Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Gospel Lesson just read, from Luke 10. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- There has been much debate over the years as to whether it is better to serve or better to listen, learn, study, and embrace God’s Word. There was actually a motto adopted by one group: “Deeds, not creeds.” Obviously, this group would have sided with Martha.
- I don’t believe any Christian would seriously argue that we shouldn’t be doing works of service and love. Nor do I believe that any Christian would seriously argue that we don’t need to listen to Jesus, that we shouldn’t take time to allow Him to instruct us from His Word.
- However, the same difficulty that we see in our text – perhaps anger, resentment, and frustration on the part of people who are serving against those who are not – often arises within the life of the church to this day. Even in our own congregation I have heard such complaints – and have probably uttered them myself.
- So it is important for us at this moment, to take just a few minutes, and to allow Jesus to instruct us – to listen rather than worrying about serving. In so doing we will be preserved from much of this frustration and the damage to relationships that it can cause. After all, consider how Mary must have felt when Martha expressed her resentment against Mary and complained about her to Jesus.
- The fact is that God wills for us to be serving one another, and serving all people in love, but all of this is worthless unless we have “JOY IN SERVING.” First, it is clear from our text that:
I. Commitment To Serving Is A Good Thing – To Be Serving And Caring For Others As Martha Was Doing
John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.”
Gal. 5:13 “By love, serve one another.”
A. However, Such Serving Is Only Good And Of Enduring Value If One Is First Filled Up With God’s Love [As Mary Was Doing In Listening To Jesus], So That One’s Serving Is Out Of Genuine Love
Gal. 5:13 “By love, serve one another.”
B. For While Unjoyful Service May Benefit Others, It Is Of No Benefit To The One Serving
Jesus said of those who do good works of service for any motivation other than love: “they have received their reward.” [Matt. 6:2, ff]
1. When we serve for any reason other than love, it tends to exhaust us and to depress us
2. Our lack of love is seen – becomes visible – when we express our discontentment with others, our criticism and accusation of others
Text: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”
Statement: Note that Martha’s accusation against Mary was also an explicit accusation against Jesus – that apparently He was unobservant about Mary’s “laziness” or uncaring about it, and that He was allowing an injustice to be done to Martha. And note that the real concern was with Martha, that she was left to serve alone. Obviously there was no “JOY IN SERVING” on the part of Martha – she was doing it for some reason other than love. And the consequence was that she became exhausted and depressed, irritable, discontent, and accusative against others, including even Jesus. Imagine that!
Application: Now perhaps you think that you would never behave this way. Perhaps you’ve never listened to yourself – but like me, I know you have often heard this identical concern expressed about others, and have almost certainly said something almost identical to what Martha expressed. I know I have heard such statements over and over again in the life of the church. I’ll mention a few of the “serving” issues we have:
- no one ever stays to clean up,
- no one cares about how they leave the kitchen, or who has to clean up after them,
- why doesn’t anyone notice the weeds growing and help get rid of them
- why don’t we have more Sunday School teachers
- no one ever signs up to help with projects
- hardly anyone ever comes to work days
In addition, I have often had to listen to people complaining about others that they are not doing their job, not carrying out their responsibility, not doing what they are supposed to be doing. My first reaction is always this: And who made you responsible to criticize others? Who appointed you to be a judge and supervisor?
My second reaction is: What is really bothering you? Why do you care? What are you saying? That you are “serving better” than someone else? Then I remember what God’s Word says: “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own Master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” [Rom. 14:4]
Sadly, when I remind the particular “Martha” about this, their anger, criticism, and malice is then directed at me – just as Martha directed hers at Jesus. And in reality, such anger and criticism is being directed against God – whose servants our brothers and sisters here at Eternal Savior Lutheran Church actually are. Yes, they are God’s servants – and He is their Master, not us! So we might want to think about all of this a little more carefully – so that if we are going to serve, we learn to do so with genuine love and joy!
Transition: And this is the gist of Jesus’ instruction to us today, that:
II. The Better Part Is To First Allow God To Serve Us And Fill Us With His Love, Through His Word
A. Then Our Service Will Flow Naturally From Love
1 John 4:19 “We love because He first love us.”
John 13:34 “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
B. Then Our Service Will Never Be Comparative, And We Will Never Fall Under God’s Judgment By Criticizing And Judging Others
James 4:12 “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, He Who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”
Gal. 6:4 “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.”
Statement: This is what God wills and desires for us – that our hearts first be changed, softened by His love, and empowered by His love for us, so that our hearts become like His. Then we have but one motivation for what we do in service to others – here at church and wherever else we may be, at home, or at work, or at leisure – and that motivation will be love, His love for us. When our serving is out of love we have no thought for whether anyone is helping us or not – we are filled with “JOY IN SERVING,” and that is reward enough in itself. The only concern we have in regard to others is that we not push someone else out of the way of serving – but if there is no one else we fully embrace the joy of being able to serve.
Application: Any time that we are serving for other reasons – other than the love God has for us, and the love this engenders within us toward others, and the “JOY IN SERVING” that this creates for us – then we are not really serving others at all, but rather ourselves. And any time that we are merely serving ourselves – wanting others to notice us, wanting others to praise us, and wanting to be able to complain that others are not doing as much as we are – we are headed for deep trouble!
- We are subjecting ourselves to God’s judgment
- Our hypocrisy and judgmental malice becomes evident to others
- We ruin and destroy relationships – perhaps discouraging others in their relationship of love with Jesus
- And we end up running out of steam and energy, exhausting and depressing ourselves
Conclusion: So let us confess to God that our sinful hearts often have the wrong motivations, and that we often hypocritically “serve” for evil reasons – so that we may learn again from Him of His gracious forgiveness and mercy, and be delivered from His judgment.
Yes, let us join Mary and learn of Jesus, that His love may change our hardened hearts, so that we come to truly love, and so that we may indeed have “JOY IN SERVING.” This is God’s good and gracious will for each of us! May He have His way with us, filling us with the knowledge of His love, and with great love for one another! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.