Is Jesus Living in You or Just Visiting?

Luke 10:38-42

July 18, 2010 – ©Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes

Introduction

I recently ran across a story of a French pastor who was called to serve in a small French community. At one of the first homes he visited, the wife was away, so he could only talk with the husband. When the wife returned, she wanted to know everything about the pastor’s visit. “What did he say?” she asked.

“He asked, ‘Does Christ live here?” the husband replied. “He didn't really ask anything else. Just, ‘Does Christ live here?’”

“Well, surely you told him that we are the church’s biggest supporters.” “He didn’t ask that,” the husband repeated. “He only asked, ‘Does Christ live here?’”

“Well, you must have told him that we read our Bible and say our prayers every day.”  “He didn’t ask about that either. He only asked, ‘Does Christ live here?’”

“Well, did you tell him that we attend his services every Sunday and sit in the front?” the wife persisted. “He didn’t ask about that. He only wanted to know, ‘Does Christ live here?’”

And that’s all God wants to know. [Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola, Jesus Manifesto (Thomas Nelson Pub., 2010) 73-74].  And that’s really the heart of the story of Mary and Martha. Let’s look together at Luke 10:38-42.

Mary and Martha

Jesus was a frequent visitor to the home of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. Bethany was only a few miles from Jerusalem and so their home made a convenient stopping place as he traveled. Not only did they open their home to Jesus, but they also supported his ministry financially.

Of course, everywhere Jesus stayed, other people came to listen to him teach and be healed. So, not only were the disciples with Jesus in their home, but others would also gather there. Jesus always attracted a crowd.

So in today’s lesson from Luke 10, Jesus had stopped to stay with Martha and Mary and Lazarus. A crowd had gathered. Martha was in the kitchen preparing a meal, but Mary was in the living room, sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to him.

 “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to [Jesus] and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’” [Lk.10:40].

Martha complained about being left to do all the work, while Mary took it easy.  Martha wasn’t really left to do all the work since their family had servants. There was plenty of help for Martha. However, Mary wasn’t helping her. It wasn’t right for her to neglect her responsibilities as a woman of the household.

Jesus responded to Martha by saying, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” [v.41-42].

So, Jesus, who was going to fix the meal if Martha didn’t do it? The men would get hungry and expect food. Who was going to serve them if Martha didn’t do it? The women were supposed to serve.   

Serving or Listening

Jesus talked a lot about being a servant to others. In the previous passage, he told the parable of the good Samaritan – a story about a chief priest and a Levite who didn’t stop to help a man who had been robbed and beaten. Then a Samaritan saw this man and cared for him at his own expense. Jesus said that God’s people should go out of their way to help others, regardless of who they are.

Also when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he told them, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” [Jn13:14].  

Jesus said that he came not to be served but to seek and serve the lost. [Mk.10:45]. And Jesus expects his followers to serve others just as he did.

Yet in verse 41 of today’s text Jesus seems to criticize Martha for being dedicated to serving him and his followers. Martha was only doing what a woman of the house was supposed to do. She was dedicated to her task.

Mary, however, was not doing her part. In fact, she was breaking social codes – sitting with the men. Listening to a rabbi was what men who wanted to become teachers and rabbis did. Women were not permitted to learn from men.

Perhaps Martha was more embarrassed by her sister’s behavior than angry because she wasn’t helping. But Martha also resented that Mary was sitting with Jesus while she was serving Jesus. She was angry with her sister.

So it wasn’t that Jesus didn’t appreciate what Martha was doing for him. It was that her attitude was wrong.

Sometimes we do something to serve the church, or another Christian, but resent that we have to do it. Maybe you have gotten angry that you got stuck doing the hard work, while others got to do something “fun”. 

Sometimes people compare what they are doing with what others are doing and think their service for God isn’t as good. Then they become resentful. They feel that what they are doing is not very important, compared to what others do.

Or perhaps you said “yes” to some task, and really didn’t want to do it. So you serve – reluctantly. We find that our attitude has changed. Our heart for serving is different. We know it, but we are not sure what to do about it.

