Category: Luke 10

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Luke Luke 10

What Jesus really wants

Luke

This is another one of my favorite stories, I suppose because it shows us something that’s easy to forget.

Martha opens up her home to Jesus, but then promptly neglects him. Why? Because she’s too busy trying to “serve” him.

She then gets agitated because Mary’s doing nothing to help her get things ready, but instead simply sits at Jesus’ feet listening to him.

So after who knows how many hours of this, Martha marches up to Jesus, interrupts his teaching, and loudly complains,

Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! (Luke 10:40)

Imagine the uncomfortable silence after that outburst.

Mary’s head dropping, and turning red in embarrassment. All the guests first staring at Martha, then Mary, and then at Jesus, waiting to see what he would say.

Perhaps some felt that Jesus would rebuke Mary. After all, she really should have been helping Martha.

Back in those days, it was not very common for women to learn from a Rabbi (although we clearly see through the gospels that Jesus wasn’t one to hold to convention).

Perhaps others felt that Jesus would rebuke Martha. After all, a woman back in those days simply did not interrupt a great Rabbi like Jesus with her petty complaints.

But Jesus did neither. Instead, he looked at Martha, perhaps with pity, and no doubt with compassion, saying,

Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.

Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42)

I find those words “only one thing is needed” very interesting.

The question is, “Needed by whom?” Needed by Jesus? Or needed by Martha? The answer is probably both.

Martha needed time with Jesus. She needed time to rest from her work. Time to hear his words. Time to learn from him and grow. And even more than that, time to learn how much he truly valued her.

Mary chose all those things, and Jesus was happy to give them to her.

On the other hand, Jesus didn’t really need the food that Martha was preparing. He didn’t need a perfectly clean house. What he needed was time with Martha.

Here Martha had opened up her house to him, and yet was so busy “serving him,” she didn’t even talk with him other than giving him a cursory hello.

How about you? Have you opened up your heart to Jesus?

And if you have, have you left him in the living room of your heart while you busy yourself with other things.

Or are you taking the time to be with him every day. Learning from him. Talking to him. Spending time with him.

That’s what he wants more than anything else. That’s what he died for. To have an intimate relationship with you.

There’s a small booklet called My Heart, Christ’s Home, which I love. And one passage in there perfectly reflects this thought. In it, Jesus speaks to a man, saying,

“The trouble with you is this: you have been thinking of the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to me also.

Remember, I love you. I have redeemed you at great cost. I value your fellowship.

Now, do not neglect this hour if only for my sake. Whatever else may be your desire, remember I want your fellowship!”

May we never forget what Jesus truly desires.

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Luke Luke 10

Going beyond the head knowledge

Luke

As I look at this passage, there is one more thing that strikes me.

This is a story about three people that knew God’s word very well. One, of course, was real (the expert in the law), and two were fictional (the priest and the Levite).

Is it any coincidence that Jesus used two people in his story that had the same problem as the expert in the law?

Because though all three knew the law well, though all three could probably rattle off answers to any question about the Bible Jesus gave them, it never went beyond head knowledge for any of them. It never went to their heart as to what it all really meant.

How else do you explain the priest and the Levite in the story passing by the hurt man?

They didn’t truly understand what it meant to love God with all their heart, and to love their neighbor. Rather, they made excuses for their failings, namely, their lack of love.

The expert of the law was the same way. When confronted with the law, and seeing his own failings in the matter, he didn’t repent and cry out, “Jesus, what do I do? I can’t meet the standards God has set up!”

Instead, he tried to justify himself for his lack of love and turn what Jesus meant to be an issue of the heart into an intellectual debate, asking, “Well, what does ‘neighbor,’ mean?”

So when Jesus explained the meaning, and even had the man answer his own question, he brought it back to his heart. “Go and do likewise.”

What did the man do after that? We don’t know.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I think the gospel writers often wrote this way to challenge us. What are we going to do with what Jesus said?

It is not enough to have head knowledge. It is not enough to be able to quote the Bible backwards and forwards. You need to live it. It needs to sink into your heart and change you.

