This document summarizes a sermon about Martha from the Bible story of Jesus visiting Martha and Mary. The sermon describes how Martha became distracted from listening to Jesus teach by preparing a large meal alone. She grew angry at her sister Mary for just sitting and listening to Jesus instead of helping. When Martha confronted Jesus about it, he gently reminded her that few things are needed and Mary had chosen what is better by focusing on Jesus rather than getting distracted by other tasks. The sermon uses this story as a lesson that ministry should be focused on Jesus rather than allowing ourselves to get upset or distracted by other concerns.

2. What had Martha done wrong?
Wasn't she being a servant?
Wasn't she serving Jesus and his men?
Was Jesus telling her she shouldn't have been
preparing the meal?
Or was there something else wrong here?

3. A mother and her young daughter had been
driving on the highway for a couple of hours
and traffic had been difficult… in fact, some of
the other drivers had been downright
frustrating. They wouldn’t use their turn signals,
she’d been cut off, tail gated, and then there had
been the cars in front of her who insisted on
moving way below the speed limit.

4. Have you ever had that happen to you?
Yeah, me too.
And as the day wore on, her patience ran out
and she began to begin to speak her
frustrations out loud. She began to talk about
the level of intelligence of the other drivers.
They were ignorant, jerks, stupid.
Have you ever done that? Yeah, I’ve done it too.

5. Well, after a while, she tamed down and got
control of herself. And in the quietness that
followed, her young daughter looked up
innocently at her and asked:
“Mother, have you ever been stupid?”
Have you ever been behind the wheel of your
car… and been… stupid?
Yeah, me too!
The author of this sermon tells his story:

6. I had been on the road for a few hours and I was
running low on gas, so I pulled into a gas
station through the back way. I wanted to get
gas quickly and get back on the road and I
could tell there were about 4 gas pumps that
were open, but I couldn’t get to them. There was
this white truck parked across my path… and he
was just sitting there. He wouldn’t MOVE and I
couldn’t get to the pumps. He just SAT there.
It was so FRUSTRATING.

7. What would you have done in that situation?
(Honk horn).
Yes sir. That’s what I did.
I honked to let him know how upset I was.
But then – no sooner than I honked my horn – I
see this other vehicle backing out of a parking
spot in front of the gas station. And I suddenly
realized… that white truck had just been being
courteous to car. He had been waiting patiently,
giving that other vehicle room to back up.

8. He had been patient.
I hadn’t.
I had acted like a jerk…. I had been STUPID!
Now, in our text this morning we read the story
of a woman who acted… stupidly.
Her name was “Martha”.

9. Just like the sermon writer at the gas station,
Martha did something foolish.
Now, she hadn’t started out to be foolish.
She’d actually been trying to be a very gracious
hostess to Jesus and His disciples. They had
been traveling across the countryside as Jesus
taught the crowds, and they’d stopped by
Martha’s village. She had invited them into her
home to rest. And she began to prepare a meal
for them.

10. Now, this was quite a task. She hadn’t expected
them and nothing was prepared for such a large
group. And it wasn’t like she could go down to
the corner grocery and buy food that had been
precooked. Everything she set before them had
to be made from scratch. But she did this gladly,
because Jesus and His men were honored
guests.

11. And while she prepared the meal… Jesus sat
down in the next room and began to teach.
Now, (Martha’s sister) Mary is there.
And she’s excited.
She loves Jesus.
She idolizes Him.
He’s her hero.

12. Tells of another time that Jesus came
to their house.
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an
expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet
and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house
was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. NIV

13. Jesus is Mary’s hero.
She literally worships the ground He walks on.
And NOW… here He is… in her house… and
He’s teaching.
This is GREAT!
Mary doesn’t get much of a chance to listen to
Jesus.

14. But now here He is and she’s so excited she just
sits right down at Jesus’ feet and listens to Him.
And she forgets ALL about Martha
And the meal
And setting the table.
Now Martha doesn’t share Mary’s enthusiasm.

15. It’s not that she doesn’t enjoy listening to Jesus
(Everybody loves listening to Jesus)
But there’s work to be done…
and Mary ain’t doing it.
I can see this in my mind’s eye as it all plays
out.
Little by little… MARTHA… GETS … UPSET.

16. She starts by making little noises in the kitchen
to express her displeasure.
She sets a pot down on the table… really hard.
She bangs a few of the utensils into the wash
bucket.
And you can see a small frown begins to play at
the edge of her lips.

17. As she working in the kitchen she glances into
the other room.
She’s always looking at Mary – just SITTING
there – doing nothing.
The looks she gives her sister are not pleasant
looks. They’re dark and ugly.

18. She steps over to the fire and vigorously she
stirs the stew. Too vigorously. Some of it slops
over the edge of the pot, and she angrily wipes
it up with a cloth. And she burns her hand a
little. Then in her anger she wads up the
washcloth and throws it over in the wash
bucket… and she misses.

