A. Every day brings a myriad of choices into our lives,
and we must make those choices faithfully if we are to please our Lord.
B. As an example to us, let us consider Mary, the sister
of Martha and Lazarus, who chose the "good part" when she chose to commit
herself to the Lord Jesus.
II. MARY'S CHOICES
A. Mary chose the good part when she listened to the word
of the Lord (Luke 10:38-42).
1.
Jesus was
welcomed into the home of Martha and her sister Mary.
2.
While Mary was
seated at His feet listening to His word, Martha "was distracted with all her
preparations."
3.
When Martha
complained to the Lord that Mary was not helping her, Jesus said, "Martha,
Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing
is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away
from her."
4.
Notice that
Martha had not done wrong in her eagerness to be hospitable to the Lord. However, she was "distracted" ("cumbered"
KJV) from the only necessary thing, which was the "good part" chosen by Mary.
B. Mary chose the good part when she believed in the Lord
(John 11).
1.
Mary and Martha
had a brother, Lazarus, who became sick and died (vv. 1-16). Notice that verses 3 and 5 state that Jesus
loved all of them, which indicates His exceptional affection for them.
2.
Jesus came to
their village of Bethany near Jerusalem when Lazarus had already been in the
tomb for four days (v. 17). He had
intentionally delayed His arrival for His own glory and for the belief of His
disciples (vv. 4, 15).
3.
Martha came out
first to Jesus and declared her faith in Him (vv. 20-27).
a. Martha said, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother
would not have died. Even now I know
that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
b. When Jesus said that her brother would rise again,
Martha said she knew that he would rise in the resurrection. Jesus replied, "I am the resurrection and the
life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives
and believes in Me will never die. Do
you believe this?"
c.
Martha's answer
was the best that could be given. She
said, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even
He who comes into the world."
4.
When Mary came
out to the Lord, she expressed the same faith as Martha (vv. 28-32).
a. Mary said exactly the same words spoken by Martha:
"Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Truly, Mary's faith matched that of her
sister, and Martha's words were Mary's as well.
b. Notice that their brother's death had not shaken the
faith of Martha and Mary. Their belief
in Him was unconditional.
5.
Jesus confirmed
their faith in Him when He raised Lazarus from the tomb (vv. 33-44).
C. Mary chose the good part when she did a good deed to
the Lord (Matt. 26:6-12; Mark 14:3-8; John 12:1-8).
1.
Just a few days
before Jesus would be crucified, Mary anointed Him with costly perfume.
a. Jesus was in Bethany for a supper at the home of Simon
the leper. Lazarus was there, and Martha
was serving.
b. Mary took an alabaster vial of perfume and poured it
on the Lord. Matthew and Mark say that
she poured it over His head, and John says that she wiped His feet with her
hair.
c.
The value of this
perfume was more than three-hundred denarii, which was over eight months'
wages.
2.
When Judas
protested, Jesus defended Mary and explained the good she had done.
a. Judas said that the perfume should have been sold and
the proceeds given to the poor. He
considered Mary's use of the perfume on Jesus to be a waste. His true motivation was evil, for he was a
thief and resented losing the opportunity to steal the money.
b. Consider the Lord's response from Matthew 26:10-13:
"Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you; but
you do not always have Me. For when she
poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is
preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in
memory of her."
c.
Mary did not
consider the anointing of Jesus to be a waste of resources. To her, the Lord was worthy of the
sacrifice. Today, we fulfill the Lord's
words as we remember her good deed.
III. LESSONS LEARNED -- OUR CHOICES
A. Those who choose to hear the good word of the Lord
will not have it taken from them.
1.
When Martha suggested
that Mary should have been helping with the preparations rather than listening
to the Lord's word, Jesus contradicted her.
He refused to take His word from Mary and indicated that Mary had
devoted herself to something more important than Martha had chosen.
2.
Likewise for us,
there is nothing more necessary than that which we receive from Christ's
word. It is the spiritual sustenance
that feeds us and causes us to grow (1Pet. 2:1-3). We must not allow anything (work, education,
etc.) to distract us from our choice to receive His word.
3.
When we choose
the "good part" of God's word, Christ assures us that we shall have it.
a. In Matthew 5:6, He said, "Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." This is a guarantee of success for those who
seek the righteousness of God through the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17).
b. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus promised, "Ask, and it will be
given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." If we seek the wisdom of God's word, then it
will be given to us.
c.
In John 8:31-32,
Jesus promised His believers, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly
disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free."
B. Those who choose to have life by believing in the Lord
will have it for eternity.
1.
Jesus demonstrated
His life-giving power and His authority over death when He raised Lazarus from
the tomb. In John 5:21, Jesus said, "For
just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also
gives life to whom He wishes."
2.
Jesus told
Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live
even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die"
(John 11:25-26).
a. Jesus is the resurrection because it is through Him
that all will be raised from the dead (John 5:28-29; 1Cor. 15:21-22). He came in the flesh "that through death He
might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and
might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their
lives" (Heb. 2:14-15).
b. Jesus is the life because He gives everlasting life to
the righteous in Him (Rom. 6:23b). The
faithful in Christ will never die again (Matt. 25:46b; Rev. 20:14; 21:3-4).
3.
Like Mary,
Martha, and Lazarus, if we choose life through faith in Christ Jesus, then we will
have it in abundance for eternity (John 3:16; 10:10).
C. Those who choose to labor for the Lord will not be
forgotten by Him.
1.
The good deed of
Mary is recorded and preserved in God's eternal word as a memorial to her.
a. Judas considered her act a waste, but his foolish,
selfish, and feeble opinion was mistaken.
His objection is symbolic of men who mock service rendered to the Lord.
b. Not only would Jesus always remember Mary's good deed,
but He assured that all of the world would remember her through His word as
well.
2.
Just as Mary's
good deed was remembered and rewarded, so also our good works in Christ will
also be remembered and rewarded.
a. Our labors in Christ will always bear fruit for us,
for 1Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is
not in vain in the Lord."
b. We cannot be saved by our own works, but we will be
judged by them. Notice 2Corinthians 5:10
-- "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one
may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done,
whether good or bad."
3.
God's memory is
unfailing. When all others forget, He
remembers. He says to His children, "Can
a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but I will not
forget you" (Isa. 49:15).
