Lunch with Jesus (Luke 10.38-42) - 8:30 Sunday Service

Nov 08, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Choosing Presence Over Plates

When Jesus arrives at Bethany, Martha scrambles to host while Mary abandons duty to sit at his feet. This story confronts our addiction to productivity, even in spiritual matters. True hospitality begins not with spotless tables but with undivided attention to the guest of honor. Jesus redefines priority: listening precedes laboring. The kingdom values stillness over hustle, presence over performance. What good is a feast if we miss the one it’s meant to honor? [42:31]

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
(Luke 10:38–42, NIV)

Reflection: What task or responsibility quietly convinces you that your worth depends on doing rather than being? How might sitting with Jesus first reshape your definition of “enough”?

Day 2: The Sacred Rebellion of Sitting Still

Mary’s choice to sit defied cultural expectations of women’s roles and hospitality norms. Her posture—at Jesus’ feet—declares discipleship over duty. To sit is an act of trust: the world won’t collapse if we pause. Jesus validates this rebellion, naming stillness as the “better” portion. In a world allergic to quiet, choosing to listen becomes radical obedience. [43:22]

Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
(Luke 10:39, NIV)

Reflection: What invisible script tells you stillness is selfish or unproductive? Where could you plant a small “flag of rebellion” by sitting before acting this week?

Day 3: The Tyranny of “Many Things”

Jesus names Martha’s distraction as a heart divided, not a schedule overfilled. “Many things” masquerade as necessities: perfect meals, impeccable service, others’ approval. The Lord’s gentle rebuke reframes scarcity: only one thing sustains. Our anxiety often stems not from lacking resources but from misplaced priorities. [49:51]

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.”
(Luke 10:41–42, NIV)

Reflection: Which “many things” have you quietly promoted to “essentials”? What would it look like to demote them to “optional” this week?

Day 4: The Unforced Rhythm of Receiving

Jesus doesn’t condemn service but reorders it. Mary’s listening fuels true hospitality—we can’t pour out what we haven’t received. The story invites us to trade the idol of usefulness for the art of receptivity. Like a child trusting a parent’s provision, resting in Christ’s presence becomes the foundation for all doing. [52:44]

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
(Matthew 11:28–29, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you substituted spiritual productivity for soul rest? How might receiving Christ’s gentleness soften your drivenness today?

Day 5: The Eternal Now of Christ’s Presence

Martha’s frustration stems from viewing Jesus as a guest to serve rather than the host to receive from. The story ends not with corrected chores but an eternal truth: time with Christ cannot be confiscated by life’s demands. To sit with him today is to practice for the everlasting meal yet to come. [54:46]

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
(Revelation 3:20, NIV)

Reflection: What door in your life remains closed because you’re too busy preparing a “worthy” space? How might you let Jesus host you in the imperfect now?

Sermon Summary

Jesus’ visit to Mary and Martha brings two good responses into tension: serving him and sitting with him. Martha opens her home and gets to work. Feeding Jesus and his disciples takes real preparation, and taking care of friends is no small thing. Mary sits at the Lord’s feet and listens. Someone important is there, and she chooses to spend time with him rather than let the preparations take over.

Martha sees work that needs doing and a sister who is not helping. Her appeal to Jesus seems reasonable: surely he will tell Mary to get moving. But Jesus names something deeper than an uneven division of labor. Martha is worried and upset about many things. Mary has chosen what is better, and Jesus will not take that away from her.

Life with Jesus cannot become a life of constantly doing things for Jesus. Even good work, hospitality, and the responsibilities of Christian community can become distractions when they leave no room to stop and listen. The anxious question of how everything will get done can turn a to-do list into a master. Jesus pushes back against that anxiety. The one thing that matters most is life with him.

Resting with King Jesus means putting aside even important things long enough to sit at his feet. That might mean a few quiet moments during worship, a pause at lunch, or time sitting outside. But rest is not another assignment to complete or another box that proves someone is a good Christian. The invitation is to sit, listen, and be. Nothing believers do can replace what Christ has done for them. His presence is not an interruption to the work of following him; being with him belongs at its heart.

Key Takeaways

1. Good Work Can Still Become Distraction. Martha’s preparations are a genuine act of hospitality, not a worthless use of time. Yet work done for Jesus can absorb so much attention that his presence gets pushed aside. The danger is not simply having responsibilities, but allowing those responsibilities to crowd out the person they are meant to serve. [45:38]
2. Jesus Protects Time At His Feet. Mary’s listening looks unhelpful to Martha because the meal still needs preparing. Jesus refuses to measure Mary’s choice by how much work she gets done. His response gives real weight to being with him, even when unfinished tasks make that choice feel unreasonable. [49:26]
3. Anxiety Must Not Set The Agenda. The fear that everything will fall apart without immediate attention can make rest feel impossible. Jesus challenges the idea that following him requires activity every moment of every day. Believers are called to resist becoming slaves to their to-do lists, because life with him must include room to stop. [51:58]
4. Rest Is Not Another Productivity Goal. A quiet moment with Jesus is not merely another chance to complete a religious task. Even useful activities can miss this particular invitation if they turn the pause into another effort to accomplish something for God. Sitting, listening, and being allow his presence, rather than another finished task, to be enough for that moment. [53:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[38:04] - A Lunch With Anyone
[41:54] - Lunch With Jesus
[42:31] - Mary and Martha in Luke 10
[43:47] - Friends on the Road to Jerusalem
[45:38] - Two Responses to Jesus’ Presence
[48:58] - Martha Asks Jesus for Help
[49:51] - Resting With King Jesus
[51:58] - Freedom From the To-Do List
[52:44] - Making Room to Sit and Listen
[55:09] - Prayer for Restless Hearts

