True Worshiper (Luke 10:38-42)

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. 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!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

Lord Jesus was heading to Jerusalem, the city of David where He was planned to be executed in a cruel way by the hands of foreign soldiers on the cross in Calvary even before the creation of the world. How much was His heart heavy and overpowered by the thought of the cup of sufferings designed by none other than the Father in heaven! However, our Lord faced it and determined to go up to the old city with great expectations and enthusiasm to fulfill all the prophets and the law because He came into the world for that very purpose. Jesus came to the earth in the likeness of man to die, taking away the sin of the world.

Jesus came to a village called Bethany, just two miles away from Jerusalem where Lazarus and Martha and Mary lived. They welcomed Jesus to their home and Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said while her sister Martha was busy in preparing dinner for the guest. It is not too difficult to imagine what might have happened to the mind of Martha. She wanted to prepare well rather in hurry, but she found herself absolutely short of hand. Bread burnt up, smoke filled in the kitchen, having difficulty in finding oil, and on and on. When everything was going in a wrong direction, she was very upset and blamed Jesus, saying “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Is it wrong to serve dinner for the guest? By no means! What our Lord says is that Martha lost focus on one thing needed. Martha served the Lord, which no one could deny. But soon she got distracted and confused by many things which made her worried and upset. Although she eagerly wanted to serve the Lord, it wasn’t serving Him but her own ego. When she was very disappointed what she was doing, she blamed everything on none other than Jesus. She was far away from one thing needed.

What is it one thing needed? It is what her sister Mary chose, the worship of Jesus which would not be taken away from her. It is the central thing in Christian life. Martha completely lost the peace of mind. As a matter of fact, it was robbed by many things which she thought and considered significant. She was agitated and restless even in serving the Lord. What she really needed was the focus on worshipping the Lord.

It doesn’t mean that she had to stop fixing dinner and join with her sister Mary, listening to Jesus. She could do it unto the Lord. Paul says so pertinently about this, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) God sees our hearts whether we worship in spirit and in truth.

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)

The true worshippers of God enter the rest of God as He rests from all the works. There is nothing we can add to God because it has been finished. Entering the rest of God means relying on the work of another, Jesus Christ. There is a warning to those who refuse to enter the rest. Hebrews Chapter 4 records a historical fact that the people of God except Joshua and Caleb were all perished in the wilderness because they refused to enter the Promised Land by hardening their hearts.

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

‘So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.”’

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: ‘On the seventh day God rested from all his works.’ And again in the passage above he says, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’

Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it ‘Today.’ This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:1-11)