Mary & Martha: One Things is Needful | One Thing (Pt. 2)

Episode Title: Mary & Martha | One Thing Is Needful

Podcast: Walking in His Word

Series: One Thing

Host: Jason Gohl

Episode Description:

Welcome to another enriching episode of "Walking in His Word," where we delve into the wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration found in the Word of God. I'm your host, Jason Gohl, and today we continue our devotional series called "One Thing."  In this episode, titled "One Thing Is Needful," we explore the significant encounter between Jesus and the sisters Mary and Martha. This story, found in the Gospel of Luke, highlights the importance of prioritizing our focus on what truly matters in life.

Key Themes:

• Single Focus: Understanding the concept of focusing on one thing that has the power to challenge and transform us.
• Contrasting Approaches: Examining the differing responses of Mary and Martha to Jesus’s visit. Martha is practical and active, while Mary is contemplative and devoted.
• Life Priorities: Learning from Jesus's gentle correction to Martha about the necessity of prioritizing spiritual nourishment over worldly concerns.

Reflection Questions:

1. What is the one thing in your life that demands your primary focus and devotion?
2. How can you balance practical responsibilities with spiritual growth?
3. What steps can you take to ensure that your priorities align with what Jesus emphasizes?

Join us as we reflect on these questions and more, drawing inspiration from the example of Mary and Martha. This episode is sure to inspire and uplift you as you seek to align your life with God's priorities.

Connect with Us:

Stay connected with "Walking in His Word" by visiting our website at www.walkinginhisword.com. Don't forget to follow us for more devotional content and updates on new episodes.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Greetings, friends.

(00:00):
Welcome to Walking in His Word,
where we dive into the Word of God
to find wisdom, encouragement,
and inspiration.
I'm Jason Gohl, your host,
and I'm excited
to bring to you a brand new devotionals
series called One Thing.
Join us as we explore
various passages of Scripture
where Jesus speaks about one thing,
a single focus that challenges
and transforms us
from the story of the rich young ruler

(00:20):
to Jesus's visit to Mary and Martha.
Each episode
will guide you to reflect
on your life and ask,
what is my one thing?
So stay tuned and be prepared
to be inspired and uplifted.
Don't forget to follow us at WW
walking in his word.com.
This week
we look at the second in our series
entitled One Thing
and that is one thing you need.
The focus of this study

(00:41):
will be Jesus's
meal at the house of Mary and Martha.
This encounter
will teach us to prioritize
what really matters in life.
We'll see how Martha was practical
and active
while Mary was more contemplative.
Through this study,
we'll see how we need
to have a balance of both in our lives.
Let's start
by reading those verses
together from Luke 1038 through 42.

(01:03):
Now, as they went on their way,
Jesus entered a village
and a woman named Martha
welcomed him into her house
and she had a sister called Mary,
who sat at the Lord's feet
and listens to his teaching.
But Martha was distracted
with much serving,
and she went up to him and said, Lord,
do you not care that my sister
has left me to serve alone?
Tell her to help me.
But the Lord answered
her, Martha, Martha,
you are anxious and troubled

(01:23):
about by many things,
but one thing is necessary.
Mary has chosen the good portion
which will not be taken away from her.
I've heard many commentators
and devotionals through my life,
and many seem
to classify
the Christian life
into two separate mentalities.
The active and the contemplative.
The favorite illustration for this
was the story of Mary and Martha,
and many of those devotionals will use

(01:44):
Mary and Martha as a story to illustrate
their point.
Martha stood for the active life,
and Mary stood
for the contemplative life.
The first was concerned
with practical service and the second
with worship.
The contemplative life represented
by Mary was often
preferred over the other.
Martha came to stand for a shallow,
however useful, type of Christian life,
and the emphasis was placed

(02:05):
upon the superiority
of the life of prayer
and meditation as Mary lived.
Naturally, she,
not Martha, was held up for admiration.
She's given as an example of a lifestyle
that we should all produce.
The lifestyle of Martha
is compared to one
who tries to earn favors
through her works,
which can be taken in a negative light.
The main argument given for
this story

(02:25):
is when the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords
is in your house, it's
a time to worship at his feet
and listen to what he is saying
and not to clean the dishes.
That is true
in the context of this story,
and I believe that is
what Jesus was emphasizing for us.
We must know how to prioritize
the things that matter most.
Jesus was in the house
and the priority
was to worship at his feet.

