by Pastor Kris Taylor
In Matthew 9:35 the Bible says that Jesus went about all the towns and villages, teaching, preaching, and healing. That’s a lot of coming and going, especially when you’re walking, as He was. Jesus was a busy man. He never passed up an opportunity to serve truth, healing, wisdom, or whatever was needed at the moment, wherever He was. He had come to serve people what the Father was offering, ultimately serving up Himself as the Father’s sacrificial lamb for the sins of lost humanity. There were even times when Jesus tried to withdraw, but Luke 9:10-11 tells us that the crowds would still come to Him and He would welcome them. Jesus understands what it means to be busy.
Many of us live very busy lives today, but we have a loving Savior Who beckons us to come and sit at His feet because He has manna for us, fresh from Heaven, that will nourish and strengthen us. That should excite us, that Jesus wants to personally serve us something. And what He serves is always good.
The book of Luke, chapter 10, verses 38-42, tells us of two sisters, Martha and Mary, who each had a different response to the presence of Jesus. They both were given the same opportunity to spend time with Him. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and heard what He had to say. The word “heard” in verse 39 actually means not only to hear, but also understand. In giving Jesus her full attention that day, Mary received something back that Jesus said wouldn’t be taken away from her. In Mark chapter 4 where Jesus teaches the parable of the sower, Mary is a type of verse 20 where the word is sown in good soil, with the good soil being those who hear with understanding and bear much fruit. In verses 24-25 Jesus exhorts His audience: “He also said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you are hearing! The measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you—and more besides! For anyone who has something will be given more; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away’”(Complete Jewish Bible). In other words, the measure of attention that we give will be used to measure understanding back to us! Mary gave a full measure of her attention to Jesus at that time, and something was measured back to her. She heard with understanding! She gained something that was very valuable while she was sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Then we have the example of Martha. Back in Luke 10, it says that she “was distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40 NKJ). Martha had decided that what she was serving was more important than what Jesus was serving. In fact, she was so focused on her serving that she became resentful of her sister Mary not helping and even tried to manipulate Jesus into doing something about it! Martha was a type of Mark 4:19 where it talks about the worries and cares of this world choking the word to the point where it becomes unfruitful. Martha didn’t sow the measure of attention through which she would have reaped a measure of understanding. She missed what Jesus wanted to give her that day.
Jesus has done so much for us. He deserves time with us where we lay aside the cares of this world and give Him our full focus and attention. It is one way to honor Him. The amount of time is not as important as what we do with that time, although it should gradually increase as we grow in the realization that time spent with Him is never wasted, but always beneficial. Hebrews 11:6 says that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. One of the meanings of the word diligently is “crave.” To crave means to yearn for, to have a strong or inward desire for something. We’ve all had cravings for certain foods, but a craving for Jesus that leads to giving Him our undivided attention will result in greater and greater understanding of His Kingdom and His ways as we move from “glory to glory” in His presence.
In Matthew 9:35 the Bible says that Jesus went about all the towns and villages, teaching, preaching, and healing. That’s a lot of coming and going, especially when you’re walking, as He was. Jesus was a busy man. He never passed up an opportunity to serve truth, healing, wisdom, or whatever was needed at the moment, wherever He was. He had come to serve people what the Father was offering, ultimately serving up Himself as the Father’s sacrificial lamb for the sins of lost humanity. There were even times when Jesus tried to withdraw, but Luke 9:10-11 tells us that the crowds would still come to Him and He would welcome them. Jesus understands what it means to be busy.
Many of us live very busy lives today, but we have a loving Savior Who beckons us to come and sit at His feet because He has manna for us, fresh from Heaven, that will nourish and strengthen us. That should excite us, that Jesus wants to personally serve us something. And what He serves is always good.
The book of Luke, chapter 10, verses 38-42, tells us of two sisters, Martha and Mary, who each had a different response to the presence of Jesus. They both were given the same opportunity to spend time with Him. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and heard what He had to say. The word “heard” in verse 39 actually means not only to hear, but also understand. In giving Jesus her full attention that day, Mary received something back that Jesus said wouldn’t be taken away from her. In Mark chapter 4 where Jesus teaches the parable of the sower, Mary is a type of verse 20 where the word is sown in good soil, with the good soil being those who hear with understanding and bear much fruit. In verses 24-25 Jesus exhorts His audience: “He also said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you are hearing! The measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you—and more besides! For anyone who has something will be given more; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away’”(Complete Jewish Bible). In other words, the measure of attention that we give will be used to measure understanding back to us! Mary gave a full measure of her attention to Jesus at that time, and something was measured back to her. She heard with understanding! She gained something that was very valuable while she was sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Then we have the example of Martha. Back in Luke 10, it says that she “was distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40 NKJ). Martha had decided that what she was serving was more important than what Jesus was serving. In fact, she was so focused on her serving that she became resentful of her sister Mary not helping and even tried to manipulate Jesus into doing something about it! Martha was a type of Mark 4:19 where it talks about the worries and cares of this world choking the word to the point where it becomes unfruitful. Martha didn’t sow the measure of attention through which she would have reaped a measure of understanding. She missed what Jesus wanted to give her that day.
Jesus has done so much for us. He deserves time with us where we lay aside the cares of this world and give Him our full focus and attention. It is one way to honor Him. The amount of time is not as important as what we do with that time, although it should gradually increase as we grow in the realization that time spent with Him is never wasted, but always beneficial. Hebrews 11:6 says that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. One of the meanings of the word diligently is “crave.” To crave means to yearn for, to have a strong or inward desire for something. We’ve all had cravings for certain foods, but a craving for Jesus that leads to giving Him our undivided attention will result in greater and greater understanding of His Kingdom and His ways as we move from “glory to glory” in His presence.