Read part 1 here before you read part 2.
Again, I just love the passage in Luke 10 that records the First commandment. We have Luke 10:27-37, the conversation between Jesus and the lawyer on the First commandment.
Right after that, (and it is in chronological order) Jesus goes to the home of Mary of Bethany.
Luk 10:38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
Luk 10:39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.
Luk 10:40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
Luk 10:41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
Luk 10:42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
This is one of the most incredible passages in scripture. Mary of Bethany is my favorite person recorded in scripture. Here we see two pictures. One of a woman who is giving herself to what looks like nothing. She is just sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to His word. But Martha, oh how Martha is serving and doing what she can for her guests. That looks really good on the outside.
And Martha gets a little offended that her sister isn’t helping her. So she addresses Jesus. “Tell my sister to help me!”
But what does Jesus say? Read very closely. Don’t lose what Jesus says. This is HUGE!
HE says “Martha, you are so worried about so many things! (He rebukes her, not Mary) but Mary has chosen the onething necessary and it will NOT be taken away from her (He defends Mary).”
What? This is crazy! This is opposite of our thinking! You’d think He would tell Mary to get up and help Martha out. But oh no, this is the most valuable thing we could be doing. Sitting at the feet of Jesus. This is what Mary chose to do. And this is the onething necessary.
I believe that this is the greatest picture of what Jesus was discussing earlier in the passage about the first commandment.
If He tells us the First and Foremost thing is to love Him and then He tells us there is only ONE THING necessary, they can’t be two different things. They have to be connected.
So the greatest way to live the First commandment is to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His words. To gaze on His beauty (Ps. 27:4) and to live in His presence.
This is how we let Him do it in us. We spend time with Him so that He can do it. When we gaze on Him we will become more like Him (2 Cor. 3:18). This is the way to loving HIm with EVERYTHING!
Are you giving yourself to spending time with the One you say you love? This is the ONLY place where we will become who He wants us to be. This is the ONLY place where we can live out Christianity. Or it will be just religion and duty. And that is not what Jesus died for.
He is calling everyone of His followers to do this. This is what He longs for! An intimate relationship with you! There is no other way! He loves you and desires to be loved back by you! But just as Mary had to chose to do it, so do we. We have to make the choice that we are going to sit at His feet, listen to His word and fall in love with Him!
