Martha, Martha or How to be a Joyful Servant

 

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42)

Where are all my Marthas?  Raise your hands.  You can’t, you’re in the kitchen up to your elbows in flour.    Let me say that I don’t think being a Martha is a bad thing – I am also a Martha, to a certain extent.  I mean somebody’s gotta make sure people are fed, right?  There is a lot packed into this account, and we can draw many applications from it.  I just want to offer one observation today.

I want to look at two words in this story.  First is “distracted” from verse 40: “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.”  The word distracted comes from a root word combination meaning to worry and to draw (as in drawing a sword).  Hold that thought.

The other word we want to examine is “upset” in verse 41.  This word doubles back to “distracted,” but has a very interesting root: meaning an uproar, riot, commotion, disturbance.  Recognize that feeling of being frustrated with a smile on your face?  You’re doing the good things and all the while your spirit is in an uproar and there is a riot going on in your head.  You are screaming at the top of your lungs on the inside, all the while portraying a calm servant disposition on the outside.  I see you nodding your head.

For Martha, this commotion in her heart and head caused her to “draw a sword” against her sister – and if we’re being honest, against Jesus too.  Check it out: “She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!” She went on the defensive and the Lord called her out on it.

I believe there are two things in particular we can take away from this:

1. Don’t fret about the work that needs to be done – just come for a bit and sit with Jesus.  Yes, people need to be fed, so let ’em make sandwiches.  Don’t let serving the Lord become a burden or a cause for resentment.

2. If you do chose to serve, don’t get resentful toward those who chose otherwise.  Humble servants are happy servants.  If you’re serving for a pat on the back, go sit down.  If you’re serving out of love and the joy of blessing others – you can stay in the kitchen, but stand near the doorway so you can still listen.

There is work to be done in the Kingdom, but we want to glorify Jesus in it.  Resentment leads to internal warfare and  stomping our feet and eventually drawing swords.  Let’s be humble and gracious in all we do.

 

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

An interesting scene plays out in Matthew 16:13-17, and it is still playing out to this very day.  The script is always asking the same question: “Who is this Jesus?”  It is answered by three different respondents.

Jesus first asked, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (vs. 13).  In other words, what was the opinion of the general population?  The response in Jesus’ day was “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (v. 14).  John the Baptist was a preacher and the forerunner of Jesus. His message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2). By this point he had lost his head to King Herod, so perhaps Jesus was the reincarnated John. Or, they thought He might be a prophet of old like Elijah, Jeremiah or one of their contemporaries.  All of these pointed to God’s Anointed One, thus the people thought Jesus was another who would come before the Messiah.  Today the answers are often the same.  While some reject Him altogether and scorn His name, most believe Jesus was a great prophet, teacher, and humanitarian who upset the status quo to lift up the disadvantaged.  But is that really who He is?

Jesus then turns the question to his disciples.  “But what about you.” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” (v. 15).  Like the disciples, every person must answer this question for themselves.    The world is quick to give us their opinion, but you and I must wrestle personally with this question and reach our own answer.  But how do we know we have the right answer?

The Lord commended Peter for his response: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).  How did Peter come up with this answer?  Jesus said, “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in Heaven” (v. 17).  If we want to know for certain that we have the right answer, we must ask the right question: “Who does God say that Jesus is?”  We can find the answer at the Jordan river.  When Jesus was baptized by John, the Scripture says that as He came up out of the water, “A voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:17).  No other answer matters because anything less than God’s answer is the wrong answer.  Jesus said that Peter got it right because his answer came from His Father.  And that answer was confirmed on the top of a mountain when Jesus was transfigured and appeared with Moses and Elijah. “A voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.  Listen to Him.’” (Matthew 17:7).

Who do you say Jesus is?

This is the most important question you and I will ever face because eternity hangs on the answer we give.  And getting the answer right has everything to do with who we ask.  We can ask the world: “Who do you say Jesus is?” and follow the wrong answer to all the way to hell.  Or we can ask God: “Who do you say Jesus is?” and believe the only answer that leads to eternal life.  Beloved you cannot afford to get this one wrong.  The question has been answered for you by the One who speaks only Truth.  Peter got it right.  Will you?

What’s Bogging You Down? Part 1

What’s bogging you down friend? What’s slowing your forward progress in your faith?  What keeps you from being all you want to be, all you were created to be? I believe the Scriptures reveals many things that impede our progress – things that are all very much under our control.  We would be wise to pay careful attention to them.

The writer of Hebrews addresses three of these in this verse: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1).  We’re going to look at two of these in this post and unpack more in subsequent posts.

