Sermon Archive
Don t Just Do Something

 

“Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There.”
 
We have a story in Luke 10 about “Priorities." When we say "priorities" we usually mean the more important things. A priority then is something that comes before other things.  So when you talk about priorities, you're really saying what in my life comes first & Jesus says, “Don’t just do something, sit there?“
 
Lk 10:38-42 :  "As Jesus & 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 & 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 & upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, & it will not be taken away from her.”
 
This story is capable of being misread in at least three of ways.
 
1st - it is NOT about women who lose sight of priorities. Men, teenagers, & even pastors can become distracted by the less important.
 
2nd - the point is NOT that activity like Martha's is bad. The choice Jesus discusses with Martha is between something that is good & something that is better. Life is full of tough choices, & Jesus is stressing what is most important.
 
3rd - Martha & Mary were NOT in any official ministry, but that didn't change the priority. The priority Jesus shares applies to every Jesus follower, not just to people in official ministry. 
 
I. The Story of MISPLACED Priorities
 
Jesus, on his journey to Jerusalem stopped to visit at the home of his close friends, Martha & Mary. Because of the way Martha was wired, she went overboard in preparations.
 
Before talking about what happened next, I want to give the benefit of the doubt to both Martha & Mary. I assume that Mary did her share of the work & I assume that Martha spent some time with Jesus.
 
But, Martha & Mary quickly focused in different directions. Martha became focused on the preparations FOR Jesus & Mary became focused on spending time WITH Jesus.
 
It’s common to blame someone else for our feelings. Martha, instead of taking responsibility for her own feelings, blamed Jesus. "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"  Martha complained to Jesus & expected him to FIX the situation. Sometimes we ask Jesus to fix what we can & should fix ourselves. Like when we pray: Jesus will you help me to pray more often? Jesus will you help me to read the Bible more often? Jesus will you help me give more?
 
Jesus placed the responsibility right back on Martha: "Martha, Martha, YOU are worried & upset about many things, but only one thing is needed."
 
Martha’s problem was that she was worried & upset about things that she SHOULDN”T have been worried & upset about. It is a common problem! There are millions of Martha’s in our world, & probably some here today.
 
You know, I’ve read this story many times & heard Bible teachers analyze Martha & Mary. Most of the time the story is spun to make Martha the bad gal & Mary the good gal. It is presented that Mary loved Jesus & Martha loved the kitchen. Frankly, I don’t see it that way - maybe because I identify too much with Martha. I like to do things & I like to do them right. If I were part of this story in Jesus’ biography, I’d be in the kitchen helping Martha.
 
Martha was a good person trying to do the right thing. She truly meant well, but she had a priority problem & Jesus had a prescription to help her.
 
II. Jesus PRESCRIPTION for Martha & Us.
 
A. EXPERIENCE the compassion of Jesus. Jesus could have said to her, "Whoa...back off, Martha, chill out." But He didn't.  He spoke to her words that were NOT harsh or condemning or confrontational. He simply said, "Martha, Martha . . . ."
 
These are the words of a loving friend, not a harsh critic. They are the words of love, not anger. They are words of kindness, compassion & concern. Jesus clearly wanted to help Martha deal with her emotions & help her get her priorities in order.
 
Jesus’ gives us a lesson here about how to criticize. There is helpful & there is harmful criticism.
 
Over the years I’ve received a lot of criticism. Some of it is because I deserved it & some of it is because I deal with people & dealing with people always generates criticism. I’ve learned that those who confront & criticize me with anger & animosity usually trigger my defenses. I tend to be a counter puncher. They harm me more than they help me. But those who genuinely care & want to help - those are the people whose criticisms help me the most.
 
And, that’s the way Jesus criticized his friend saying, "Martha, Martha . . . "
 
Whether your problem is worry, anger, confusion, or something else, I recommend that you experience the compassion of Jesus. He will NOT overlook or ignore your issues, but he will treat you with compassion. Accept his compassion.   Prescription #2 is:
 
B. Understand the PROBLEM. Jesus says: "Martha, you are worried & upset about many things." She was overwhelmed with everything she thought she had to do. 
 
Martha’s problem is a common problem. We stress ourselves out with everything we want to do or think we have to do.
Our lists are longer than there are hours to do it. And the stress builds like the pressure in a volcano until we burst out in anger & frustration against the closest person. In Martha’s case, it was Jesus.
 
Martha didn’t think she had a problem. She thought Mary had a problem. She thought Jesus had a problem. She thought her problem was their behavior. Martha needed to identify, admit & understand her problem. She was too busy, too distracted, too worried, too anxious. The problem was in her - NOT in others. Understand the problem. Prescription three:
 
C. Put FIRST things FIRST. Jesus said: "Martha, Martha, you are worried & upset about MANY things, but only ONE thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, & it will NOT be taken away from her."
 
Jesus, said “Mary has got her priorities in order. Martha you need to get your priorities in order.” Notice the priority: Spend time WITH Jesus before you get caught up in doing things FOR Jesus. In other words, “Don’t just do something, sit there!” The priority was spending time with Jesus. Spending time with Jesus gives us guidance & direction in how to live life with & for Jesus.
 
Let me say it again – Doing things WITH Jesus precede doing things FOR Jesus. Earlier Jesus had clarified what the most important commands were. He said: “The FIRST command is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, strength, & mind. The SECOND is: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Those commands are always in that order.
 
The same prescription has been written for us. Spend time with Jesus. Don’t let all the other activities of life crowd out time with Jesus. Regularly, take the time to read the Bible, pray, & share your needs with Jesus. Take time for Jesus.
 
Now, if you think the way I think, you have a huge objection to this whole line of reasoning. "If we all did what is being suggested, who would do the work?" 
There are jobs to do, calls to answer, sermons to write, emails to answer, meeting to attend, problems to solve, places to go, deadlines to meet, meals to serve, cloths to wash, homework to do - "I don’t have time to stop for Jesus - come on, get real!"
 
Maybe you remember the central illustration in Stephen Covey’s best selling book, First Things First. He tells about a business associate who set a large glass container on a table at a conference. He put in some very large rocks & asked the audience to tell him when the container was full. It didn’t take long. Everyone agreed it was full.
 
Then he brought out some gravel & poured it over the rocks, asking when it was full. When the gravel reached the top, everyone agreed it was full.
 
Then he brought out some fine sand & poured it over the gravel. The sand fell through the crevices until a lot of sand was in the container. Last of all, he brought out a large pitcher of water & poured it over the rocks, gravel & sand. The water filled the container to the brim.
 
Next he asked what would have happened if the water went in first. It was obvious that there wouldn’t have been room for the sand. What if the sand or gravel went in first? The rocks would have been excluded.
 
WHAT’S THE POINT? Some may think: “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit more things into it.” NOT!
 
The point was: First things should go first. If the rocks are most important, they must go first or there will never be space for them in the crowded container. The less important things of life will not be excluded, but they will have to find a way to fit around the rocks.
 
Hear this: Spending time with Jesus’ was something Mary choseto do. Spending time with Jesus doesn’t just happen. There are too many other things, many of them good things, things that will crowd out spending time with Jesus. Spending time with Jesus is NOT something you choose once for life & it’s settled. You have to keep choosing it over & over again, day in & day out, by saying no to other things so that you can say yes to spending time with Jesus.
 
So the bottom line is this: Spending time with Jesus & listening to His word must be a priority for those who follow Him. Know this, if you make time for Jesus consistently you will receive positive results in your relationship with God & with others. 
 
 So let me end where I started, Don’t just do something, sit there.