Here’s another question. Did the Samaritan in the story see the actions (or lack thereof) of the priest and the Levite?

This person who only had a distorted view of who God really was, who mixed his religion with false ones, what did he think of the priest and the Levite? Particularly when he acted more godly than they did?

And when people see us, and compare us to themselves, what do they see? Do they ask concerning us, “How can they be so loving? How can they be so merciful? I want to be like them.”

Or do they say, “Is that what a Christian is? I’m better than they are.”

Let us not be merely people filled with head knowledge. Rather let us let it sink into our hearts and live it.

Let us not simply live lives of going to church on Sunday and doing religious things. Rather let us live lives of mercy and grace that others may see Christ in us and desire him too.

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Luke Luke 10

To love in deed and truth

Luke

As I read this passage, the words of John spring to mind when he said,

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18)

We see this in the “Good Samaritan.” How did he love in deed and truth?

First, he overcame the prejudices of his own culture.

One of the most shocking things to any Jew listening to this story was that it was probably Jews that beat up this man, and Jews, a priest and Levite no less, that refused to help this man in need.

But a Samaritan, someone who was absolutely loathed by the Jews for his mixed racial and religious background, sees the need of this Jew, and his compassion overpowers any feelings of prejudice he might have.

Which leads to the second point, his compassion led to action.

It’s one thing to look with sorrow on one who is hurting. It is another thing altogether to actually reach out and touch that person. What did he do?

He went to this man. (Luke 10:34a)

He soothed this man’s hurt. (Luke 10:34b)

He went out of his way to minister to this man’s need, taking him to an inn, and then caring for him through the night. (Luke 10:34c)

He even used his own resources to take care of this man. (Luke 10:35)

And Jesus tells us as he told the expert in the law, “Go and do likewise. Have mercy on those that you see in need around you.”

It’s so easy, though, to make excuses as to why you can’t. You’re too busy. You probably couldn’t help even if you wanted to. Or you’ve got more “important things to do.”

That’s probably what the priest and Levite thought.

Perhaps they thought he might be already dead, in which case, they might become ceremonially unclean (according to God’s law) if they touched him, making it impossible to carry out their duties at the temple.

And so these “duties” overcame any pity or compassion they may have had for the man.

Or maybe they just thought, “It’s not my responsibility. I’m no doctor. What can I do?”

Whatever their excuse, they forgot the words that God had spoken to Hosea.

I desire mercy, not sacrifice. (Hosea 6:6)

How about you? What do you do when you see others in need? Do you see them, but then walk by. Do you pray, but fail to go to them and actually do what you can to meet their needs? Do you make excuses for why you don’t go to them.

Let us live lives of mercy, remembering that that’s the kind of heart God wants to see in us. Let us not simply love with words or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

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Luke Luke 10

Ask…then go!

Luke

In this passage, we see Jesus not only sending out the 12 disciples, but 72 others. And he gives them pretty much the same instructions that he had given the 12 when he first sent them out.

But it’s the first few verses that strike me. First he told them something he had said before. He said,

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Luke 10:2)

Meaning, of course, that there are many people out there that are ready to hear the gospel and would believe if only we had enough workers to go out and reach them.

So Jesus said, “Pray. Pray that God would send people out.”

But Jesus doesn’t stop by saying, “Pray.” He immediately tells them, “Go! I am sending you out…” (Luke 10:3)

And he tells us the same. Certainly, he wants us to pray for more workers. But he wants to start with you. He wants you to hear his call and go out to reach those around you.

Sometimes, as we go out, we fear rejection. But Jesus reminds us,

He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me. (Luke 10:16)

In other words, remember that if they reject your message, they are not really rejecting you, they are rejecting me. So don’t lose heart. And remember also that there will be those who will listen and be saved.

He then encourages us by saying,

Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.

For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Luke 10:23-24)

For so long, people like Moses, David, Daniel, and others longed to see the kingdom of God come with power. And now, with Christ’s coming, we have that opportunity to see it come into the lives of the people around us.

But we will never see it unless we go out. If we do, however, we will see his kingdom come with power in the lives of those who believe.

So don’t just pray…go!