The One Thing Needful

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha is one of the familiar stories in the Bible. Most of us could tell it by heart. We know how it ends. We know who it is that is commended by Jesus and for what. But I have a feeling that most of us still identify with Martha much more than Mary.

We can easily imagine having important guests for dinner and all that hosting them entails—a house to clean—the meal to prepare. And all the while we are rushing about trying to make sure that everything turns out just right—the folks that are supposed to be helping us—our kids or our husband--are just laying around—to our eyes not doing much of anything at all. And I can easily hear myself saying: “What on earth is wrong with you—have you lost your minds--get up and get to work”!

It’s just the way I was raised and I bet you were too. I never told my parents that I was bored or that there was nothing to do—and you know why: their response was: well I’ll find you something to do. And so we identify with poor old frazzled Martha because she looks like us: more to do than there are hours in the day—her “to-do” list pushing her onward mercilessly like those harsh taskmasters in Egypt that we heard about last week who made the Hebrew slaves’ lives a misery.

And the Lord wants us to see ourselves in Martha because he has something to teach us about ourselves-- and something to teach us about what our life with God is really all about—for you see, even though we identify with Martha-- it’s Mary that the Lord commends—Mary is the one that he lifts up as an example—Mary is the one who chose the good portion. And this cuts right to the heart of our in-born difficulty in understanding that our relationship with God is all about his gracious gifts and not about our frantic strivings to get his attention or our ceaseless efforts to please him.

We are born into this world just like every other man or woman—a true knowledge of the things of God absent from our lives because of original sin. We are born believing that we are the seekers in our life with God--that we are the ones who are the doers in our spiritual life--that our relationship with God rests upon us.

This is the natural religion of mankind and it becomes readily apparent that this is true of us too when we find ourselves identifying with Martha --even when we have the Lord’s own words that Mary is the one who got it right that day-- because she was content to sit at the Lord’s feet and RECEIVE from him the one thing needful. Luke tells us that: As they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.

Jesus entered into the village of Mary and Martha for exactly the same purpose as he entered into world--to be the Savior who gives life. He said of himself that the Son of Man came into the world “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” –he said that it is the devil who comes to steal and destroy while he came to give abundant life. You can bet that the devil was there that day—trying to choke out the word of life with the cares of this world.

Now, I have absolutely no doubt that Martha was glad for Jesus’ visit to her home—it was an honor—we know her from other places in the Gospels as a stalwart confessor of the faith—but that day she saw Jesus as someone who was going to add to her burdens rather than take them away. What about us?

Jesus continues to graciously come to his people with his saving gifts. As God in human flesh, he is, of course, present everywhere, at all times. But in a special way that we can lay hold of by faith, he makes himself present here in Word and Sacrament—so that we can hear his voice and rejoice in his real presence among us.

And so we need to ask ourselves on this Lord’s Day, have we received this, the Lord’s visitation, as a burden—getting up early, putting on special clothes, arranging our many other tasks—or are we thankful to simply be in the Lord’s presence, to hear his voice, and receive his gifts of salvation? Are we Mary or Martha? Luke writes:

A woman named Martha welcomed Jesus into her house. 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.

I wonder how many of us really would have chosen any differently than did Martha? Even knowing how the story ends—even knowing who the Lord commends—hearing Jesus’ voice that Mary has chosen the necessary thing--how may of us still would not do just exactly what Martha did? It’s just a part of our broken human nature that has been misdirected away from God on account of sin.

If Jesus came to our home like he came to Martha’s home we would do exactly the same things--we would fly into action—making sure that things were neatened up and that the bathroom was clean and that there were refreshments to serve—his visit would not mean “rest” for us-- but frantic action—it would mean one more thing that we had to add to our busy schedules—it would seem to be a burden rather than a blessing.

And a truer picture of what sin has done to “twist and distort” our understanding of what life with God is all about-- cannot be found than Martha’s frantic, exhausting, distracted rushing about—focused upon herself and all that she has to do.

It’s the same attitude that keeps people away from church on Sunday. After a long, busy work week they tell themselves that they need this time to get done all the things they didn’t get done during the week. The sound of the alarm clock is more real to them than the voice of the Lord who desires to speak to them. Their own agendas more pressing than the presence of the Lord who stands ready to give them rest.

How different is the picture of Mary! Mary was not going to waste a single moment that she could spend with the Lord on anything else. Mary was content to simply be in the Lord’s presence. She wanted to hear his words and sit at his feet.

She knew that what he came to do for her --was infinitely more valuable than anything she could do for him. And most importantly, she knew that what Jesus really desired from her was the opportunity to give her-- what only he could give.

