Now Listen! - Luke 10:38-42 - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Luke 10:38-42 NIV

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ 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!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Now Listen!

It’s just a few verses of Scripture. Over the last few weeks of reflections, we have been travelling along with Jesus and His disciples as He sets His face to go to His death in Jerusalem. We have seen a realm of teaching from Jesus along the way, like how Jesus IS God, the Son. He teaches about God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, all three yet one. All who eternally love what was created and saves and gifts us with life eternal and love eternal. I related to the demon possessed man and how God casts out my evil to make me like Him through Jesus alone. I can rejoice along with all the sinful, which is everyone but Jesus, that God will rescue me. I saw the determination that Jesus has for all mankind as He goes to the cross to take on sin, death and evil, and defeat the powers of evil, FOR all people. Jesus put the power of sin, death and evil behind once and for all time, rose from the dead and ascended into to heaven. What great news is that! All that we may live in His Kingdom, with God eternally. All along this journey, we see how Jesus accepts ALL people, even those we would love to send fire down upon, and keeps His goal of saving ALL of us in His mind. I saw Jesus send out His disciples to proclaim the Good News then AND today. And just last week Jesus told us how to act out in love towards those unlike ourselves. How to be a neighbor to ALL people, no matter what.

So, as the walk with Jesus towards Jerusalem takes place we have learned:

·       Give up status

·       Become like children

·       Accept “others”

·       Don’t “get even” by retaliation

And now Listen! A huge reminder from God the Father on the Mount of Transfiguration… from Luke 9:35

³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

Well, this week Jesus continues to teach us. He teaches about REAL food. What? He teaches how HE IS real food. How can you NOT think of the body and the blood, the bread and the wine of Holy Communion…

Is this Scripture a warning that our Christian life is not deeds alone? Think of the Mercy-Kindness and action of the Good Samaritan of last week’s reflection.

Might we lose our souls to useful activity and constant service?

Or RATHER … Might we go back and forth listening to God’s Word to action IN God’s Word to LOVE GOD and neighbor?

In these few verses involving Jesus, Martha and Mary, we witness both Listening and learning and action. Here Jesus calls us first to undivided attention and laser focus on Him… Think of God the Father’s bid for us to listen to Jesus.

Martha in her worries of preparations and actions, lost focus. The WORD, which is Jesus, must BE the REASON FOR our actions. Jesus’ teachings must take priority OVER food and drink. Later in Luke we hear the words of Jesus in, His advice about worrying…  Luke 12:29-31…

²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

There is ONE thing that IS MOST important. And that ONE thing is the WORD, is Jesus.

It’s easy to be distracted to enjoy OTHER less important THINGS… like stuff, riches, luxuries, AND THEN to lose the WORD to our own selfish pleasures.

Sometimes to HAVE LIFE, we need to LOSE OUR LIFE.

Our REAL food is… like Jesus says in Matthew 4:4

“It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

OK… sure… without bread or food, we die… BUT without the WORD- that is Jesus… we lose our desire to live… when you have time look back to John 6 and read the chapter, about when Jesus fed the five thousand, walked on water, and declared how HE IS the Bread of Life. We NEED Jesus to live! We NEED to listen to Him. We NEED to feed ON HIM! Many found this disgusting and unthinkable and turned away and left Jesus.

BUT, others, then and throughout time, paused and LISTENED to Jesus, fed on the WORD, and believed and LIVE.

God comes to us when we least expect Him to come. As God comes to us, we disciples seek the face of God in the hope promised by the Gospel.

Thanks be to God for Jesus saving us and forgiving us and giving us eternal life with God. Thanks be to God for Mary stopping to LISTEN TO HIM. And thanks be to God for Martha in her ACTION of love… all… today… tomorrow… and forever… Thanks be to God!

I leave you with this YouTube Video that inspired me for this reflection…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef52AmdVwYI&list=RDEf52AmdVwYI&start_radio=1