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 10:38-42
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” [42:31]

Observation questions

In Luke 10:38–42, what shows that Martha’s hospitality involved real work rather than unnecessary busyness? [46:22]
What does Martha ask Jesus to do about Mary, and what does her request reveal about how she sees the situation? [48:51]
When Jesus responds to Martha, what does he address besides the unfinished preparations? How does his response differ from what she wanted? [49:33]
What everyday opportunities were suggested for stopping and spending time with Jesus? How were these distinguished from doing more work for him? [53:37]

Interpretation questions

Martha’s hospitality is good, yet it becomes a distraction. What makes the difference between serving Jesus and becoming so absorbed in serving that his presence gets pushed aside? [45:55]
Why does Jesus protect Mary’s time listening to him even though there is still work to do? What does this suggest about how he values a person beyond what they accomplish? [49:26]
How might the fear that nothing will get done keep a believer from resting with Jesus? How does Jesus’ response to Martha challenge that fear? [51:19]
How can a believer distinguish between making room to be with Jesus and turning that time into another religious task to complete? [54:02]

Application questions

Which good responsibility in your life most often crowds out time with Jesus? What signs help you notice when serving has become a distraction? [55:43]
When have you felt frustrated with someone who was resting while you were working? How might Jesus’ response to Martha help you look at that person—and your own needs—differently? [48:51]
When you consider leaving a task unfinished for a little while, what do you worry will happen? What would trusting Jesus with that particular worry look like? [50:48]
Is there a natural pause in your week—a lunch break, a quiet morning, or a few moments outside—when you could simply sit with Jesus? What might you need to set aside to receive that time as a gift rather than another obligation? [53:27]
Do you ever measure your standing with Jesus by how useful or productive you have been? How might remembering what Christ has already done for you help you rest when your work is unfinished? [56:39]
How could this group help you make room for Jesus without adding pressure or another box to check? What kind of encouragement would feel genuinely helpful? [54:07]

Sermon Clips

39s

#TimeWithJesus

“Don't fall prey to the idea that following Jesus means you need to be doing something every moment of every day. We have to push back against that anxiety. We cannot become slaves to our to do lists. We have to remember what's really important. The one thing that's really important, and the one thing that's really important Jesus is telling us here, is life with him. And if your life with Jesus doesn't include enough time to stop and eat lunch with him, that is not much of a life.”

41s

#RestWithJesus

“Sometimes, we need to stop doing things for Jesus and just be with him. Sometimes, we need to learn to rest with Jesus. We need to set aside our worries and our to do lists. We need to put down the expectations that we have about what Jesus needs or expects from us. We may need to even set aside what manners and customs suggest are appropriate, and we need to sit at the feet of king Jesus.”

36s

#SitAtJesusFeet

“Following Jesus does not mean always doing things for him. Sometimes following Jesus means listening to Mary's example in this story. Stopping what you're doing, putting aside even the things that are important, and sitting at Jesus' feet to rest with him. Are you gonna do that this week? It's gonna be hard, but I hope you'll try with me.”

43s

#BeStillAndListen

“This is not an invitation to check off some box to make you a good Christian or an invitation to say, hey, make sure you serve someone else this week. No. Is... This is an invitation to sit and to listen and to be. And I know that is not our usual, hey. Here's something really practical you can do this week kind of application that we try to provide here at Arise. But that's not what this story is telling us to do. Just the opposite.”

54s

#ThankfulForGrace

“And so, Lord, I I thank you for this story. At least I think I thank you for this story, for this reminder from Mary and Martha, for this invitation to stop and to listen, to sit at your feet, to rest with you, to rest in you, and in who you are and in what you've done for us. Lord, we do so much, but nothing we have done replaces what you've done for us.”

27s

#QuietTimeWithJesus

“Maybe you need to make an appointment some afternoon to just go outside and sit in the woods with Jesus. And I wanna be very clear here. I'm not asking you to find five minutes to read your bible or to do something for Arise or to text someone an encouragement or to follow-up with a list of things you need to do. This is not an invitation to be productive for god for five minutes this week.”

47s

#RestWithTheKing

“We have to be able to sit down and stop and rest with king Jesus. So that is my challenge to you this morning. It's a challenge to rest with the king. It's challenge to sit at his feet. And maybe for you, that looks like right here, right now, today as part of worship, you're gonna take a few moments to slow down, to stop moving, to stop thinking about what's next, to stop worrying about the future, to stop thinking about your to do list today or this week or this month, and you're gonna let yourself feel the presence of god with you.”

35s

#ChoosePresenceOverPressure

“Jesus, if I don't do this thing on this Sunday morning, Jesus, if I don't do this instead of going to small group tonight, Jesus, if I don't wake up and do this immediately rather than spending five minutes doing my devotions, those are the thoughts that creep in. Those are the thoughts that come and push Jesus' invitation to sit at his feet and rest. There's so much to do. When are we gonna do it, if not now?”

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