Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV)
Read Luke 10:38-42 on biblegateway.com
Verse 38Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Verse 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. Verse 40But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." Verse 41But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; Verse 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
Devotion
If we are created for Christ, in what does this life consist? Luther answers: “The whole way of life for the Christian person consists in just two things: trust in God and love of neighbor.” Mary, who is passive and at rest as she listens to Jesus, illustrates trust.
Luther spoke of faith as “pure passivity.” E. Stanley Jones described it as “pure receptivity.” Mary is a picture of this combined receptive passivity of trust. When trying to believe or achieve something, we are depending on ourselves. When we quit trying and start looking and listening to Jesus we begin trusting.
The universe often seems cold and indifferent, but Jesus assures us that its heart beats with the warmth of his compassion, and that God loves each of us. Such promises evoke the trust that is one essential aspect of the life we are created to live.
Prayer
Lured by your love, Lord, we cease from our self-centered struggling and striving and rest our lives in passive, receptive trust of your presence and promises. In Jesus' name, Amen.