Loving Jesus by Being WITH Jesus

Luke records for us a little "in house" encounter of Jesus in 10:38-42. Jesus was a couple of miles from Jerusalem and visited the home of Martha and Mary (and Lazarus). BOTH of these women loved Jesus and Jesus loved them. The immediate context before this home visit was Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, shared with an expert in the law who wanted to "save face" before others by asking Jesus "who then is my neighbor?" Jesus then told this true to life story, making the point that loving our neighbor means to help and serve those with needs around us.

But what does it mean to love GOD with all of our heart? What does it mean to love Jesus? Perhaps Luke includes this story or Martha and Mary to illustrate the first part of the Great Commandment.

Realize that when Jesus showed up at Martha's home, He had at least the 12 inner circle disciples in tow. This means there are at least 26 extra feet to wash and 13 extra plates to set. Martha, being a good and conscientious Jewish hostess, has some WORK to do! She apparently gladly welcomes Jesus into her home...and then gets to it. She knew what a privilege it was to have Jesus present as guest and knew what she wanted to do to show Him how much she valued His presence.

Mary, Martha's sister, shows her love for Jesus in a different way. Breaking the mold for Jewish women with a Rabbi present, she CHOOSES to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him, just like one of the 12, just like she is His disciple herself. Jesus breaks the Rabbi and religious leader mold by WELCOMING HER and treating her like she IS a disciple, though she is a woman.

Martha is not happy with this scenario. She is busting her gut to serve Jesus and His disciples and Mary is sitting there enjoying the Lord LIKE THERE IS NOTHING TO DO IN THE KITCHEN! So, like the take charge gal she is, Martha comes to Jesus...but NOT to listen and NOT to sit at His feet. "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me" v.40.

Whoa! "...Do you not care...?"! It is easy to think the Lord doesn't care when you are busting YOUR guts to do good and others are just "enjoying the Lord." "Why is Mary just sitting there like there is nothing to do?!" But...WASN'T Mary doing something?

What Martha was doing WAS important. And it wasn't WHAT she was doing that Jesus highlights in His response... "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary." 41,42. Martha sought to show her love by the EXTENT to which she was making preparations. She wanted to put out the BEST spread possible. No simple one or two course meal at Martha's! She wanted Jesus to KNOW how much she valued His presence in her home. Now...WHY can't Mary see this and seek to show the same kind of love?

Because, as Jesus says, "Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her" v.42. Mary chose to BE WITH JESUS and to LISTEN TO JESUS. Her heart was to be with Him, to be near Him. Her food was to take in the bread of life from the Bread of Life. In the immediate determination of values that Mary made, perhaps without conscious deliberation, as Jesus entered their home, she CHOSE to get as close and stay as close as she could to the Master.

This is not really a tale of the worker versus the contemplative. It is rather a tale of HOW JESUS WANTS TO BE LOVED by us. He wants us to work. He saved us to do good works - Ephesians 2:10. But the works are not to replace or crowd out our BEING WITH HIM and LISTENING TO HIM as a loving disciple. Work CAN be a poor replacement for relationship. Work CAN be a poor replacement for PRESENCE. Work CAN say, "I love you, but I'm afraid to be close to You."

How do YOU love Jesus? There is no magic formula for how much time we are to spend with Jesus or how that time is to be spent. But there are several musts:

• We MUST spend time with Jesus listening to Him through His WORD. That is the ONLY place where His voice comes through loud and clear without error every time.
• We MUST spend time with Jesus talking to Him in prayer. He listens. He wants two-way relationship.
• We MUST spend time with Jesus in CHURCH. That is where we sit at His feet together with other loving, listening disciples. This is where it is confirmed that it is really Jesus we are spending time with and not a Jesus of my own making who is saying things that are not in line with reality.
• Our WORK for Jesus, and there MUST be work in the life of a loving disciple, will be a work of fruitful love when it follows and is empowered by being with Jesus in the Word and Prayer FIRST of all. Work FOR Jesus pleases Him when it flows out of BEING WITH Jesus.

What a privilege to have Jesus Christ, Lord and Maker of the universe, seeking fellowship with the likes of us daily. Let us find, let us MAKE, let us like Mary CHOOSE to sit at His feet and listen as He speaks just as powerfully and personally today through His inerrant Word.