Jesus had shown that in his ministry again and again. When the wedding couple ran out of wine—he gave it. When the multitudes were hungry—he provided. When the widow lost her son—Jesus restored him. Each miracle was a sign of his mission—to give all, even his own life for us--a testimony that he came to lift our burdens—not add to them. We need to be reminded of that just like Martha did that day. The Bible says:

Martha went up to Jesus and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.

How human this scene is—how sadly familiar! Martha knew all of the things that she wanted to get done—her mind was full of what she thought had to be accomplished. And so she went to the Lord, NOT with an attitude of “Thy will be done”—but of trying to bend the Lord’s will to her own will. “Use your power Lord to help me accomplish my agenda—and by the way, command my sister to help me”.

Let me ask you a very simple question: at that moment, who is it that stood at the center of Martha’s universe? She did! She had HER “to-do” list. She had HER schedule. And everyone within her orbit was supposed to do her will—even the Lord. “If you really loved me Lord you would adopt my agenda. If you really loved me you would adopt my time frame. Don’t you care about me Lord?”

But of course he does—too much to let her go on like that! “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.” And how could she not be! We human beings are not equipped to be God and yet when we treat God as our servant—expecting him to do WHAT we want, WHEN we want it—when we insist that others yield to us—that is exactly what we have become—weak little gods of our own, sad little worlds.

When we are anxious and when we are troubled and when we are worried-- this is exactly what has happened to us—the Lord has been cast down from his throne in our lives and a usurper has been placed there--ourselves. But Jesus loves us too much to let us go on this way and he loved Martha too much as well.

Of course the Lord cared about her—that is why he came there that day and that is why he came into our world in the first place—to deliver us from the terrible, sinful burden of being our own gods—of going our own way—of making our will our master--and to restore us to what we are meant to be: children of the one true God, re-born in his image by the Spirit-- who live in perfect agreement with his will and his timing.

Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion.

There are all kinds of important things that we have to do—we have serious and weighty responsibilities that are ours —all of us feel the press of full schedules—but there is really only one thing that stands at the center of our lives—only one thing that can be the main thing—only one thing that gives order and meaning to all the rest—only one thing that is finally, irreducibly necessary—and it is not something that we do—but something that has been done for us-- by Jesus. Paul describes it like this:

I delivered to you as of FIRST IMPORTANCE what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day

“Don’t you care?”-- is not only Martha’s pitiful cry, it is the cry of the world—and God’s answer to the world and his answer to you and me is “yes I do care”—it’s an answer that takes on flesh and blood in his Son Jesus.

Christ’s death on the cross has paid for every one of those times that our will and our schedule has taken precedence over God’s will and God’s timing. His death has fully atoned for our rebellion against God that wants to turn him into our servant and lifts us up into his place. And his resurrection is the promise of a brand new life for us in which we live “now and forever” in a right relationship with God as his children.

That Good News is what Paul received from the Lord. And it’s what Mary received that day at the Lord’s feet listening to his teaching. It’s what we have received in Holy Baptism where the benefits and blessings of Christ’s death and resurrection become our own. It’s what we receive each time that hear that our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. It’s what we receive when we come to Holy Communion today, the assurance of Christ’s true body and blood that we are loved and forgiven.

Christ is the Giver-- not the taker-- from us. He is the burden lifter. That day in Martha’s home, Mary’s actions and attitude and her very posture was a tangible testimony that she knew and believed and had received the one thing needful: the Good News of Jesus as a free gift of God’s grace received in faith. How do we show the same is true of us in our lives? By adopting Mary’s attitude to the Lord’s presence in our midst!

Each Sunday the Lord makes himself present to us in Word and Sacrament. Church attendance is not one more thing to add to our “to do” list—it is an opportunity to do what Mary did and receive from the Lord his gifts of forgiveness and life—to know in concrete ways- that are audible and tangible- his care for us.

When we attend Sunday School we sit at the Lord’s feet and learn more about his love for us and what our lives of faith ought to be like.

When we have devotions in our homes, the Lord is just as present around our table as he was that day at Martha’s house—not to burden us with one more duty—but to assure us and our loved ones that our burdens and cares have been lifted onto his almighty shoulders.

Jesus promised Martha and Mary-- and he promises us-- that these gifts of his gracious love will not be taken from us. The meal that day at Martha’s house came to an end. The scraps were thrown out and the dishes were washed and Martha’s neat and tidy house got dirty all over again. All of those things that Martha thought were so important—they came to an end too. Over time Mary and Martha died and their home crumbled into dust. Everything was taken from them except for the needful thing—the necessary thing—and that was Christ and his Word of forgiveness and life.

That endures forever-- and because it does—so do they live forever—and so will we who have received Christ and his Word and Sacraments in faith. May God grant it to us all for Jesus’ sake! Amen.

And now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.