Martha and Mary - Desire the One Thing

Luke 10:38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.

· Martha was the sister of Mary and Lazarus. They lived in Bethany and are mentioned in scripture three different times. Here in Luke, again at Lazarus’ grave in John, and again when Mary poured out her perfume at Jesus feet at a dinner in His honor that Martha hosted.

· She welcomed him into her home and most likely sat with him for a few minutes but then had to leave him to prepare the meal for all the guests.

Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

· Distracted= to be driven about mentally, to be distracted, to be over-occupied, too busy, about a thing,

· The challenge with this is that Martha certainly does not seem out of order wanting help with a gathering from her sister and “co-host”.

· But this passage is in scripture to address a reality of our Christianity.

· In Christ, life is no longer centered on earthly priorities.

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

· The honor wasn’t having him in her home, the honor was actually being able to listen and learn

· Jesus’ seeming rebuke was actually an invitation to join in on what was important

The Rich Religious Leader – Desired the temporary thing

Luke 18:18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.”

· Jesus says something unexpected. He is notably the sinless Son of God, perfect Lamb and He rejects the religious leaders label as being good. WHY?

Luke 10:21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

· Do we really believe? Then put it all on the line. Be aware of the things that actually have a hold of our heart.

Luke 18:23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.

· God’s promise to impact our lives in blessing when we lay down ours for Him.

The Tax Collector Zacchaeus – Desired and found the Real Thing

· Despised as a traitor because they worked for the Romans

· Jericho was a strategic trade city, which made him wealthy and powerful.

Luke19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich.

3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

· Jesus barely did anything but recognize Him and invite himself to His home.

Luke 19:6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Matthew 6:30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

5 Phases of Transformation– Aware, Consider, Value, PROCESS GAP, Prioritize, Own

· Transformation always simplifies life. We focus on what is most important and learn not to worry