Luke 10:38-42
Working To Be Loved
Much of what we do in life comes from a deep seated desire to be loved, accepted, approved, validated, and recognized. Why do people want prestigious titles? Why do students work so hard for that prized GPA? Why do relationships fight for attention? We are restlessly striving to be known and to be loved. However, Jesus came to put an end to all our restless striving. There is a new way of living in Christ: resting in Jesus because we are already fully known and fully loved.
Performance Vs Grace
The contrast between Martha and Mary in Luke 10 is showing us the contrast between performance and grace. Martha was living out of a performance mentality or what is called “Works Righteousness”. This is the mentality that one must “perform”, do good, and live righteously in order to be loved and accepted by God. Luke writes, “Martha was [greatly] distracted with much serving.” She was troubled and anxious because she was seeking validation and recognition for her work. On the surface, she seemed diligent, but underneath her service, she was trying to earn the attention and love from Jesus by doing more.
In contrast, Mary was the complete opposite. Luke writes, “Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” She simply sat and listened like a child eager to listen to her dad read her a bed-time story. Mary lived out of grace mentality, or what is called “Imputed Righteousness.” This is the mentality that God fully knows us and fully accepts us, as we are in our imperfection, because of Jesus’s righteousness; therefore, we rest in his grace and live righteously only as a response to his love. Mary was not restlessly striving or working to gain Jesus’s attention and approval. She simply rested in the reality that she was already fully known and fully loved by her Savior and Lord. Thus, she did nothing but sit and listen and rest at his feet. Jesus puts an end to all our restless striving.
Simplify and Prioritize
Jesus says, “One thing is necessary.” In a world where we think EVERYTHING is necessary, where EVERYONE needs to be our friend on Instagram, where we need to have EVERYTHING to be fulfilled. Jesus says only ONE thing is necessary in life. And that’s resting at his feet. What a radical call to end all our worthless effort for prestige, for toxic relationships, for GPA, for wealth, for fame. Only one thing is needed in life, and that’s resting in Christ’s love and grace and listening to his words.
Second, Jesus calls us to prioritize. Not everything good in life should be pursued. What’s filling your calendar? What’s filling your bank statement? Is Jesus making his mark in your life? In fact, is Jesus in the center or is he in the peripheral? Like Martha, we are troubled and anxious about many things, but Jesus is saying, “One thing is necessary”. Like Mary, let’s prioritize that one thing.
