these is good. But what is interesting the Lord narrows it down from multiple choices, to one singular work that is needful. Just one. Of all the possibilities, the Lord Jesus says just one is needful.
Notice 2ndly, the Concentration
2. Concentration: Mary Chose that One Thing
Note verse 42. We would all agree that the multiple choices presented here is a good thing that is needed. But Jesus goes farther than that and narrows it down, highlighting one area and saying this is the ONE thing that is needful. In other words, if we could get this one thing right, everything else would grow out of it. That is the amazing thing! This is the life changing principle here. We get so caught up in activity, living and laboring that we neglect this matter of worship. That is the one good thing. We approach our Christian life as if worship was the capstone.
Worship is not the capstone. Worship must be the bedrock. It must be the foundation from which everything else is built. Everything else must flow naturally from our worship.
Mary chose the good part. We give our attention to: an ambassador, servant, worker and if there is anything else left over, we give it to worship. If this is our patter, ladies and gentlemen, we have it backwards.
Think again of that list. Of those four things, how many of them are visible? Of the 4, 75% are external. They can be seen of men. Only one takes place in the hidden part of the heart. Perhaps that explains why we are so prone to give attention to the 3 and ignore the 1. We must be very careful not to engage in serving to be seen. Everything we get involved in are external. They are good and right, but there is a danger that we get so caught up in the external that we build a façade. But on the inside we are dead and empty.
We feel compelled to be an ambassador, to be a Good Samaritan, to be busy, because that is what people see. This is what people expect. But the part that no one sees, that part that only God sees –is the most important part. When we get the worship part right, everything else falls right into place.
Martin Luther commented, “I have so much to do today, I will never get it accomplished if I do not spend at least 4 hours in prayer.”
We get it so mixed up. We say we are too busy we do not have time to pray. Mary chose the good part. She understood this and it was a vital part of her life. Three places in the Bible we see Mary at the feet of Jesus:
Luke 10:39
John 11:32
John 12:3
In three examples she is at Jesus feet. Jesus desires for us to concentrate on just one thing. That one thing is worship. If we will start with worship, everything else just works itself out. Our world is balanced. Aren’t you glad that Jesus narrows it down to just one thing. God wants us to have a simplified life. We have done ourselves no favors by making things so complicated. We need to take careful inventory of our life and jettison those things that are not necessary. Lay hold of those things that are truly needed. This is one of them: Worship. Everything will grow naturally out of this.
Unfortunately we have come to that place where we are happy to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. We are content to be so. We have our hands in so many things. We are so busy that those things we do have our hands in are mediocre. We are content. But in this one thing, if we could get it right, it would take care of so many others.
In this passage we have seen there are several things to consider. The things that we must choose from are not bad things. But there is one thing that is truly needful. There is one thing that we ought to give our time and attention to. Mary chose that one thing. She chose the good part.
Notice thirdly, the Complication.
3. Complication: Martha Chose the Other
Look again at verses 40-42. Pay close attention to the complication. Notice the effect that this poor decision had on Martha. Note the impact of Martha choosing to put her focus on the work and not on worship. She lost her joy. She lost her contentment. She lost her satisfaction in the service.
There is a tone of desperation in Martha’s cry. She says, “Lord do you not care that it is all up to me. It has all been placed on my shoulders; I am alone in this work. My sister will not help me! Do you not care?” It was cumbersome.
This is a powerful passage. The complication was that it made the work ‘cumbersome’. The term ‘cumbered’ is a compound word that literally means to be drug about. It draws the picture of a ball and chain, a restraint, a burden. It is heavy. It is burdensome and she struggles to carry it around. But in the passive voice, it paints the picture of something that had a hold of her and it was dragging her and pulling her this way and that.
The famous Boston pastor Dr. A.J. Gordon visited the World's Fair in Chicago. In the distance he saw a man robed in bright, gaudy Oriental clothes who appeared to be laboriously turning the crank of a pump and thereby making a mighty flow of water. Gordon was impressed with the man's energy, his smooth motions, and his obvious physical conditioning. He was pumping a tremendous amount of water.
Drawing closer, Gordon was surprised to discover that the man was actually made of wood. Instead of turning the crank and making the water flow, the flow of water was actually turning the crank and thereby making him go! (Robert L. Sumner, Biblical Evangelism (Murfreesboro, TN: Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1966), 102)
That is how we are when we have our priorities wrong. We are cumbered about. We are pulled every which way. There is no satisfaction. There is no liberty in it. We are at the mercy of our responsibilities. It is a terrible place to be.
Note verse 41. That is the result of not worshiping the Lord as we should. We are careful or anxious. We are troubled. We are overwhelmed. We become weary in well doing. If we do not get this right, we will come to this same conclusion in our own labors for the Lord.
True worship is like oil in the lantern –you can burn without it but you cannot sustain the fire.
