Luke 10:38-42

Invitation to Rest

            Does a formal invitation make you more likely to consider attending something? You know the main things you would get an official invite to, a wedding, a birthday party, a company Christmas party, or the like. The official invitation distinguishes the event as important and worth our consideration. It tells us to block off the time and know that nothing else can conflict with such an occasion. These are the types of things that we put on our calendars to make sure we don’t forget them. Now, there are many things that would seem silly to us to make such an invitation because they’re either so common or not that important. Imagine your parents writing you a formal invitation to join them for dinner every night. Or imagine an invite from the library to come check out books. Imagine needing an invite to sleep every night. These are things we don’t often need reminders for, or are less important to us so we don’t fear scheduling something else in its place. Now, as Americans, we’re often characterized as those who have our calendars full all the time. We never stop moving because there’s a million things to do and we have to do them all. We can get so busy sometimes that we forget to do some of the more mundane things that are important for our own health... like resting. The same thing could be said for church. I don’t think if I pulled out anyone’s calendar, I would see anything written down about going to church on a regular basis. For most of us, it’s just a common thing. Of course, it’s not the end of the world if we miss one Sunday here or there, so we don’t often prioritize it like we should. 

            For in our Gospel reading today, we meet the two sisters, Martha and Mary who have invited a very special guest into their home... Jesus. We see them take on different roles for preparing for such an important event, but in the end, Jesus will invite Martha to a new realization. As we will learn today:

WHILE SERVING ONE ANOTHER IS A NOBLE TASK, LET US NOT NEGLECT TO SIT AT OUR LORD’S FEET!

I.

            There’s no denying that Martha was quite busy getting everything ready. She knew the expectations of hospitality. You had to prepare the best food, have the best accommodations, and make sure everything was perfect, or else, you would become the outcast. It was even more important considering who it was visiting. Jesus had come to the village and people had heard the stories, of course. It’s likely even that as Jesus sent out the seventy-two, two of them might have visited these very sisters. For as we read, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house,” Luke 10:38. Martha had no qualms about hosting. She knew it would be a lot of work, but also knew she could get it done. Her service to our Lord isn’t something to disgrace. Rather, she does a noble task in providing food and shelter for our wandering Lord. So, what was the issue? Well, let us continue reading, “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 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,” Luke 10:39-40. It’s not that Martha was overwhelmed. It’s that she felt abandoned by her sister who she thought would help.

            Here is where we should try to avoid one of our common reading techniques because it ultimately doesn’t help us. When we read, we often try to insert ourselves into the story, put ourselves in a character’s shoes and think about what we would do. Now, of course, this is normally well and good. But here, our temptation is to pick sides. We want to criticize one or the other sister. We start painting ourselves as either a “Mary” or a “Martha”. But that’s not the point of this story. It would almost be like yelling at someone for serving in a soup kitchen because they weren’t giving blood at that very moment. No, the issue at hand here is distractions. With all that we have to choose from in our world, it’s all to easy to get distracted. Or more vividly, as the Greek word suggests, to get pulled in multiple directions. Yes, we’re tempted to fill our calendars with all those events and important things. We don’t want to miss out on those special moments in life. But from this, we can very quickly get pulled in too many directions that we’ve lost the one thing that was most important. 

II.

            As we turn back to these two sisters, I want you to notice one thing about Jesus’ response. Notice how he speaks to Martha or even how he doesn’t divert to Mary. There’s no actual rebuke from our Lord, only a gentle invitation. As Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, 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,” Luke 10:41-42. Martha is not rebuked for her service, nor is Mary reprimanded for her leisure. Rather, Jesus gently reminds Martha that both are good, even as one is better. Indeed, our Lord did not detract from Martha’s service, but he also wanted Martha to see her service in a greater light. Her service was for the preaching and teaching of the Word. It was to enable her and others to hear the words of life! This is what Martha becomes distracted from. Her service wasn’t an end unto itself. Rather, it was for the purpose of hearing Jesus.

            Let us not consider this such a small thing, so common that we can brush it off when something more entertaining comes around. Rather, Jesus invites us all to take time to sit at his feet and rest. We’re to know that our service to one another is a good thing, but shouldn’t distract us, or pull us away from hearing God’s word. This is the good portion that shall never be taken away. For Jesus has come to serve us through his word. He has come to remove our troubles and anxieties by his service to us. Here at his feet, we hear the one thing needful... that Jesus has gone to the cross for us. He has died in our place, for our sins. And by his death, he forgives us and serves us with life everlasting!

Here is your invitation to put aside those chores for a morning, work for a day, and other responsibilities for this short time. So, let us come and sit before our Lord every week to hear again how he has served us by his cross. Then, with renewed spirit and rejuvenated strength, let us go and serve our neighbor so that they too may hear this great word! In Jesus’ name! Amen!