What it means to abide in Jesus Christ's Presence - Character Studies On Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-42

 

Introduction:

   What follows below is a post that derives from a recent sermon I preached in our Sunday morning service at the church where I pastor. It is part of our verse-by-verse sermon series through Luke's Gospel. I preached about the importance of "abiding in Jesus Christ". In today's post and the next several I'll be sharing excerpts from that sermon, where I draw observations from Luke 10:38-42 on two sisters, one named "Mary" and the other named "Martha". We will see how their lives and responses to Jesus' ministry highlight what it means for the Christian to abide in Him. Might these next several posts encourage the reader who is looking to grow in their faith or interested in understanding better what the Christian life is all about. 

Some introductory remarks about "abiding in Jesus Christ"

    When one receives Jesus Christ in saving faith and repentance, they not only receive the gift of eternal life but begin to learn what we will begin to focus upon today – the abiding life. You’ll notice how that word “life” is common to salvation’s beginning and daily living. Jesus notes in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

      I remember in our Florida days when pastoring we lived near a beautiful lake with dozens of palm trees and other trees encircling its perimeter. One day, my wife and I were driving this scenic route and noticed how two large trees had grown up so close to one another that they fused to form one larger tree. The more unusual feature of this group was a palm tree growing right out of the middle of the “V” between this “double tree”. We stared at it for a while, noting how the palm tree was encased in those trees, and they embraced it. 

    You could say the palm tree was “abiding” in that larger double tree. It was protected, sheltered in storms, and nourished by the much larger tree. That pictures for me what it means to “abide” in Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself uses such organic imagery to describe His life with His followers in John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

     We come today to the close of Luke 10 and meet two sisters, Mary and Martha. They had a brother who experienced life from death – Lazarus (John 11). These three siblings had one thing in common: they all understood what it meant to abide in Jesus Christ. What do we mean by “abiding” in Jesus Christ? To abide in Christ is when my faith is settled in spiritual union with Him, identification with Him, and bearing fruit for Him. 

    Mary will be our focus today as we see how she abided in the presence of Christ. In this post we will consider how she abided in the presence of His words. The next two posts will cover abiding in Christ by consideration of His cross and majesty. Below is an outline of today's post and the next couple.

1. Abide in the presence of His words.        Luke 10:38-42

2. Abide in the presence of His cross.          John 12:3-8

3. Abide in the presence of His majesty.       Acts 1:11-15

Abide in the presence of His words. Luke 10:38-42

     Let’s turn our attention to Luke 10:38-39, “Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.” Again, To abide in Christ is when my faith is settled in spiritual union with Him, identification with Him, and bearing fruit for Him. 

    We are drawn to Mary in this scene by how she abided in the Lord’s presence in Luke 10:42. We must not equate abiding in the Lord’s presence with idleness. 

    My father was a carpenter by trade. I recall many times him sitting at his chair at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. reading his Bible and praying, followed by him building something and hearing him sing a hymn with a ringing falsetto and Kentucky drawl. He abided. Herbert Lockyer the voluminous commentator quotes Charles Wesley in his remarks about Mary,

         “Oh that I would forever sit, Like Mary, at the Master’s feet;

         Be this my happy choice; My only care, delight, and bliss,

         My joy, my Heaven on earth be this, to hear the Bridegroom’s voice.”

    This posture of “sitting beside the feet” captures well the underlying Greek text. It gives the sense of someone devoting their life to instruction and discipleship under a master, a teacher, or as the Jews called it, “Rabbi”. To illustrate, the Apostle Paul in Acts 22:3a describes his early days before His conversion to Christ, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel”. Why abide in the Master’s words

    A. Life giving words.

    John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” God’s words possess life-giving power. So closely linked is Jesus Christ to the Scriptures that He and it are called “the word of God”. The Holy Spirit through them gives life to the soul that is nothing less than Christ Himself. In John 1:14 Jesus Christ is called “the Word made flesh” – the Living Word, that same Living Word eternal with the Father (John 1:1). 1 Peter 1:24-25, quoting Isaiah 40:8, carefully distinguishes Jesus the living Word from the Bible the written word, For, ‘All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you.” Life-giving words.

     B. Love-giving words.

     God’s Word is that quality, being “living, active” (Hebrews 4:12). But God’s Word also has the power to produce love for the Lord. John 15:7-9 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” We see Jesus’ words were life and love-giving, but notice thirdly.

   C. Light giving words. Luke 10:42

   Mary would not budge. Despite Martha’s protest to have the Lord tell her sister to help her in preparing the meal, Jesus responded in Luke 10:42 “but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” She knew the protocol of the day was to help her sister, yet she “chose the better part”. 

    Notice how others chose God as their portion. Abraham “chose the better part”, described in Hebrews 11:10 as looking for “the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” God illumined him by His words to go to the land He would show him, foregoing the pleasures of this life in Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 12:1-7). 

    King David in the Old Testament also chose “the better part”, described as a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 7:46; Samuel 13:14; Psalm 89:20; Acts 13:21). 

    The Apostle Peter would do the same. He said to Jesus in John 6:68-69 “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” He chose “the better part”. 

    The Apostle Paul’s whole ministry was about choosing the better part, Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Abiding in Jesus’ presence by His life-giving, love-giving, and light-giving words.

More next time.....