"LUKE 10:38-42 Martha and Mary Bible Verses" Kids Ministry Coffee Break 52: Martha and Mary give us a wonderful way to consider where we are distracted. It's important and necessary for us to sit at Jesus' feet too.
Today’s break is a reflection on our passage from Luke 10
Mary and Martha…
Martha and Mary…
Martha is in charge here.
It’s her home.
She invited Jesus.
She has prepared the time and space.
She is working to serve the role of host.
Hospitality is one of the greatest values in Hebrew culture.
They have stories throughout their Torah which emphasize the importance of hospitality.
Martha is doing a great and time-honored thing by living into the tradition of extending hospitality to Jesus and his disciples.
But then there’s Mary.
She is not working to extend hospitality.
She is at Jesus’ feet.
Now…being at the feet of a teacher is the place of a disciple.
Mary is breaking all sorts of code and tradition here.
She is placing herself right alongside of the disciples of Jesus.
She is a student…not a host.
She is learning from Jesus…not making sure he has enough food.
Martha raises a reasonable protest by the standards and traditions of her people.
Jesus won’t follow those standards and traditions though.
He says that Mary is attending to the one necessary thing…
the better thing…
and he won’t take that away.
Jesus is affirming Mary’s place at his feet as a student right alongside of the disciples.
Martha is distracted, Jesus says.
Distracted stuck out to me like a bright buzzing neon sign.
I get so distracted.
Ministry brings incredible distraction.
Maybe because I’m in ministry I assume I am always in a position of learning and being a disciple by DOING the work of planning, preparing, and attending to the details of gatherings.
I assume that playing the role of Martha is also being Mary.
Do you relate?
When is the last time we set aside all of the busyness of our to-do list and just sat down and became ONLY a student at the feet of Jesus?
When is the last time we lived out the truth that the one necessary thing is to be a disciple by soaking in all we could from the Holy Spirit?
When have we taken time for ourselves and our own faith journey to find something that filled us?
When were you last inspired when you weren’t also on the clock?
Maybe we’ve been distracted.
I know I have.
May we learn from this story and become a little less like Martha and a lot more like Mary.
Yes, this may mean crossing some boundaries of standards and expectations…
I mean, of course it will…because that’s the whole point of this story.
But let us look at our schedule and task list and commit to reshaping it so that we can be less distracted and more devoted to the one necessary thing.
And don’t worry about how people might respond to you taking this time because…Jesus won’t take this away from you.
Grace and Peace in the name of Jesus Christ, friends.
Message brought to you by Rev. Joseph Sanford of Sanford Curriculum (Student ministry resources available on The Sunday School Store written by he and Lauren Sanford).
Download our free children's Bible lesson on Martha and Mary from Luke 10.
You can also download the Martha and Mary Sunday School Lesson free from the Sunday School Store.
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By Rev. Joseph Sanford"LUKE 10:38-42 Martha and Mary Bible Verses" Kids Ministry Coffee Break 52: Martha and Mary give us a wonderful way to consider where we are distracted. It's important and necessary for us to sit at Jesus' feet too.
Today’s break is a reflection on our passage from Luke 10
Mary and Martha…
Martha and Mary…
Martha is in charge here.
It’s her home.
She invited Jesus.
She has prepared the time and space.
She is working to serve the role of host.
Hospitality is one of the greatest values in Hebrew culture.
They have stories throughout their Torah which emphasize the importance of hospitality.
Martha is doing a great and time-honored thing by living into the tradition of extending hospitality to Jesus and his disciples.
But then there’s Mary.
She is not working to extend hospitality.
She is at Jesus’ feet.
Now…being at the feet of a teacher is the place of a disciple.
Mary is breaking all sorts of code and tradition here.
She is placing herself right alongside of the disciples of Jesus.
She is a student…not a host.
She is learning from Jesus…not making sure he has enough food.
Martha raises a reasonable protest by the standards and traditions of her people.
Jesus won’t follow those standards and traditions though.
He says that Mary is attending to the one necessary thing…
the better thing…
and he won’t take that away.
Jesus is affirming Mary’s place at his feet as a student right alongside of the disciples.
Martha is distracted, Jesus says.
Distracted stuck out to me like a bright buzzing neon sign.
I get so distracted.
Ministry brings incredible distraction.
Maybe because I’m in ministry I assume I am always in a position of learning and being a disciple by DOING the work of planning, preparing, and attending to the details of gatherings.
I assume that playing the role of Martha is also being Mary.
Do you relate?
When is the last time we set aside all of the busyness of our to-do list and just sat down and became ONLY a student at the feet of Jesus?
When is the last time we lived out the truth that the one necessary thing is to be a disciple by soaking in all we could from the Holy Spirit?
When have we taken time for ourselves and our own faith journey to find something that filled us?
When were you last inspired when you weren’t also on the clock?
Maybe we’ve been distracted.
I know I have.
May we learn from this story and become a little less like Martha and a lot more like Mary.
Yes, this may mean crossing some boundaries of standards and expectations…
I mean, of course it will…because that’s the whole point of this story.
But let us look at our schedule and task list and commit to reshaping it so that we can be less distracted and more devoted to the one necessary thing.
And don’t worry about how people might respond to you taking this time because…Jesus won’t take this away from you.
Grace and Peace in the name of Jesus Christ, friends.
Message brought to you by Rev. Joseph Sanford of Sanford Curriculum (Student ministry resources available on The Sunday School Store written by he and Lauren Sanford).
Download our free children's Bible lesson on Martha and Mary from Luke 10.
You can also download the Martha and Mary Sunday School Lesson free from the Sunday School Store.