Luke 10:38-41 English Standard Version (ESV)

Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,

Notice carefully that it was Martha that made the invitation. Look at this act in the same way we ask Jesus into our lives. While Jesus was speaking Martha busied herself with playing her role as hostess. This was a role she was brought up to fill, perhaps as the older sister, perhaps as the head of the household.

When we invite Christ into our lives do we seek to play our role as we know it or do we seek to listen and to discover what our Lord has to say? Look to Martha’s question. “Lord do you not care?” About what is irrelevant, Martha is asking the Lord to care about her concerns. Jesus answers truly, as always.

“Martha you are anxious and troubled.”

Break this anxiety down into its component parts. Martha is playing a role and is anxious to serve in the capacity of the responsibilities she learned when growing up in another life. Any failure to perform according to those responsibilities by her own standards will reflect upon her in that role. She is fearful of being judged by standards which her guest, Jesus, has not placed upon her.

We come into this relationship with Jesus with an expectation of what Jesus wants without waiting to hear what Jesus has to say. We are preconditioned to expect according to who we think we are in playing our role set in another life.

Servants wait for orders before following orders.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

This is the description of perfect love. It does not say anything about a measure of love. If we only love others who will return a measure of love, is that love?

Luke 6:34 English Standard Version (EV) And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

If we view love of money as an element of this verse then love is part of the equation. 1 Corinthians 13 does not speak to a measure of love because it is not to be withheld.

Matthew 22:37 English Standard Version (ESV) And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Since the perfect love of God abides in us without measure we are asked not to love by measure.

What would you do for love?

Before you answer that remember that Christ died willingly to gain our love. He held nothing back.