The two greatest commandments are to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27) When asked, ‘Who is my neighbor?’ Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate a loving neighbor. However, that’s the second commandment, not the greatest. What does loving God look like? The author Luke recalls this moment with Martha and Mary to show us what it means to love God above all else. Many have pursued and gone far with the second commandment but loving our neighbor without loving God first only ends up in morality. We must love God with all our hearts first. The greatest commandment must come first.
This is important because if we understand our lives as Martha does then it causes problems and we won’t know how to deal with them. During difficulties, many people fail to seek the spiritual first. This happens even when serving the Lord. They fail to sit at the feet of Jesus and love Him. Instead, their lives are full of worries and anxiety. They try to do things by their own strength instead of depending on Jesus and holding fast to His word.
“Jesus entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home” – Luke 10:38. Martha is the older sister, the head of her household and she is the one credited with welcoming Jesus into her home. She welcomes Jesus warmly and heartily, wanting to give her best to Him.
Mary is also there, and In the beginning, she most likely helps Martha with all the preparations. While preparing, Mary stops what she is doing and chooses to sit at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. She knew what must be prioritized. Many Christians are confused about our priorities in our lives. We have many different options for how to serve. There are many things that require our attention in the home, at work, and at church. They are all good and responsible things. However, in all of these things, we must put loving Jesus first. In a train, it is the locomotive that is in the front and it pulls all the other cars. Devotion to God and His word is the locomotive of our lives driving the rest of our actions (Joshua 1:2,8). People go through life accomplishing great things without knowing Jesus. In the end, they are worthless without Jesus. To know Jesus, to sit at His feet and listen to His word is the most important and valuable.
There are those who know of Jesus and those who know Jesus like Mary does. Even the demons know Jesus and tremble but they do not surrender to Him (Mark 1:24:26). In contrast, the disciples worshipped Jesus when they realized who He was (Matthew 14:33). They desired to know Him. We all should follow the example of Mary who desired to know Jesus. She sat at Jesus’ feet in total surrender, submitting to every word He spoke. This is what it means to be a Christian. She denied herself and took up her cross to follow Jesus Christ. This is not a perfect external service like Martha pursued. Christians are not perfect. We have our ups and downs. However the Christian surrenders.
Mary was also putting her faith in Jesus Christ by sitting at His feet. She chose Jesus because she knew He was the only way. She placed her trust and hope in Jesus. Jesus is absolutely good and perfect. He is our Lord and Savior. Why would we go anywhere else?
Mary was His disciple or in other words His student. Being at His feet and listening to Him meant this was a teaching environment. Jesus was preaching as usual and Mary stopped doing whatever she was doing to give Jesus her complete attention. Listening and obeying is the mark of discipleship because God desires obedience more than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22).
Mary was “listening to His word.” There are many voices out there in the world but there is only one voice we must listen to. There is only one voice that is true and divine. The converted Christian knows the voice of their Lord and listens to His voice in spite of all the other voices. Satan often whispers sweet lies to tempt us. Like Mary, the Christian only listens to Jesus. We listen to Jesus by learning and obeying. Think about your life and actions. What drives you? Is it your plans for the future, the needs of this world? Do they call you here and there? There is only one voice that is true, the voice of Jesus. Place yourself at His feet and listen to Him.
A Christian can hear the voice of God through His word, the Bible. This is where you must go primarily to hear Jesus. Go directly to Jesus in the Bible, spend time there, meditate on His word, wrestle with the truths, and find treasure in it (1 Peter 2:2,1 John 2:27). Do not solely rely on the preacher, the authors, or the commentator or other teachers. A faith without your own reading of the Bible is a proxy faith depending on men instead of God. Instead, you must read and listen to yourself so that the word of God may be planted in your heart (Psalm 119:11). Sit at the feet of Jesus by opening the Bible and listening to His word by reading and obeying.
Are you struggling with something in your life? Do you need answers? Do you have doubts? Are you lacking in some area of your life? Then you must go and meet the Lord in His word. Be like Jacob who wrestled all through the night until He received the Lord’s blessing (John 20:25). Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection but that‘s because He wanted to verify with His own eyes and hands. He desired more than someone else’s testimony. That’s why when Thomas meets Jesus for himself, he declares “My Lord and my God”. (John 20:25,28) If we pursue Jesus when we struggle or doubt then we place ourselves at His feet. The world tells us there are many things to do, but we know where we must be and what comes first. Mary completely surrendered to Jesus. She sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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