Be about the business of Christ

Luke 10:38-42 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 only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

One day a meat packer was asked, “What kind of business are you in?” He answered, “I am a Christian.” Rather puzzled and perplexed over the answer, the inquisitive man persisted, “I don’t think you understand me, what is your occupation?” The meat packer replied, “My business, or occupation, is to be a Christian. I just pack meat to pay the expenses.”

What kind of business occupies your life? It’s very easy to get so caught up in our job, or career, or family, that the business of being a Christian is left to a few hours spent in church on Sunday mornings. We make ourselves so busy that we forget to be about the business of God. Who hasn’t used busy-ness as an excuse for not being about the business of Christ?

Martha was busy. After all, what an honor – Jesus was coming to her house. Jesus, the Messiah, the great Healer and Teacher everyone was talking about was coming for a visit. Plus He was bringing twelve of His closest friends with Him. So Martha was busy beyond imagination. She had to roast the calf, cook the vegetables, bake the bread and make a special pie for dessert.

Her sister Mary was busy helping her in the kitchen getting everything prepared. Then there was a knock on the door. Jesus had arrived at their Bethany home. Martha and Mary gave Jesus a big hug and showed Him and His disciples into the living room. Then Martha excused herself and went back to the kitchen. After a few minutes she noticed that Mary wasn’t in the kitchen with her. She peaked into the living room and was upset to see Mary sitting there at Jesus’ feet, listening to Jesus tell stories.  

Martha goes back into the kitchen and keeps stirring and tasting, tasting and stirring. But she can’t keep her mind on her work. All she can think about is how Mary isn’t there to help her. Another few minutes go by. She can still hear Jesus talking and Mary asking questions. Martha is asking questions, too. Questions like, “Why isn’t Mary in here with me?! Why doesn’t Jesus say something to her?! How am I going to get all this done by myself?!”

Then the fireworks begin. It’s like a scene straight out of Chef Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen. The pasta water is boiling over, the sauce won’t thicken, the roast is in danger of being overcooked, the vegetables are getting soggy, the temperature in the kitchen is rising … and so is Martha’s temper. She finally snaps. She slams her spoon down on the counter and storms out of the kitchen. And who does she lash out at? Not her sister! No. Her guest! The reason for all her preparations. She lashes out at Jesus!

“Don’t you care? Don’t you care, Lord, that my sister has left me to serve all alone? Don’t you care that I’m in the kitchen slaving away over a steaming stove while she sits here doe-eyed at your feet doing nothing? How about cutting the chit chat and telling her to get her lazy rear end in the kitchen to help me!”

Martha had gotten her priorities all mixed up. She wanted to serve Jesus. But Jesus had come to Martha’s house to serve her. It was good that she stressed family and friends and a clean house and good food. But stressing all those good things only made her stressed out. She was all tired and worn out, but Jesus had come to her home to give her rest. It was good that she was busy, but it would have been better if she would have been about the business of Jesus – which is sitting and listening to Him speak to her.

“Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Strong words. Stinging words. But words that reveal much about Marth’s – and our relationship – with the Savior.

There is a lot of Martha in every one of us. We want to serve our Lord so badly. We try to be good parents by getting our kids involved in sports or taking them on vacation. But we get so wrapped up in having fun with them, that we forget that our first responsibility as parents is to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). We try to provide for our families by working long hours and even working overtime so that we can pass on all the things we never had as kids. But we forget that our first priority is to pass on our faith to our children so that we will see them in heaven with us someday. We serve the Lord and our fellow members by being involved in various church and school groups, or serving as leaders of various boards and committees, or volunteering to move furniture in the school or helping out in a classroom or cleaning up after a Lenten supper. Those things are all great and necessary. But they aren’t as great or as necessary as being in worship to hear God’s Word, or receive His absolution, or taste His Sacrament, or sing His praises.

We wish to serve Jesus, which is great! It is very Martha-like. But Jesus wishes to serve you! Which is what He did for Mary.

Martha’s problem was not her service, but her lack of priorities. She wanted to please Jesus. She wanted to impress Him with her house and a nice dinner. She wanted to serve Him with her very best. And yet, it all failed. She wound up yelling at Jesus and being angry at her sister. She was occupied with many things, when one thing was needful. She was busy preparing a seven course dinner, but Jesus would have been content with carryout.

