Serving Jesus on Full Luke 10:38–42 (NASB 2020)
Introduction
This morning, fresh from ordaining a new deacon, I want us to look at what it truly means to serve Jesus. Because ministry is not just about filling a role, carrying out tasks, or staying busy for the church. Ministry — whether as a deacon, pastor, or faithful believer — is first about being with the Lord and then serving from that place.
And nowhere is that balance shown more clearly than in the story of Martha and Mary.
Let’s read Luke 10:38–42.
Here are two sisters. Martha, bustling about with service. Mary, quietly sitting at Jesus’ feet. Jesus doesn’t rebuke Martha for serving, nor does He tell Mary to get up and help. Instead, He reveals a deeper truth: our service is meant to flow from our devotion.
So today, let’s see three truths from this passage.
- Serving Without Sitting Leads to Emptiness and Burnout (Martha’s Example)
Verse 40 says, “Martha was distracted with much serving.”
The word “distracted” literally means “pulled away” — torn in many directions. Martha was busy serving, but in her busyness she lost the joy of her service. She grew frustrated, resentful, even accusatory toward Jesus: “Lord, don’t You care…?”
This is the natural outcome of serving without sitting. When we serve but neglect time at the Lord’s feet, our tank runs dry. We go through the motions, but inwardly we feel empty. We may keep pouring out, but there’s nothing left inside.
As Wayne Cordeiro puts it in Leading on Empty:
“We were not designed to live with our soul perpetually drained. You can keep running on fumes for a season, but eventually the engine burns out. Ministry was never meant to be sustained apart from intimacy with Christ.”
Martha was running on fumes. She was doing the right things in the wrong way — serving Jesus without first sitting with Him.
Application: Service without devotion doesn’t just lead to frustration; it leads to emptiness and burnout. Some of us today are exhausted, not because the work is too hard, but because we’re trying to do it without first being filled at His feet.
- Sitting Without Serving Leads to Barrenness (A Misreading of Mary)
Verse 39 says, “Mary…was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.”
And in verse 42, Jesus commends her: “Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Now, it’s important to note what this means and what it doesn’t mean.
- Mary was not being lazy.
- Mary was not refusing to help.
- Mary was not neglecting her responsibilities.
Mary was prioritizing Jesus’ presence. She wanted to hear His word.
But listen carefully — devotion is never an excuse for inactivity. Time at Jesus’ feet always prepares us for faithful service. In fact, later in John 12, it’s Mary who takes her expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus’ feet in an extravagant act of service and devotion.
So we must not misunderstand — the one who sits with Jesus is also the one who rises to serve Him.
Application: Some people want to soak in God’s presence but never put hands to the work. That’s not true discipleship. Sitting must lead to serving. Listening must lead to living.
- The Balance: Serving Out of Devotion (Jesus’ Correction)
In verses 41–42, Jesus speaks directly to Martha:
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Notice — He doesn’t scold her for serving. Service is good. But He does lovingly correct her heart. Her priorities were off. She was so consumed with the tasks that she missed the treasure sitting right in her living room.
Jesus points to the “one necessary thing” — Himself. Mary chose the better portion, not because she was inactive, but because she placed Him first.
This is the balance: we serve out of devotion. The best service is not the busiest hand, but the heart that has been with the Lord.
Illustration: Think of a lamp. A lamp only gives light when it’s plugged in. If it’s unplugged, it doesn’t matter how polished it looks or how perfectly it’s placed — it gives no light. Service without devotion is like a lamp unplugged. But when you sit at His feet, you’re plugged into the Source. Then when you serve, the light shines.
Closing Challenge
So where do you find yourself this morning?
- More like Martha — busy, distracted, anxious in service?
- More like Mary — sitting, listening, choosing the better portion?
The truth is, Jesus doesn’t ask us to pick between them. He calls us to a holy balance: to sit at His feet, and from that place, to rise and serve with joy.
To our new deacon — and to all of us — the call is the same:
- Be with Jesus.
- Then serve Jesus.
- Don’t serve from an empty heart. Serve from an overflowing heart.
That’s what it means to live between Martha and Mary — to serve Jesus out of devotion.
Final Invitation
Ask yourself today:
- Am I more distracted than devoted?
- Am I so busy serving that I’ve forgotten to sit?
- Am I content to sit, but never rise to serve?
Choose the good portion. Sit at His feet. Then rise to serve Him with joy.
Declare together: “Lord, let my service flow from Your presence. Let my hands be busy because my heart has been with You.”
