Divine Encounters with Jesus – “The Kitchen Test”

Happy Mother’s Day! This week we look at one of the most-loved stories in the New Testament – the story of Martha and Mary and Jesus. It’s a story that’s been preached many times, with beautiful lessons about how we’re called to live our lives – and use our words – but ultimately it’s a story of hope, comfort, and what a life with Jesus could look like.

1. The Key to Wise Words (Luke 10:38-40)

• Martha was upset (“distracted”) that Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him while she (Martha) was in the kitchen doing all the work to prepare for a large dinner for Jesus and his disciples – so she complained to Jesus, using words that were a bit… unwise.
• Boldly addressing the God of the universe, she blurted out her complaint in frustration: “Doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work?” And then she takes it a step further: “Tell her to come and help me!”
• When dealing with others – especially others we know to be called to a life with God – there are a couple of tools we can use to keep us from using “unwise words”:
  
  1. Don’t Try to Manage God’s Work with Your Words – Using our words to try to manage what God is doing in others’ lives is a subtle yet powerful temptation, but inserting our voice into what the Spirit is quietly doing can slow or ruin the work he’s doing in their lives. Wisdom asks first: “Is God calling me to speak, or am I just tired of waiting?”
  2. See Value in Different Callings and Stories – Martha focused on herself – her work, her moment, her story – and completely misunderstood (and was annoyed by) Mary’s place in the story. Don’t try to impose your expectations on someone else’s calling and story – it’s not yours.

2. The Cure to Modern Anxiety: A Life Centered on Being With Jesus Before Doing For Jesus (Luke 10:41-42)

• Jesus’ response to Martha highlights the real issue: she was anxious because she was focused on the wrong priority – doing instead of being. The essence of Jesus’ response is the key to living full, unanxious lives with him: “Doing something for me can never replace being with me.”
• Many of us are very good at doing things for Jesus, but a life centered on being with him – a life focused on building our relationship with him – sets us free. When activity crowds out presence, the inevitable result is a life saturated with worry, but abiding with him brings peace.
• A life centered on being with Jesus results in at least three clear benefits:
  
  1. You’ll Start Praying for Specific Things – As you grow closer and closer to Jesus in your walk with him, your prayer requests will become less generic, because you know that he knows your life, and you can ask for exactly what you need and desire.
  2. You’ll be Able to Stop Catastrophizing – As Jesus becomes your central focus, you’ll be able to put your life – the good and the bad – into perspective and recognize that the obstacles are small in relation to him and what he’s done for you.
  3. Complaining Loses Its “Joy” – When your life is centered on Jesus, complaining makes you feel like a traitor, because you understand all that God has done for you. So you’ll complain less…

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE

These passages may provide additional insights related to the subject of this week’s message. All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted.

Psalms 46:10; Matthew 11:28-30; John 15:4-5; Romans 5:1-5; Philippians 4:6-7; Colossians 3:1-3

Video of the Week: The Wilderness by Bible Project

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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

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1. If you’re being honest, does your spiritual life – your walk with Jesus – feel more like Martha’s kitchen or Mary’s living room right now?  Explain your answer.

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2. Have you ever blurted out something — to a family member, a friend, or even God — that you instantly wanted back? What was going on inside you in that moment?

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3. Read Luke 10:40-42 again. Mary was sitting in the posture of a disciple — a role not culturally available to women. What does Jesus’ silence on that point, and his defense of Mary, tell us about how he views calling and access?

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4. Jesus tells Martha there is “only one thing” truly necessary – to sit as his feet as Mary and his disciples were doing. How does that posture of “sitting” land against a culture — and maybe a church culture — that measures faithfulness by how much we do?

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5. The message named three signs that your life is centered on being with Jesus: specific prayer, shrinking catastrophe, and losing the “joy” of complaining. Which of those three feels most true – or most distant – for you right now?  Explain your answer.

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6. What is one concrete, specific thing you could do this week to shift from “doing for Jesus” to “being with Jesus” — and what would you need to say ‘no’ to in order to make room for that shift?