Did you notice that the writer separates “things that hinder” from “sin?” Not everything that bogs us down is sinful. The Greek meaning of the word “hinders” is a weight or burden.  Because the writer uses the image of a race, we can imagine the thoughts of a runner; his goal is to be fast, and so he eliminates everything that might slow him down.  Modern runners search for the lightest shoes and for running garments made from lightweight fabrics.  Everything is evaluated for its weight and how that might affect his time.  A runner would never take his backpack to the track with him.  Yet too many of us are trying to run this race of faith with weights and burdens tied to our backs.  We are still carrying guilt from sins that God has forgiven.  We are carrying pain from old hurts and wounds that God is more than willing to heal.  We are carrying the expectations of others – or ourselves – as so much excess baggage.   As we run this race,everything in our lives should be evaluated for how it can hinder our spiritual progress.  Any weight that is not essential for the race should be eliminated.  Don’t be hindered by excess weight.

The other point that the writer makes is “sin that so easily entangles.”  Continuing with the runner’s example, I Kings 18 has the perfect visual for us.  When God sent rain to end the drought in Israel, King Ahab took off in his chariot to try to beat the storm, leaving Elijah behind.  But “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel” (1 Kings 18:46).  Elijah, on foot, outran King Ahab in his chariot pulled by a horse (or horses). You can imagine how Elijah’s long flowing robes would have wrapped around his legs as he ran, causing him to slow down and likely stumble.  So, he took the skirt of his robe and tucked it into his belt to free his legs from becoming entangled.  That is the perfect picture of sin.  It wraps itself around us and makes it impossible to “run the race marked out for us.”  Here’s something powerful I discovered when I researched this passage.  The Greek rendering of the whole phrase “which so easily entangles” is a combination of three things. It means “to skillfully surround,” and “to prevent or retard.” Okay, that fits perfectly with the image we have in our minds.  And of course we know that Satan is the one “skillfully surrounding” us with sin.  But I was very surprised to find it also includes the meaning of “well or much admired.”  Do you see it?  What entangles us so easily is the sin that we cherish.  It’s the sin that we secretly love.  It’s the one we won’t let go of, the one we keep returning to again and again.  It has become entangled around us until it seems a part of us, to the point that cutting it off will seem like cutting off a limb. But it absolutely must go – and it is up to us to do the cutting.  Yes, it will be painful because it will involve something that has become dear and intimate to us.  It may even mean severing a relationship that is built on sin.  The writer of Hebrews says, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Hebrews 12:4). That is exactly what you and I must do—fight against that sin, even if it feels like it will kill us. But that’s not what we do, is it? The truth is, we don’t really struggle with our sin. Oh, we may give a wimpy word of protest, but we still give in to it. We don’t look for “the way out” that God provides, because we don’t want to escape it (1 Corinthians 10:13). Beloved, it is time to be brutally honest with yourself about your pet sin. It is not your friend. You need to kill it before it kills you.

Weights and sins are very much within our control.  You and I need to shed every weight and burden and entrust them to the Father who loves us.  We need to cut off and kill the sin that has wrapped itself around us and surrender it to the God who calls us to run the race.   The victory tape awaits you – the prize is in the Lord’s hands – eternal life in an eternal place with your eternal Savior.

Run Beloved.  Don’t let anything slow you down.

 

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Leviticus: More than Just a Bunch of Rules

Most of us start our Bible reading adventure on January 1 with great promise – until we get to the book of Leviticus. The rules and laws and regulations make no sense to us and frankly, offend our modern sensibilities. Here’s what you need to keep in mind about Leviticus: Through all these rules, God was showing both His absolute holiness and man’s absolute sinfulness. In addition, as New Testament believers, we must read Leviticus with Jesus always in the forefront of our mind, for He fulfills every jot and tittle of the Law that Moses delivered.

For example: consider Leviticus 1:1-2 – The Lord is giving instruction to Moses to give to the people: “When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.” The first thing I see is the word “when.” Not “if” you bring an offering, but “when” you bring an offering. An offering is expected of God’s people. I’m not just talking about a check in an envelope to throw in the plate. I’m talking about our whole selves. Everything we have and everything we are. And the next part of verse 2 brings that home: “an animal from either the herd or the flock.” Herds and flocks were the Israelite’s livelihood, his means of support and the dinner on his table. The offeror was not to bring any animal he could chase down in the wild. It had to be an animal in which he had invested personally, financially, and often emotionally. An offering that would mean a loss to the giver.
And this is where we see Jesus. God offered up on our behalf a personal offering, an offering that was valuable to Him. An offering that would be a intimate loss to Him. His Son. This offering magnifies the holiness of God, for it required the highest sacrifice – not on our part, but on His. You and I have nothing of that great value, so God provided the offering on our behalf. Jesus.
The book of Leviticus is rich with symbolism that points us to Jesus and to the cross. We must read this book with an eye to the greater Fulfillment of the Law. Don’t miss Him as you force yourself to wade through this difficult book. He is on every page.