19. One thing, leads to another thing, leads to
another thing. And she gets more and more
worked up, because NOTHING is working out
for her. Everything’s going wrong. And it’s all
Mary’s fault. Mary’s just sitting there and doing
nothing.

20. And Martha starts getting so mad she can
hardly see straight. Finally…
she has had ALL SHE CAN TAKE!
NIV But Martha was distracted by all
the preparations that had to be made. She came
to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my
sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell
her to help me!"

21. Now, this is wrong on so many levels, it’s hard
to know where to start.
Martha has lost her temper
And she’s pitched a fit in front of her guests.
But worst of all – she’s forgotten who’s in her
house.
She’s gotten so upset about her agenda that
she’s begun to treat Jesus like a servant.
She’s TELLS HIM what to do.

22. “You tell her to come help me” (she says)
Now, at this point, Jesus is faced with one angry
woman
And I want you to notice how He handles her.
He says to her:
NIV "Martha, Martha," the Lord
answered, "you are worried and upset about
many things, but few things are needed—or
indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is
better, and it will not be taken away from her."

23. Now, some folks have believed that Jesus was
implying that Martha’s work in the Kitchen was
(somehow) not a good thing. That Martha
should have been sitting down beside Mary
instead of working in the kitchen.
But that is NOT what’s happening here.
Notice: Did Jesus ever tell Martha she was
wrong for working in the kitchen?
Did He rebuke her for not being in the room
listening to Him teach?
No.

24. In fact, the next time we read about Jesus coming to
her home she’s doing exactly the same thing.
And guess what it says about Martha.
“Martha served.”
NIV Six days before the Passover, Jesus
came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus
had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given
in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was
among those reclining at the table with him.
You can’t get this woman out of the kitchen.
That’s what she does. And she’s good at it…

25. Why else do think Jesus shows up there so
often to eat?
In our story this morning, it’s not like Martha
couldn’t have heard Jesus while she was
working. It’s not THAT big a house. She’s
probably just in the next room – and Jesus has
a voice loud enough to teach 1000s.
When Jesus came to her house she could have
prepared the meal AND LISTENED to Him
But she wasn’t.

26. Martha was NOT listening to Jesus.
And, why wasn’t she listening????
Well, verse 40 says - “Martha was distracted by
all the preparations that had to be made…”
What’s distracting her?
Mary is.
Mary’s not helping do all the preparations that
Martha thinks she should.

27. Now was Mary a lazy girl?
No. Because, if she were Jesus would have
rebuked her.
He would have ordered her into the kitchen that
very moment.
Apparently, Mary probably did her share around
the house… most of the time.
It’s just THIS time, she wanted to be in the room
with Jesus.

28. So, the problem really isn’t Mary… It’s Martha.
But as I studied this story –
I got a little confused.
Martha was being a servant.
She was doing ministry.
She was meeting the needs of Jesus and His
disciples.
I thought that was what we were supposed to be
doing!
Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?

29. But you can tell that something was wrong here
because Martha got angry.
NIV because human anger does not
produce the righteousness that God desires.
So allow me to let you in on a secret here…
If you’re angry with someone – they’re not the
problem. You are.
When you find yourself getting mad at
someone, you’re the one with the problem.

30. Now notice how Jesus deals with her:
NIV "Martha, Martha," the Lord
answered, "you are worried and upset about
many things, but few things are needed—or
indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is
better, and it will not be taken away from her."
Notice how gentle He is with her.
He’s not belittling her ministry.
He’s not questioning her love for Him.

31. He says her name… twice (Martha, Martha)
IT’s almost like He’s saying: It’s ok. You’ve done
good things --- and I appreciate it.
BUT Martha, you forgot something.
You forgot to put ME FIRST.
Mary has understood that.
She has understood that it’s not about her…
it’s about me.
You forgot that Martha.”

32. Just to give you an idea of how this can happen,
let me tell you about a meeting for a new
building project.
The contractor talked about things that could be
done to help raise money for the new building.
He talked about having plaques put up for
donations in memory of a loved one.
You’ve seen those in some church buildings.
In fact there’s one on this pulpit I am standing
behind.

33. They’re be a plaque that says: “this window was
donated in memory of…
Or this tree was planted in memory of…
Or this brick was purchased by this member or
that member.
The contractor was told,
“we don’t do that here.”
He looked surprised.
Why wouldn’t they be willing to do that?
Well, it’s very simple.

34. Once a “in memory” plate goes on a door or a
window it forever belongs to that family.
Fifty years from now, if someone decides that it
needs to be replaced you need to have a church
vote or you’ll never get rid of it.
Why? Because once a door or window has been
donated it doesn’t belong to Jesus.
It belongs to the family that donated it.
You could have a major fight on your hands if
you don’t honor “their” part of the building.

