Wednesday after Invocavit Sunday
Posted on March 4, 2020 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 10:38—11:13 (NKJV)
10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”
5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Devotion
Today, our subject again addresses priorities—First Commandment issues—that challenge our allegiance to Jesus. These “challenges” are not always vices, but can be things that are normally quite necessary and good. Martha is busy preparing a meal. Nothing is wrong with that, right? After all, we have to eat. And doesn’t Jesus Himself encourage us to pray for “daily bread?”
But the preparation of earthly bread must always take a back seat over the receiving of heavenly bread. To the casual observer, Martha seems right in complaining that her sister Mary is “only” sitting at Jesus’ feet, while she is doing all the work. But Mary knows the meaning of “Sabbath.” It doesn’t mean “be lazy,” but instead means “rest in the Lord.” Salvation is about receiving, not doing, and indeed Mary has chosen the better portion. You can work, play, and eat anytime, but when the Lord offers up Himself in Divine Service, there is only one choice. Let us make the First and Third Commandments our daily priority, that our lives may be properly balanced, and receive the heavenly food our soul craves.
Prayer: One thing’s needful; Lord, this treasure teach me highly to regard; all else, though it first give pleasure, is a yoke that presses hard. Beneath it the heart is still fretting and striving, no true, lasting happiness ever deriving. The gain of this one thing all loss can requite and teach me in all things to find true delight. (TLH 366:1)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
