Luke 10:41 (CSB)
The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things,
We think a busy life is a significant life, and we must be careful here because busyness can give us a false sense of purpose. Do you ever feel like you're on a never-ending treadmill, running 100 miles per hour every day but not getting anywhere? It's easy in our culture to get overrun with good stuff. That's one of the drawbacks of living in one of the wealthiest cultures of all time. Living in prosperous times gives you more options. There are more activities for the kids to be involved in—more sports, more lessons, more fun activities—and then, on top of all that, there are church opportunities and responsibilities.
The problem with being too busy is that it can distract us from our Kingdom purpose. In the New Testament, there's someone who's doing some really good things for Jesus, but she's missing the Kingdom in her busyness. Luke 10:38–40 (CSB) sets the stage: “While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks." Maybe Martha wanted to sit at the feet of Jesus also, but she was distracted by that all-consuming to-do list.
Beware of good distractions.
Martha was serving Jesus, but even in her act of service, she was missing the Kingdom. Have you ever sat down to read your Bible and thought, “I need to check my email or social media? I’ve got to clean the _____." Or while you’re reading your Bible, your mind is a million miles away, and when you're done, you can’t remember what you just read?
Beware of how misguided passion can cause you to misunderstand Jesus and misevaluate others.
Martha assumed that she understood Jesus and the moment better than anyone else. Look at what she said as the story unfolds in Luke 10:40. “...and she came up and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So, tell her to give me a hand.’” Apparently, she expected Jesus to be like, “Yeah, that’s right, Mary, get up and get to serving!” In Martha's stress and agitation, she's not only upset with her sister Mary, but she's also upset with the Lord. Martha is attempting to teach the teacher rather than sitting at his feet. She expects Jesus to rearrange everything to fit her agenda.
Consider this: Martha is stressed out over being a good hostess. Does she accomplish this by throwing a fit and falsely accusing Jesus and Mary? Do you think everyone is sitting around thinking to themselves, “Wow, Martha is such a great hostess and so pleasant to be around?" Mary could have joined in on the fun and grabbed Jesus and dragged him into the kitchen and said, “Tell Martha to quit being so productive and get reflective.” It's easy to get aggravated with other people who don't feel the weight of the moment the same way we do. This state of mind has given rise to a lot of conflicts in churches.
Notice how Jesus replies to Martha in Luke 10:41–42 (CSB): “The Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Martha was worried and upset about many things “in the kitchen.” Note: The enemy didn’t take Martha out of the kitchen; he took away her purpose in the kitchen. Satan won’t turn you against the church; he will turn you toward yourself in the church. He won’t take you out of ministry; he will lead you away from your Kingdom purpose in ministry.
Martha was focused on feeding Jesus.
Mary was focused on being fed by Jesus.
Be careful not to make the same mistake as Martha; she was busy serving Jesus physically without being connected with Him spiritually. It’s harder to commune than to serve. Joshua had no trouble fighting in the battle, while Moses on the mountain needed two people to help him hold his hands up. The more spiritual the exercise, the sooner you tire of it. And this is precisely why you need Kingdom focus in everything you do.