It was not Martha’s service that Jesus wanted. It was Martha. Jesus came not to be served but to serve. He came to give, not to get. He came not to be the guest, but to be the Host, to lay down His life as a sacrifice for sinful humanity, to offer Himself up for the life of the world, to be the Bread of Life and wine from heaven to bring refreshment, forgiveness, life, and salvation to all. As far as Jesus was concerned, Martha’s house could have been a wreck, she could have laid out cold cuts and sandwich bread, she could have simply offered a loaf of bread and a dried fish. What mattered most to Jesus was that she have communion with Him, that she hear His Word.

Martha is the way of the Law; Mary is the way of the Gospel. Martha is about works, busyness, and ultimately, frustration; Mary is about faith and freedom. She is about putting Jesus above everything else so that she might sit at His feet and take in His Word. Martha seeks to be justified by her works of service, and in the end winds up frustrated and angry. Mary is justified by grace through faith for Jesus’ sake. She does nothing except be the recipient of all that Jesus has to offer; Jesus does everything. He is the one needful thing, for her and for you. You need nothing else but Jesus and His Word.

And yet. Don’t we often find ourselves in Martha’s shoes? Busy with so many things that we have no time for rest in Jesus? So busy we have no time to hear His Word, to receive His body and blood. Distracted by this, that, and the other thing. Feeding our face. Feeding our ego. Feeding our bank account. When all Jesus wants to do is feed us with His Word. Feed us with His Sacraments. Feed us with His forgiveness. We think that we must do in order to please God. But if we are to please God at all, there must first be faith. And faith comes by hearing the Word, sitting with Mary at Jesus’ feet and being the recipients of all that Jesus has to offer.

We need to repent of our busyness. We’ve let many things get ahead of the one important thing. We’ve let many things get between us and Jesus. The symptoms are all there. Frustration, anger, snapping at each other, complaining, griping, pointing the finger, accusing. When you sense that in yourself, read the symptoms of busyness and hear the words of Jesus, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Just be quiet for a while and listen. I know it’s hard to do, because we are tuned to being busy. The way of our world is Martha, not Mary. Be about the business of Jesus. Jesus’ business is easy. All it takes is sitting and listening. That’s it. Jesus is here to give to you. He wants to spend time with you. There’s plenty of opportunity to serve, but what good is our service if it simply burns us out on the Lord and on each other?

A reader once asked Emily Post, “What is the correct procedure when one is invited to the White House and has a previous engagement?” She answered, “An invitation to lunch or dine at the White House is a command, and automatically cancels any other engagement.”

Now what is the correct procedure when one is invited to know and learn from Jesus, but there are previous engagements? The invitation to meet with Jesus automatically cancels any other engagement.

It is wonderful that you have canceled all your other engagements to be here to sit at Jesus’ feet. We are people who like to work. We even take our play and make it into work. That’s why we need God’s Sabbath so much. For this is the place where we come to rest. It is a busy world out there. But there is rest and refreshment here in Jesus.

You find real pleasure, not in reading the newspaper, but in reading God’s Word. You find real relaxation, not in a camping trip with a flowing river, but in a trip to God’s altar where His forgiveness flows freely. You find real refreshment, not in some drinks after a hard day’s work, but in Christ’s body and blood after a hard week’s work. You find cleanliness, not in taking a hot shower after a tough workout, but in the Spirit’s baptismal waters washing over you. You find joy, not in pleasing God, but in knowing that through Jesus you are pleasing to God.

You find frustration in doing, but you will find rest in receiving from Jesus. You find it exhausting to always be loving to others, but you will find it exhilarating to always being loved by God. You find fatigue by always being on the go, but you will find peace by slowing down and re-prioritizing your week so that you always begin and end with Jesus – the one thing needful.

There are many things to occupy you. But there is only one thing that is needful, necessary, and indispensable. That one thing is sitting at Jesus feet. It is listening to Him speak to you. It is setting aside everything else in your life and making Jesus your priority. It is not working or vacationing, but it is resting in Jesus. It is not giving to Jesus, but being given to.

As you leave for work tomorrow, remember Jesus’ lesson to Martha. Also, remember the example of the Christian man who just happened to be a meat packer on the side. You are called to be about the business of our Savior 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. Love the Lord’s business and be devoted to nothing else. That is what is better. And that will never be taken from you. For everything else is just done to pay the expenses. Amen.