Posted on May 14, 2023 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
One Thing
By Allison Antrim
Today’s Bible passage (Luke 10:38-42) is one that can be easy to gloss over because it’s so familiar. Looking closely, I am surprised to see myself identifying more with Martha than ever before. I aspire to have a clean and comfortable home that brings peace and relaxation to my family, but with a toddler and a full-time job, I never have everything done on my to-do list to get my house to that condition. I often dwell on my failure to do all the tasks I consider to be so important and worry what people think of me. When anyone comes over to my house, I am on edge wondering if they will notice the cat hair on the chair or the weeks-old dust on the shelves and think less of me for it.
I still think hospitality and homemaking duties are important, but I’m reminded by Martha and Mary’s story that spending time with the Lord who loves me is far better for my family and myself than an empty to-do list and a spotless house. To listen and learn from God, who gives himself freely to all who would come to him, fills my soul to the point that there is less space for worry and anxiety to dominate my thoughts. My self-worth is found in what Jesus accomplished for me by his death and resurrection. I am set free to live in his love and extend grace, peace, and joy to my family, my friends, and my coworkers, instead of passing on stress and irritation. And in addition to this, my chores and tasks will still get accomplished along the way; they just won’t rule over me as the most important things I can do, or the things I have to do, in order to feel satisfied with myself. If Jesus is satisfied with me, and invites me to be with him, no checked-off list of accomplishments can compete with that.
Do tasks that need to get done or the opinions of others take up too much space in your life? What would it look like to emulate Mary this week and sit at Jesus’ feet before attending to your to-do list?
The Journey through Luke
Join us in these daily reflections from the book of Luke in the New Testament. This book was written after Acts for a non-Jewish friend to help give historical context to what was going on in the church at the time. We are like Theophilus (most of us) – we did not grow up steeped in Jewish traditions, the Old Testament, and the prophecies. So Luke writes to people like us to make sense of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. For more background, check out these short videos from our friends at The Bible Project:
In this passage, Jesus encounters two different men who want something from him. In the first story (v. 18-25), a rich young ruler wants to know how to get eternal life. His focus is on what he needs to do, and the story ends with sorrow as Jesus’ final requirement – for the man to give away everything he owns and follow Him – is too hard. In the second story (v.35-43), a blind man wants Jesus’ mercy and healing. His focus is on what Jesus alone can do, and it ends happily with the man’s request for healing being met. He also chooses to follow Jesus, praising God along the way. This week, where in your life can you ask Jesus to take action on your behalf, rather than focusing on your own efforts to meet your needs?
Here we see Jesus have another encounter with a rich man, followed by a story about money. For both Zacchaeus and two of the servants in the parable, their faithfulness is proven by what they do with the money they have. For one of the servants in the parable, because he didn’t do anything with what he was given, he loses the money he did receive and it goes to the one who earned the most. As you wait for Christ to return, how are you being faithful with the resources God has given you – not just money, but also your time and talents?
Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, riding a borrowed colt, surrounded by the praises of disciples who “began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen” (v. 37). Jesus’ works testify to His nature: God in the flesh, the Savior of the world. Those who had seen Him do miraculous things believed that He was who He said He was. We don’t have Jesus in the flesh on earth today, and it’s not common to see miracles like He performed at that time. If you believe Jesus is Who He says He is, what miraculous things has He done in your life? How can you praise Him for what He has done for you this week?
The Pharisees were always looking for a way to ensnare Jesus and discredit Him. Jesus avoids their verbal traps every time, even going so far as to tell a parable that they recognize features them as the villains. First, he uses John the Baptist to counter their question about His authority. Later, he uses Caesar in the socio-political question about taxes. What do you think about Jesus’ answers to the Pharisees’ questions? What do they reveal about Him? What do they reveal about the Pharisees?
First it was the Pharisees, and now it is the Sadducees who test Jesus with a question at the center of their beliefs. Although they quoted Moses in their attempt to trap him about the state of marriage in the resurrection, he is able to quote Moses back to them regarding God being “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (v. 37, quoting from Exodus 3:6). He also shares key information about what it is like to be resurrected: there is no marrying or giving in marriage, no more death, and those who have died in Christ are like the angels. All of them are called God’s children. Why is it important that God is the God of the living and not the dead? How does this impact your understanding of what awaits Christians after this life?
In this passage, Jesus draws a sharp contrast between the teachers of the law and a poor widow. The teachers of the law, those who appeared to be among the most righteous of the people are implied by Jesus to be prideful and selfish. Specifically, he charges them with “devouring widows’ houses” in 20:47, which is interesting because immediately afterward he draws the disciples’ attention to a poor widow giving her financial gift in the synagogue. Her meager offering is declared by Jesus to be greater than that given by those around her, who gave without it having any impact on their daily needs, while she put it “all she had to live on” (21:4). What is Jesus saying about righteousness in this contrast? How do we apply that to our perspectives on money and the poor?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
Please visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and share what you are learning, questioning or experiencing. We love conversations!