(02:45):
However, Christians cannot be divided
into just two types and no more.
As if Martha does nothing
but cook and Mary sits
always at Jesus feet.
Human beings are much more complex
than that, are we?
You are the most heavenly minded
person must break off meditation
to attend to pressing earthly needs,
and even the most active
Christian must retire.
Sometimes

(03:06):
to recharge their spiritual batteries.
We should not feel forced
to accept the either or mentality,
or feel like we have to choose
to be either a praying Christian
or a working one,
as if it were not possible to be both.
As I was growing up with the church,
I would look at my spiritual mentoring
that I would listen to their sermons,
read their books, and deduced
that these were

(03:26):
great spiritually minded men and women.
And they were for sure.
But as my relationship
with them progressed,
I also learned that
they were very practically minded people.
I remember coming into a church
on a Sunday
and seeing my senior
pastor out in the driveway
shoveling snow,
and in my mind I thought,
oh well, surely
someone else should do this
so that he could prepare
for the Sunday message.
So I offered to take over the task

(03:47):
and he responded, no, I have to do this.
We cannot have church
if people cannot get into the building.
And many other men and women
that I admired growing up
had that similar mentality.
They knew and deprioritized
what was needful
at the particular moment.
The one thing that was needful
was to shovel snow for the walkway
so that people
could get into the building.

(04:07):
We all need to be both practical
or active and contemplative
to some degree.
We need a little Martha
and we need a little Mary.
The issue is one of balance.
We must strive to have that worship walk
contemplative communion with Christ.
But no matter how worshipful we are,
no matter how dedicated we are
to meditating on His Word
and living in his presence,
we must also do practical work.

(04:29):
We need to eat.
We need to sleep.
We need to pay taxes
and get on somehow
with the world around us.
As we continue in our relationship
with the Lord,
we must serve the community around us,
which is often in practical things.
I've met a few people in the past
who would see homeless
people on the road
drive by and say, I'm praying for them.
They need to meet with the Lord
and see him in their lives.
Which sounds great.

(04:50):
It sounds very pious,
but what are they actually doing?
Would it be better to get out
and take them a hot meal,
or give them some clothes
and show them the love of Christ?
We have to pray for people,
there's no question about it.
But we also have to serve our community
and show people the love of Christ.
Christian author and Pastor
Tozer said in his book
The Price of Neglect
that the big problem is to keep

(05:11):
the two elements of the Christian life
in proper balance.
Mary and Martha are sisters,
and we need both during the day
since the year of Pentecost, one
and then another of the two
has had her day
to the exclusion of the other.
The pendulum has swung
from the practical to the mystical
and back with the passing years.
And while both sides
of the religious life are always present,

(05:32):
one side or another
usually got all the attention
at a given time.
So what we really need
is a balance of both.
Martha complained to Jesus
about Mary's failure
to help with the meal preparations.
Martha even seemed to blame Jesus.
Lord, don't you care what she said?
Since Mary is not helping
because she is listening to Jesus teach.
The point of the story
is not that a life of contemplation

(05:53):
is better than a life of service.
Rather,
Jesus gently chides Martha
because her preparations
are too elaborate.
She is distracted
by all the preparations.
You know, verse chapter
ten, verse 48
literally says so much service.
And she is worried
and upset about many things.
Jesus said that one thing is needful
and that is what Mary has chosen, namely,

(06:15):
to listen to the word of God.
The implication is that Martha,
if she would have keep the preparations
simple, could also have last
listened to Jesus.
Mary and Martha both loved
Jesus on this occasion.
They were both serving him.
But Martha
thought Mary's style of serving
was inferior to hers.
She didn't realize that
in her desire to serve,

(06:35):
she was actually neglecting her guest.
Are you so busy doing things
for Jesus that you're
not spending any time with him?
Don't let your service
become self-serving.
Jesus did not blame Martha
for being concerned
about household chores.
He was only asking her
to set her priorities.
If we are not careful,
our service to Christ
can totally degenerate

(06:56):
into mere busywork
that is totally devoid
of devotion to God.
I trust that
this devotional has encouraged you
to take an assessment of your priorities.
There are times in life
when we can let the pendulum
swing too far
in the direction of service,
or even too far in the direction
of contemplative worship.
In reality,
we need both to be fully effective
for the kingdom of heaven.

(07:17):
May God bless you and keep you
as you go forth in your week
serving and worshiping him.
Thank you for joining us
for today's episode of The Walking
in His Word podcast.
We hope you found today's devotional
on one thing
both challenging and encouraging.
Remember discovering
that one thing can change your life
and deepen your relationship with God.
These episodes have inspired you.
Please be sure to subscribe

(07:38):
and share our podcast
with your friends,
and also join us next week
as we continue this powerful series.
For more updates and inspiration,
follow us on social media
at Walking in His Word
and visit our website at Dot.
Walking in his word.com.
Till then,
may God's peace and blessings
be with you always and
keep walking in His Word.