35. So, they’re not going to do that there.
This building doesn’t belong to you or me.
But now, wait a minute, if it doesn’t belong to
you or me, who does it belong to? (Jesus)
My name, your name, your granddad’s name,
NONE of that will appear on this bldg.
Because this building isn’t about YOU.
And it isn’t about ME.
It’s about Jesus.

36. When you do a ministry in the church you’ve
got to handle it the same way.
It’s not your ministry… it belongs to Jesus.
Who do the Elders work for?
How about the Deacons?
The Sunday School teacher?
The preachers, Nate & myself?
Yes, God gave Elders the task of shepherding
His flock. They are supervisors, but your & my
service/ministry belongs to Jesus!

37. You can usually tell when somebody forgets
that.
They get upset.
They don’t feel appreciated.
They don’t agree with a decision.
They don’t believe the church is doing
something right.
And so they get mad…
and they throw a hissy fit… just like Martha did.

38. There was a church where there were 3 or 4 very
talented piano players in the congregation and
they got really bent out of shape when they
didn’t get their “fair share” of playing time in
worship.
Why were they upset?
They were upset because their ministry at the
piano didn’t belong to Jesus…
it belonged to them.
They were Martha’s.

39. Now, I have never seen that happen here.
That’s why this has always been such a great
place to minister.
Because it seems like everybody has Mary’s
attitude.
You all seem to be here to worship Jesus,
to sit at His feet and honor Him.

40. A couple moved their membership to a church.
The man was concerned.
He was worried if he tried to get involved in
doing ministry there, some folks would get
upset.
He was concerned about stepping on toes and
ruffling some feathers.
He had seen churches where people were
concerned about their “turf”.

41. He was told, “Aw don’t worry about that.
Nobody here cares. They’ll just scoot over and
let you do what you feel you’re gifted to do…
and if need be they’ll go find something else to
do.”
There’s no “TURF” here.
Nobody is concerned about being pushed out of
their ministry.

42. Because so many of you are Mary-kind of folks.
But (that said) none of us are immune to Martha
moments.
None of us are immune to forgetting that the
church isn’t about US… it’s about Jesus.
And every once in a while, even the best of us
can get a little upset.

43. Several years ago there was a full time youth
minister named Brad. Brad was VERY good at
his job. In fact, he deserved far more than what
they could afford to pay him. He was a very
talented and Christlike man.
But he was almost too good. He was so good at
so many things that the preacher literally began
to be concerned about him possibly taking his
job. For a short period of time, the preacher
considered what he might do to “slow him
down.”

44. It was a Martha moment for him.
But fortunately, the emotion so shocked him
that he had a long talk with Jesus about it.
He mentally gave his job to Jesus.
He told Him that the pulpit was His to do with as
He saw fit.
If He wanted Brad to take over he would abide
by His decision and trust Him for the outcome.

45. There have been of preachers who have ruined
youth ministers because they became jealous of
them, and one preacher that ran through 3
youth ministers in 5 years because he felt
threatened by how well they did their ministry.
Martha moments can happen to any of us.

46. And, it’s when that happens (if we let Him)
Jesus takes us aside and says our name
softly…
“Rick…Rick, you’re anxious and troubled about
many things. There’s only ONE thing that
important - glorifying Jesus in this church.
Sitting at His feet and loving on Him.”

47. Here’s a problem another church had.
One of the members came up with a GREAT
idea for outreach and the church had done this
project year after year with pretty good results.
But then – one year – the leadership decided to
try something else. They decided to substitute a
new program for the old one that this man had
initiated for them. And he WAS NOT HAPPY!

48. In fact, he got so upset, he shared his anger
with several members of the church.
He told them how stupid the leadership was for
abandoning his dream and he proceeded to say
some unkind things about the Elders there.
He had a Martha moment.
He felt the leaders didn’t share his vision.
They didn’t appreciate his ministry.

49. And he got so mad… he flew off the handle.
And he could have damaged the church
But fortunately… just in time… he had a “come
to Jesus moment.” It was almost like Jesus took
him aside and told him – you’re troubled about
many things. But you’ve missed the most
important thing --- honoring your ME.”

50. He’d gotten upset because he thought his
dream/vision/ministry was all about him.
He’d forgotten when you’re a Christian
everything we do must be all about Jesus. And
when that man realized what he’d done - how
he’d embarrassed his Savior - he went to the
preacher and he humbled himself and asked
forgiveness. And then he spent several hours
on the phone apologizing to folks for what he’d
said.

51. For the next few weeks, I want to concentrate on
sitting at Jesus’ feet like Mary did.
Here is your assignment:
Every day: Read one chapter from the book of
Proverbs.
Spend time every day this week learning
something from Jesus in

52. And as you do these devotions I want you to
focus on asking yourself what Jesus wants you
to do with the information you read.
One wise person once said “It’s not how many
times you’ve been through the Bible. It’s how
many times the Bible has been through you.”