Priority Number One

If you have your Bibles this morning, please take them and find Luke 10:38.  I want to share a message with you entitled, “Priority Number One.”

 

I am so thankful for the providence of God.  In God’s providence, we ended 2024 looking at the story of the Good Samaritan and were reminded that our neighbors are all around us and in need. 

 

Consequently, Jesus expects His followers to meet those needs.  It doesn’t matter what our neighbor looks like or what language our neighbor speaks or how our neighbor votes or what our neighbor did in the past. 

 

We now begin 2025, and we’re still in Luke 10.  Like the story of the Good Samaritan, this story in Luke 10:38-42 is unique to Luke. 

 

For the follower of Christ, serving others should be a top priority.  However, reading and knowing God’s Word should be Priority Number One!

 

 

Exposition

In verse 38, Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, and they came to a certain village.  Because of this family of siblings, we know from John’s gospel that this village was Bethany.

 

In Bethany, a certain woman named Martha welcomed Jesus into her house.  This sibling group included Martha, Mary, and their brother, Lazarus. 

 

The text says that this house was Martha’s although it seems they all lived there.  Martha was also probably a widow since we never hear or see anything about a husband. 

 

The name Martha means mistress which is another name for hostess.  She was the hostess and in charge of the meals and accommodations for this Jesus and His disciples.  Let’s call her Meticulous Martha. 

 

In verse 39, we meet Martha’s sister, Mary.  Notice what she was doing.  She was sitting at Jesus’ feet hearing and listening to His word.  We can call her Mesmerized Mary.

 

BTW…In the first century, rabbis didn’t take women as their students, but that wasn’t true with Jesus.  Therefore, you can know that Jesus wants to make disciples of men and women and boys and girls and young and old and black and white and rich and poor and Republican and Democrat.

 

Verse 40 makes a very sharp contrast between Meticulous Martha and Mesmerized Mary.  Martha was distracted with much serving.  As I said earlier, she had food to prepare and accommodations to ready. 

 

When you have time to read your Bible, do you get easily distracted with kids, the laundry, the cleaning, the yard, Facebook, your hobbies?  Meticulous Martha got distracted with things that needed to be done.

 

She was so distracted and insulted by the lack of Mary’s help that she rebuked the Lord.  In not so many words, she said, “Lord, Don’t you care that I’m doing all this work and Mary isn’t helping a lick?  As a matter of fact, tell her to get in the kitchen and help me.”

 

Jesus never condemned Martha and her hospitality.  However, He did commend Mary and her listening at Jesus’ feet.

 

Look at verse 41.  Jesus said Martha’s name twice in His commendation. 

 

In verse 42, He said but one thing is need.  It’s as if He said, you’re preparing so many dishes, but just one dish is needed or necessary. 

 

What dish was that?  Mary had chosen it.  It was the bread of life.

 

John 6:35, 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

 

Matthew 4:4, 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

 

 

Main Message

Here is the main message.  In 2025, make daily Bible reading your number one priority!

 

“No spiritual discipline is more important than the intake of God’s word.  Nothing can substitute for it.  There is simply no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture.  The reasons for this are obvious.  In the Bible, God tell us about Himself, and especially about Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God.  The Bible unfolds the Law of God to us and shows us how we’ve all broken it.  There we learn how Christ died as a sinless, willing substitute for breakers of God’s Law and how we must repent and believe in Him to be right with God.  In the Bible, we learn the ways and will of the Lord.  We find in Scripture how to live in a way that is pleasing to God as well as best and most fulfilling for ourselves.  None of this eternally essential information can be found anywhere else except the Bible.  Therefore, if we would know God and be godly, we must know the word of God…intimately.”  Don Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

 

Furthermore, in addition to what some human says about God’s Word, listen to what God’s Word says about God’s Word.  See Psalm 119.

 

 

Application

I would suggest to you one of three avenues for application.  First, consider our monthly newsletter or member directory and handbook.

 

Second, consider YouVersion and one of their many plans.

 

Third, consider a daily Bible. 

 

Regardless, make daily Bible reading your number one priority in 2025!