 In Revelation 2:4, we read about the church in Ephesus. They had “forsaken the love they had at first.”  They still were working hard for Christ. They had persevered in hardship. They didn’t tolerate wicked people and false prophets or liars. But they were doing all these good deeds without the love for God and others they once had.

They are told to “repent” and go back to doing things with the love they first had.

 Jesus wasn’t telling Martha to stop serving him and others. He was telling her that she needed to let her heart be transformed so that her serving would be done from a heart of love.

Loving to Serve

Luke 10:27 reminds us that God’s priority is love. It says, “Love the Lord your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.”  To love God is not enough. We must also love our neighbor. To love our neighbor is not enough. We must also love God. But love for God comes first.  

We must experience the unconditional love of God, through Jesus Christ, in our own lives before we can love others. We must “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” [Mt6:33].

Leonard Sweet wrote in Jesus Manifesto: “It is not the commandments and the laws that control our behavior. It is the presence of the indwelling Christ and Jesus-love that both restrains and releases us.” [Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola, Jesus Manifesto (Thomas Nelson Pub. 2010, 65].

Just keeping the law, the rules of religion is not enough. Doing good deeds or serving others in Jesus’ name isn’t enough. What if Jesus had decided that people weren’t really worth all the effort he was putting in to save them? What if he decided that we were so rebellious that he didn’t want to suffer and die on the cross for us?

But that’s not what Jesus did. All that Jesus did, he did because of love. God sent Jesus to save us because he loves us – every one of us. Jesus was willing to die for us because he loves us. Until we get that, understand how much God truly loves us, we will go on trying to serve other, but without the love we so desperately need. When our hearts are transformed by the love of God, then all that we do is done with love – love for God and love for others.

Martha and Mary and Lazarus loved Jesus. He was a dear friend. The loved helping him. Yet, Jesus was still a visitor to their home. But Martha treated Jesus like he was a visitor, someone who needed her help.

Mary, however, realized how much she needed Jesus. She needed to know him. His words touched her heart. Mary knew she was a part of Jesus’ family. Mary allowed the love of Christ to fill her heart and soul, so she could serve others with Jesus’ love. Mary had chosen the better part, and it would not be taken away from her. [v.42].

First we allow the love of God to fill us and transform us. Then we serve others with the love of God. Love God first. Love neighbor second.

Conclusion

Remember the story of the pastor who asked only one question when he visited a home, “Does Christ live here?”  The wife thought it was important that the pastor know they gave lots of money to the church. She also thought the pastor should know they read the Bible and prayed every day. She hoped he would notice that they attended church every Sunday and sat in the front row. The pastor only wanted to know, “Does Christ live here?”

Doing religious acts doesn’t mean the Christ lives in us, or in our home, or in our church. Our hearts need to be filled with Jesus’ love before our lives can reflect Jesus’ love.

How do we know that Mary had experienced the love of God through Jesus? It was Mary who risked being criticized for breaking tradition and sitting at Jesus’ feet. And it was Mary who, a few days before Jesus’ crucifixion, poured costly perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. [Jn.12:3]. Again she risked the condemnation of others as she poured out her perfume and her love.

Mary’s live was changed by the love of Christ.

Mary had opened her heart to Jesus. She sat at his feet and listened to him. She took time to know Jesus.

·        She didn’t let serving keep her from spending time with Jesus.

·        She didn’t let the opinion of others keep her from Jesus.

·        She didn’t assume she had all the answers and didn’t need Jesus.

·        She didn’t think that all she and her family did for Jesus was enough.

Mary knew that loving God with her whole being was the key to living for God and loving others.

Mary wanted to be sure that Christ lives here – in her heart and life.

Without the love of Christ in us, we are nothing.

Does Christ live here?  

Does Jesus live in your heart?

Does Jesus live in your home?

Does Jesus live in this church?

Mary made the better choice.

May you also choose to let Christ’s love live in you.

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This sermon is copyright ©2010 by Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes, Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church , Chicago , Illinois .